You ran someone who was smarter politically they would have wiped the floor with Harry. I don't really like the political game, but it is what it is and Sharon Angle is a lousy candidate. She does not have the ability to portray herself as reasoned.
If by "smarter politically" you mean that Angle didn't manipulate the unions like Dingy did, I'll agree with you on that. If by "smarter politically" you mean that Angle didn't do enough to push for Repubs to get out and vote more than she did (though Repub voters was more than normal, though not enough to overcome the obvious Dem advantage), I'll agree with you on that, too. What surprised me is Dingy actually beat her in Washoe County, her own turf - though Reno is another Dem stronghold.
Dingy's own stupid-ass statements should have been enough to bury him, but Nevadan voters have short memories.
I don't agree with you that Angle was a "lousy" candidate. She was inexperienced and not astute enough to follow up with stupid Harry's shit like how Angle had "wild" ideas. For a state like Nevada, which used to be one of the really "wild" states to begin with (Vegas and Reno ringing a bell, Jake?), the idea that "wild" is bad is one of the real disappointments in that particular race.
No, fact is, Dingy pulled the race out of his ass with a lot of help from people in Nevada pissed off at the ENTIRE political process, voting "None of the Above" or not voting at all, Repubs especially.
Dingy did more to create that environment than Angle could even hope for - her own failings involved not being astute enough and quick enough on her feet to beat Harry at his own game.