A brief history lesson of "wave" elections in my lifetime and a few thoughts.
I'm 59 years old and yesterday was the 21st time that I've voted in either a Presidential or mid term election. Some of those years have been "wave" elections, most haven't, and ALL of them had people on both sides who've VASTLY over-interpreted the results. Going back to the first "wave" election, 1964 when I was 9, here are some highlights
1964- LBJ wins 61+% of the vote and loses only Barry Goldwater's home Arizona and 5 southern states. Democrats have a huge night in both houses of congress and we're then told that the Republican party is DOOMED! Republicans then have significant gain in mid-term elections in 1966 and Trickie Dickie gets elected president in 1968.
1972- Trickie Dickie gets reelected carrying 49 states and Democrats are DOOMED!
1974- Democrats have massive gains in both houses and in governorships and Republicans are DOOMED! then in 1980 Saint Ronald is elected president and the Republicans take the senate.
1984- Saint Ronald is reelected winning 49 states and Democrats are DOOMED! In 1986 the democrats have a big year that includes taking the senate back.
1994- Republicans take both houses of congress and a boatload of governorships and the Democrats (especially Bill Clinton) are DOOMED! in 1996 Clinton is reelected very comfortably and in 1998the Democrats make gains in both houses of congress which marks the first time since FDR that a sitting president's party made mid-term gains at the administration's 6 year mark.
2006- Democrats take back both houses of congress and in 2008 President Obama is elected leading to more Democratic gains and (shall we say it together?) Republicans are DOOMED!
2010- Republicans have a huge mid-term election in the teabagger frenzy and Democratic wave of apathy and Democrats are DOOMED!
2012- President Obama is reelected comfortably, Democrats make congressional gains and Republicans are DOOMED!
2014- the Republican/teabagger party has a big night (partly due again to many Democrats sitting on their asses) and, shock of shocks, Democrats are DOOMED!
A potential lesson here is that things are never quite so good or quite so bad as many, especially today's "news" media, make them out to be.
Another thing that we've learned is that the Republican/teabagger party ALWAYS over interprets their "wave" elections as meaning that the whole country is in a right wing frenzy which usually results in them getting their asses handed to them after a fairly short time.
Another thing that we can learn is that Democrats ALWAYS get very complacent after presidential wins and sit on their asses for the mid-terms, thereby giving the Republicans/teabaggers another chance to get up off of the mat.
The Republican establishment didn't "beat back" the teabagger movement, they BECAME the teabagger movement. They will be sorry before long because Americans are, by nature, moderates, if not somewhat left of center. Teabaggerism WILL bite them in the ass!
Finally, Democrats need to stop worrying that Rush Limbaugh and his ilk will not like them. If you are the Democratic equivalent of George W Shithead running against the Republican/teabagger equivalent of Ted Kennedy, Rush and his merry Band of idiots will still love the Republican/teabagger. Rush has been the de facto leader of the Republican/teabagger party since Bush the first carried his suitcase into the White House for him in 1991. The Democrats running for office should strive to piss him off!
As for myself, I hate what happened last night, but the real congratulations go to the "liberal" media, which has been working hard for last night's results since the day after the 2012 election. Also, since the Republicans/teabaggers are just dying to see us all upset and sad. Well fuck me if I'm going to show them a Goddammed thing!
In their idiocy they seem to think that they can still act the way they have and get away with it forever. They think that the only thing that African Americans have been waiting for to get them to vote their way is an avowed white supremacist like Rand Paul. They were stupid yesterday, are stupid today and will be stupid tomorrow. In the wise words of my mom, "SCREW "EM"!!!
That's my 2 cents, and quite possibly overpriced at that!
PEACE!
= new reply since forum marked as read
The acrimony here in 2010 made me leave DU for TWO YEARS!
I think Rachel Maddow said since JFK was president that THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS in a midterm especially in the president's second term? Stats don't lie.
I saw the sun rise, it's NOVEMBER THE FIFTH, learn your lessons, STAY CALM AND FIGHT ON.
Time to prepare to hold the White House and take back the senate (and hopefully the house) in 2016.
Hopefully Democratic voters have learned a lesson about sitting on their asses in mid-term elections, too!
PEACE!
...the acrimony here bothers me sometimes, too. We wouldn't be Democrats without it, though!!! 
PEACE!
,,,maybe even before, but I was limiting it to my politically cognizant lifetime. I was 9 in 1964. WE have only been DOOMED since 1972...YIKES!!!
PEACE!
