We suffered losses in the midterms, but did we "get our asses kicked?" I don't think we did. Do you?

[Stinky The Clown]

It is more the norm than not that the new party in power loses the first midterm of a new president.

Everyone is trumpeting how many seats we lost in the House. "The Most Ever." "An Historical Loss." Etcetera.

But really? Did we?

I contend the abnormality was our back-to-back *big* wins in 2006 and 2008. In 2006, we were supposed to have modest gains in the House and mostly nothing in the Senate. Instead we won both and had big numbers up on the board. In 2008 we saw the first serious, decisive presidential win since St Ronald. Our numbers grew. In fact, we lost our ability to have the whole magilla not by electoral inadequacy, but by the natural process of aging and death.

In the process of putting up those big numbers, we saw a whole lot of tight races go our way. Those were races between the natural favorites - conservatives and repubicans - in their respective states and districts and Blue Dogs, some of whom became Democrats simply as a way to run against a crazy person who appealed to the local base. The winners of these races, if not the natural favorite, were surely not destined to hold those seats for very long, and they didn't.

This midterm was very predictable. The fact is, we did better than we might have. We held the Senate. That was supposedly in danger, too. True enough, we held it on some flukes. Mainly, I thank Christine O'Donnell for it. Had she not beaten Mike Castle, we likely would have lost our slim majority. But that's inside baseball stuff.

Back to the question. While we lost and lost quite soundly, did we, in fact, "get our asses kicked" or did we simply see a normal pattern play out?

I think this cycle was simply a correction back to a closely divided government, which is more the norm for the past many decades.

[Drale]

1. NO!

but the media and the right wingers are trying to dishearten us. If you are told that you suck enough eventually you are going to start believing it.

[veganlush]

2. you're right it was predictable

take away the seats that are usually lost by the party in power during mid-terms, and factor in that a sour economy never helps either, and there's no big surprise in our loss, and certainly no mandate for the Repugnants. IMHO.

[regnaD kciN]

5. Actually, it was somewhat worse...

Someone did an analysis before the election and found that, based entirely on historical trends (size of pre-election majority, state of the economy, and so on ), we should have expected to lose 45-50 House seats. How many did we finally lose...70 or so? That's still quite a few more than the baseline would indicate, although the fact that we lost the House should have scarcely been surprising.

[regnaD kciN]

3. It was a normal midterm correction -- in other words, we got our asses kicked...

You're right about how the magnitude of our losses was really based on the fact that, after 2006 and 2008, we held almost every swing seat in Congress, and really had nowhere to go but down. Nonetheless, you can't argue with numbers, and the fact is, it was the largest loss ever.

[sufrommich]

4. No, we didn't. But the media has to breathlessly report

something.

[sally cat]

6. Didn't lose the Senate, so no.

[OHdem10]

7. The fact that we were able to retain the Senate spared us the

A-kicking.

[yellerpup]

8. We lost the first skirmish with the bully corporations

because too many people allow themselves to be educated by advertising. There was not enough individual introspection and too much of a willingness to be led by the nose. Asses kicked? In a minor way, but I think the country is in a better position to comprehend what the battle is actually about in the House. I believe that they won't like another two years of standstill courtesy of pure politics. We still have a Democratic Senate and President who are in the position to fight for the good of the people and can hold onto the ground they have gained. I sincerely hope they will.

[Denninmi]

9. Intellectually, I agree with your premise.

But emotionally, it stung like a swift kick to the behind from a jackbooted Teahadist thug.

[lib2DaBone]

10. Yes.. we got our asses kicked... and this is ony the beginning

Mr. Obama is a loose cannon... and the Repugs are out for blood.

The TSA grabbing our crotch.. Mike Pense of Indiana killing Social Security and Medicare... the Brown Shirts are in complete control.. it's going to get ugly.....