Interpreting the election results

For Democrats in despair, consider the following:

 

A) As favorable as the Senate map was for Republicans this year (with numerous Democratic candidates trying to win in red states), it's the exact opposite in 2016;

B) This was the cover of Time Magazine only 5½ years ago – things change; and

 

 

C) Read the email (below) from Andy Tobias, Treasurer of the Democratic National Committee. Here's an excerpt:

It was a horrible night, but nothing has changed:

The Earth, I believe, is still more than 9,000 years old; climate change is still a tremendous problem; our infrastructure is still crumbling -- even as there are still un- and under-employed Americans eager for work revitalizing it.

Most Americans still favor the American Jobs Act that would put those un- and under-employed Americans back to work (but that the Republicans block) . . . still favor the comprehensive immigration reform that economists say would boost our economy (but that the Republicans block) . . . still favor the $10.10 minimum wage and "universal background checks" and the Employment Nondiscrimination Act that the Republicans block . . . still favor the Medicare expansion funds the Republicans reject . . . still favor the benefits of the Affordable Care Act that the Republicans tried so hard to block, voted 52 times to repeal, and then spent $418 million in negative TV spots to mischaracterize . . . still favor refinancing federal student loan at today's low rates . . . and the rights of women to make difficult choices in consultation with their doctors without government-mandated vaginal probes.

And yet we failed to make the case.

(The predominant focus these last few weeks was instead on the Ebola pandemic, the American death toll from which has now soared, I am compelled to report, to . . . still zero.)

Sure we got unemployment down in two years to where Mitt Romney promised to get it after four -- and all the rest: an averted depression, a record-high stock market, a rescued auto industry, a healthy housing market, a strong dollar, a plummeting deficit, health care security, two wars ended, Bin Laden dead.

But if only we had George W. Bush back, the electorate seemed to be saying last night!  If only we could have had McCain/Palin these last six years instead of Obama/Biden!  If only we could have Mitch McConnell and John Boehner running everything, not just Congress!

It makes no sense to me, but neither does putting a climate change denier in charge of the House Space and Technology committee (and now, very possibly, another in charge of the Senate Environment Committee -- see his book calling climate change a "conspiracy").

So last night was horrible, and further retards what could otherwise actually be a terrific time for our country (which is already enjoying better economic times than almost any other).