Quite some night.
The Democrats are smiling this morning, and with some justification. They have taken the House, and there's more than a slim chance that they will take the Senate. Republicans are glum, with something of the mood of the British Tories of some five years back about them. They seem to have lost their knack of connecting with the American people.
This is no revolution, however. It is really more a return to politics as normal here. Unlike the British, the Americans seem to love divided, some might say ineffectual government. Having one party in control of everything is simply not the tradition here. And the Democrats might just regret being in such a position of responsibility now, one they will have to defend in the presidential elections in two years' time.
Some interesting stories below the surface: in a referendum in South Dakota, voters overturned a law banning abortion. Given that this is one of the most socially conservative states in the nation, this is a fairly sure sign that politicians wanting to go down the path of limiting abortion rights drastically will not have an easy time of it.
There were also six referendums yesterday on banning same-sex marriage: five seem to have passed. But Arizona seems to have rejected a ban. My guess is that there is a shift happening on this issue too, but one that will take probably many decades to play out.
All eyes now on Montana and Virginia. Nail-biting stuff.
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