>>So while GOP candidates won a lot of races, GOP ideas lost a bunch.
>>
>I just followed a few close races.
>In those the better candidate - regardless of party- won handily.
>From the senate races, the message I took away is that the repubs did a better job of selecting candidates than they have previously.

That last is absolutely true. No "I'm not a witch" candidates, no "legitimate rape" candidates, etc.

FWIW, heard a couple of interesting things yesterday. First, since WWII, every president who has had a Senate majority to lose in his year 6 midterm has lost it. Second, going back to FDR, average 6th year losses for the president's party are about 30 in the House (thought I heard 45 yesterday, but I don't know what time frame that was for) and 5.5 in the Senate. In the results I can find so far, looks like the Republicans are up 10 in the house, with a dozen or so still to be decided.

Not surprising that in the Senate, the 6th year is particularly bad for the president's party, since that's when the folks elected along with his first victory come up.

Tamar