On the (far) right side of the aisle, they're drooling in anticipation of an historic sweep. John Boehner is taking window measurements in the Speaker's office, Darrell Issa is writing articles of impeachment, Joe Barton is preparing to drill, baby, drill.
The pundits on TV are just as flushed with anticipation, giggling as they prepare to paint the national map bright, bloody, red. Tweety, Chuck, Brian, Wolf, and Keith are panting to interview glum Democrats and ebullient Republicans (and, most especially, swaggering tea-hadists new Members of Congress). And that doesn't even come close to what the near-orgasmic Faux talking-heads are anticipating for tonight.
It's probably too late to install a contrary meme, but I'd like to propose a way to forestall or mitigate the orgy of gloating from the other side. I think we need to suggest that, in this "perfect storm" political atmosphere, however many seats they end up gaining is actually far short of what they could have gained.
I know it sounds defeatist to say that there may be a huge Democratic loss. I'm expecting to be dissed and shouted at here on dKos, and I probably should be.
However, I do think we need to find some way to dampen their enthusiasm, to say that they didn't do all that well in this cycle. That's why I'm setting this proposed meme near the upper end of what some pundits are predicting for the outcome of the 2010 mid-term.
Another place to look for this downplaying might be to suggest that failing to take control of the Senate at the same time is a real shortcoming of their efforts. I'm not smart enough to work through which of those would be a better approach, or whether there's some other way to cut into their glee.
This isn't a plan to excuse the outcome, whatever it turns out to be. It's merely a suggestion for digging them in the ribs just a bit, for dampening (however slightly) their glee.