There were some conservatives right here on FR this morning whining that they weren't going to bother to vote because the Republican candidates weren't conservative enough for them at the local/state level. One guy from Virginia decided to sit out the election even though the state senate and redistricting hangs in the balance, and others were even encouraging this suicidal behavior. I seriously think Ronald Reagan would have been ripped to shreds here by many for being not politically pure enough.
What's unusual is an unprecedented turn out, but that doesn't seem to be happening anywhere tonight.
This is because nothing has fundamentally changed. Many conservatives deluded themselves into thinking the emergence of the Tea Party meant the tide had turned and the country had shifted ideologically. Sadly, that does not appear to be the case at all. We've largely fought the left to a draw, but have not been able to decisively change the political landscape at all. This nation is as wedded to the social welfare state and government dependence as it ever was - and with an explosion of minority voters who reliably cast ballots for Democrats it is going to get even harder to change this nation for the better via elections.
In a nutshell.
The misguided belief by so many of our citizens that bureaucrats solve problems will lead to all our ruin.
Redistricting's been done already hasn't it?