Most of the pickups are due to gerrymandering (or un-gerrymandering as in Texas, and including that state senate seat you menioned down on the Ohio River; the Dem lost due to the way the lines were redrawn), but not all. For example, the GOP picked up two assembly and one senate seat in California that they should "not" have, since the plan was designed to eliminate all competitive seats in a horrible display of bipartisan convenience that was very poor public policy. In short, there was enough of a partisan zeyphur towards the GOP to pick off the weak animals from the Dem herd. What we have here, unlil the pace of events changes things, is that Bush has become the Blair across the pond (that is meant as a compliment to Bush since I am a huge admirer of Blair), and sucked the oxygen out of the opposition, because his policies are balanced enough to achieve a wide consensus of support. Of course, you wouldn't know it from the prose on this site, but it is what is happening in my opinion. For example, the GOP picked up two assembly and one senate seat in California that they should "not" have, since the plan was designed to eliminate all competitive seats in a horrible display of bipartisan convenience that was very poor public policy. In short, there was enough of a partisan zeyphur towards the GOP to pick off the weak animals from the Dem herd.
What we have here, until the pace of events changes things, is that Bush has become the Blair across the pond (that is meant as a compliment to Bush since I am a huge admirer of Blair), and sucked the oxygen out of the opposition, because his policies are balanced enough to achieve a wide consensus of support. Of course, you wouldn't know it from the prose on this site, but it is what is happening in my opinion.
Excuse the repetition in the prose. My computer is on the fritz as to the internet.