* The results were pretty much as expected. The Republicans took back the House and the Democrats retained control of the Senate. The only surprise I know of (so far) is that Harry Reid defeated Sharron Angle in Nevada.
* The biggest disappointment for me was that Joe Sestak didn't upset Pat Toomey in the Pennsylvania senate race. Not only is Sestak a great candidate, but Toomey is an ideologue who'll probably be gone after one term.
* One interesting statistic is that, nationally, more than 4 in 10 voters said they supported the tea party movement.
* It wasn't a particularly good night for Sarah Palin; two of her hand-picked candidates for the Senate lost -- Christine O'Donnell in Delaware and Joe Miller in Alaska.
While O'Donnell's victory in the Republican primary cost the GOP a sure pickup in Delaware, Murkowski's apparent triumph is murkier. She'll surely caucus with the Republicans in the Senate but will probably be a Major League thorn in Palin's side as the former governor contemplates a run for the White House in 2012.
* Rand Paul's victory in Kentucky, in the race for the Senate seat being vacated by the retiring Jim Bunning, is really of no great consequence. The Bluegrass State is just substituting one wing-nut for another.
What will be interesting, however, is seeing if Paul sticks to his libertarian principles or is co-opted by the GOP establishment.
* Nothing -- and I mean nothing -- will be accomplished in the next two years. There will be gridlock like we've never seen.
If the economy improves -- or even stays the same -- Obama will win re-election in a landslide. Things would have to take a terrible turn for the worse for the Republican candidate to win.
* Dan Seals has now run for the 10th Congressional District in Illinois and lost three times. Could the Democrats please find someone else next time?
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