Listening to Mitch McConnell mumble on about how the "people have spoken" and the Democrats have to move to Republican views one realizes what a misunderstood view of what the people said motivates him. Or maybe he's just playing make believe - again.
First we have to look at the "tsunami" that this election has been labeled by Republicans and others. Start with the Senate: 12 sitting Democrats ran for re-election(I am not counting chameleon Arlen Spector - seems fair). And what did the tsunami sweep away with its violent political wave? - 2 Dems. Only Blanche Lincoln and Russ Feingold departed. Some wave.
Then we look at the much higher losses in the House. As Daily Kos has pointed out the losses were concentrated in the conservative wing of the party - the Blue Dogs and the New Dems(pro-business). Seriously concentrated. 35 % of Reps running for re-election from those groups lost their races(35 of 99); only 4% (3 of 68)of liberals
lost . The more conservative Democratic losers were usually running in politically conservative districts that were often Republican seats before 2006/2008. They had to run- and vote - as more conservative in order to have any chance to survive there. In my state of Colorado both House loses were in districts with long histories of being solidly Republican(until 2006 and 2008 respectively). Democrats were lucky to have these seats in the last 2-4 years. Here the switch of moderate voters toward "change" doomed them. So in the House incumbents running as traditionally progressive politicians did very well. They were hardly swept away.
McConnell similarly misreads the public on the health reform law - Obamacare. Recent polls do not show a solid majority in favor of repealing it. AP-Roper: only 32% want repeal; 39% are unhappy with it but it's because they want it to do MORE! (18% are cool with it as it stands). Exit polls this week showed a 50-50 split on repeal but that pool of voters is more conservative than all adults. Hence no "tsunami" here either Mitch.
Republicans are trying to make much more of this election than what really happened. It is up to Democratic leadership to resist this illusion and make solund policy decisions for the country.