Ramesh, you’re right that Republicans shouldn’t be gleeful. But Democrats should be worried. There’s been a complete withdrawal of support for, and apparently a complete revulsion toward, Washington politicians. It’s difficult to know what this will mean except for one thing — it certainly suggests the anti-incumbent mood generally will be a significant phenomenon in the next election cycle. And George W. Bush won’t be running next year.
There could be no more positive development, in my view, than for the Senate or House to change control again in 2008 to Republican hands — and then in 2010 for that body to go Democratic again. The possibility of relatively regular changes in party control on Capitol Hill might well be exactly the reform Congress needs — because it will limit DeLayism on the one hand and Harry Reid-ism on the other in favor of real horse-trading and cross-party dealing. This could lead a new kind of comity on Washington, and would be very interesting to see.