Although is was a tough loss for Republians Tuesday given thier past gains in off year elections (the loss of GOP House and Senate seats were historically normal in a 6th year of a president’s second term) there were some reasons to be optimistic about the future:

Some interesting ballot initiatives:

English as official language passed overwhelmingly in Arizona.

Legalising domestic partnerships failed in Colorado.

End of affirmative action passed in Michigan.

Same sex marriage banned in 6 States.

Anti-Kelo initiative passed in Nevada