Elected

It's election day, so it seems appropriate - necessary, even - to make some noises about What Tonight Means.

The first thought that comes to mind is that a Senate changeover in a midterm election is practically news-free content, doubly so for the president's second midterm. 2014, 2006, 1998, 1986 - yep, control changed each time except Clinton's midterm in 1998, when the Republicans already controlled the Senate. (Before 1986, well, the Democrats had a long-time hold on the Senate going back to Eisenhower's 1954 midterm.) There are no additional bits of information available from control changing hands - one would likely do as well making predictions based on the roll of a die.

The Republicans have two years to do something with their position of power that might enable them to compete in the race for President.  Less than that, really: The presidential campaign starts tomorrow. The Iowa caucuses are 15 months away, and anyone who wants to be taken seriously will need to be a Name there shortly.

Strauss & Howe have noted that the Crisis starts to take shape around the time of what they refer to as the Regeneracy. It is a few years after the Catalyst that starts the Crisis, when people begin to move in a unified manner toward a goal.  Some have noted that the Regeneracy doesn't seem to be happening, yet, in this Fourth Turning. This election doesn't feel like it, either. There's a very mild sense of rejection, of almost wanting to change direction, of nearly being in favor of major changes.

Or perhaps it's the other way: Nobody cares about minor adjustments, what they want is radical reorganizations. There could be a groundswell of sentiment supporting attempts at something new, because the time has come to try.