Over the past month, many of us in the Democratic Party were concerned that this week’s result would be far worse for Democrats. That uneasiness was for good reason.

Traditionally, in midterm elections the president’s party gets shellacked. Only once this century did a president’s party evade significant losses in the House of Representatives during a midterm election. That was in 2002, under George W. Bush, and was largely attributable to 9/11 and a rally-around-the-flag effect.