These election results are a setback for the Democratic Party and Obama and for the America people (even though the Tea Partiers don't know it - yet).    But they don't have to be a "disaster."

Yes, the House is in Republican hands.   But, given the regimentation of the Republican Party in recent years, the Democrats and Obama wouldn't have had any less control over the House of Representatives if the Republicans just had a majority of 1 or 2.

But the Senate is still controlled by the Democrats, and if they have the backbone and the determination to get things done, they will open the next Congress by changing the Senate rules to make routine filibusters unfeasible and to prevent individual Senators from putting lengthy holds on cabinet appointments, etc., or on bills that are in committee.   They can change the rules to make Senatorial deliberations much more transparent.

Obama and the Democrats can also use the media to shine a spotlight on the Republicans' agenda and tactics. Obama can take on the big-money interests the way both Teddy and Franklin Roosevelt did, too. He may be a one-term President if he does, but he will be anyway if he doesn't.    At this point, even if he pulls a Bill Clinton and acts like a moderate corporatist Republican, he will lose in 2010. That's the Republicans' stated principal goal, and that's not going to change because Obama tries to be "Republican lite."