Elections regularly inspire an orgy of hype — and so it is with this one. The Democrats are in disarray, it's said. Unless they're enormously skillful or lucky, they risk becoming a minority party indefinitely. Be skeptical. The reality is that these dire forecasts have a habit of not coming true.
Remember Barry Goldwater's crushing defeat in 1964. After Watergate, Republicans seemed doomed. Ronald Reagan's two successful terms, followed by the election of George H.W. Bush in 1988, seemed to entrench Republicans.
In each case, something (Vietnam, double-digit inflation, recession) altered the calculus and confirmed a long-standing axiom of U.S. politics: When Americans are unhappy, they throw out the party in the White House.