Idawa: I can't say that I'm too optimistic for anything to change despite the power shift. The fact that one party no longer controls DC means that the people have power back and it isn’t vest in one party anymore, and this might mean a return to the middle, which is probably best for all of us. For Washington State, I hope the M. Cantwell can bring back the sales tax exemption that the Rs hijacked and ran into the ground, other than that I'm sure it will be more of the same. But maybe I'm just too pessimistic.

Kristen: Welcome back to gridlock, hopefully little will be accomplished.

DFO: If the D's approach Congress with the same arrogance that the R's have, they'll be the ones with jittery nerves two years from now. However, if they can learn to govern from the middle and eschew corruption -- two big ifs -- they could be the ones in the driver's seat for some time. The R's lost because they ran from their core values, especially fiscal responsibility.

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