From my perspective in low information land, who gets to write the water-cooler script is as important or more so than who wins or loses an election--both outcomes have serious, long-term consequences.

Predictably, hard-core Democrats are spinning wins in in NY-23 and a heavily Democrat San Francisco area district as the big story from last night, but big media isn't buying it. Overwhelming, the national news media and then local news media, are characterizing this as a Republican comeback and a Democrat defeat.

There are two reasons for that: the outcomes were decisive and Obama-on-the-ropes is a much better story than Messiah-wins-again.

Its especially important because as much anger and intensity as there has been among the tea partiers, they were dwarfed by a much larger contingent who were demoralized and frightened by the prospect of a socialist makeover of the last bastion of freedom in the world.

Those people had a little more lift in their step this morning, and a glimmer of hope.

Democrats need to stamp that out immediately.