To the extent polls can be trusted, the smart money has Democrats prevailing in the upcoming midterm elections, taking control of the U.S. House and possibly the Senate. Whether or not that's true, the outcome is likely to be more a repudiation of the losers than an embrace of the winners. For years, American politics has been increasingly driven more by hostility to one party rather than by enthusiasm for its counterpart, especially among the independents who decide elections. With support for the two major parties continuing a decadeslong decline, the midterms are likely to be decided by revulsion.
