I have a memory from 1994. It was a Republican wave year. There was one bright spot for the Democrats: Senator Ted Kennedy staved off a challenge in Massachusetts (from Mitt Romney). So that was what the Democrats talked about, through the night.

I observed, “Great, guys: A Kennedy won reelection in Massachusetts. Woohoo.” (Sorry for the boastful self-quotation.)

This year’s Ted Kennedy is Jeanne Shaheen, who hung on in New Hampshire. My impression, though, is that the Dems are too shellacked to take comfort in that.