So what won the US midterms - sanity or fear?

And the biggest sting in the tail for the Right in America is that it will now probably fall into the Tea Party trap and seriously consider choosing Palin as its 2012 Presidential candidate, pump up the fear factor, and get trounced by the comparatively reasonable and moderate post-midterm remade Obama.

The rise of the Tea Party fear machine seems spectacular but these midterms tell a more complex story when you look a little closer.

I remain a committed optimist about America. It's a beacon of democracy, diversity and debate - and long may that last. It's a society that attracts what we often see as the extremes, but it chews them up and produces a more balanced, sane result. These midterms may yet prove to be another example of exactly that.

This all brings my mind back to another one of those signs at the rally: "Soon enough we'll go back to how should be - Tea Parties are for little girls".