Pretty much. IMO, this election always had 2 long-term outcomes:
1. Trump wins, Trump takes office and amid a spectacular display of incompetence and corruption, probably leads to some sort of a wave in 2018 that does significant damage downballot and limits GOP gains in the Senate. 2020
could see a Democrat taking back the White House with Congress on their side, and Republicans would have given up their best chance for long-term control of the Senate in the 2020s. The chances of Republicans losing massive clout in the next round of redistricting is high, considering how many open gubernatorial races there will be that they currently hold.
2. Clinton wins, and in 2018 Democrats face another midterm bloodbath that depletes them so heavily in the Senate that Republicans get close to, or possibly even obtain a filibuster proof majority. Because their majority is so big
(58-60+ Senators sounds about right), it takes Democrats years to gain control back and possibly not until the mid-2020s or later, depending on who wins the presidency over the next 8-12 years. By 2020 Republicans could have taken back the White House with majorities in Congress as large as Democrats had in 2008, and god knows what power in the states, leading to another redistricting rout at the expense of Democrats. There wouldn't be enough jars for my liberal tears in this scenario
Short-term, Trump presents some policy gains and the Supreme Court for the GOP. If he serves 2 terms, the federal judiciary will get a large booster shot of young, conservative judges. However, the depletion to GOP ranks downballot in the states and the House, and the damage Trump is doing to the GOP brand among young voters, might ultimately prove Trump was not worth it - not by a mile.
