In Virginia, the Democratic candidate ran away from Obama and the Democratic Party platform. He said he would opt out of the public option if governor, rejected the stimulus and call for a cut in federal spending. As a result, the independents and Democrats who live north of a line from Virginia Beach and Roanoke, extending up to the state line with Maryland and DC, had no reason to vote.

In New Jersey, Gov. Corizine – an immensely unpopular governor -started the campaign down by roughly 20%. He ran on a progressive platform and had Obama in the state several times campaigning with him. He made up nearly all of the ground, edging within 4% of the Republican challenger by the time the votes were counted.

In California, a progressive Democrat won in a mostly-moderate, swing district by calling for a single payer health care system, getting out of Afghanistan, more programs offering direct jobs and putting serious controls on banks and financial institutions.

In New York’s 23rd, the GOP imploded in on itself but, nonetheless, a Democrat was elected for the first time since the Civil War.

Yes, voters remain angry – and rightly so – about “business as usual” in Washington and on Wall St. And both the president and the Democratic Party in Congress needs to do more to accomplish what voters elected them in 2008 to do. But to say that Tuesday’s election is a warning to Democrats is overstating the point.