Hmm. Democrats lost because it was a second-term midterm election, with all that entails. But the question of how and why the country managed to elect a bunch of Republicans while also passing props that directly contradicted conservative values is a really interesting one. I've been thinking about it lately. I have an unfounded theory that the difference is voting for people rather than issues. I think the 18-30 bracket has just been bitten too much when it come to voting for people and expecting good results. Understandable. But when they see an issue come along -- something clear cut like, "should residents of Oregon be able to own an ounce of marijuana, yes or no," they can happily vote yes and feel like they've done something. There's no downside to voting in favor of legalization, from their point of view, while the benefit of electing a Democratic governor is a "more of the same so who cares" mentality.