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Michael Cooper’s lead story in the National section of the New York Times on Saturday, ” Debunking the Myths of the Midterm ,” offered up four alleged myths downplaying the import of the Republican takeover of the House and big gains in the Senate. The first four of Cooper's five “myths” centered around the idea that the Republican victory and Democratic defeat of 2010 had been overstated (the fifth was a paragraph of throwaway humor headlined “The Pundits Have a Clue” while arguing the opposite). Every election develops its own mythology, usually before the official results are even certified, and this week’s was no different. And like all mythology, the narrative that is being woven around the midterm elections by Bulfinches from both parties is a blend of history, facts and, yes, myths. But the four partisan myths Cooper tried to knock down were all ones that made Republicans look strong. “Return to the Republican Fold” (Cooper denied it.) “The Sweeping Mandate” (No way.) “The Lost Youth Vote” (Not so fast.) “A Disaster for the President” (Not necessarily.) On March 26, Cooper wrote on how “ vandalism threatened to be a public relations disaster for the fledgling Tea Party movement ,” suggesting his political analysis isn’t foolproof. read more