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You might have thought, after a traumatic and gut-wrenching defeat for the Democrats, that the midterms were a nightmare for Hillary Clinton.

Ah, but you dont understand the sophisticated spin at work. The election was actually her dream come true!

Her team has convinced some reporters and pundits or they have convinced themselves that Hillary emerges enhanced from the wreckage.

Im skeptical of that, but Im also going to let you in on a secret: The midterms were probably a wash for Hillary. This whole notion that when a big shot goes out and campaigns for candidates and gets some credit for the victories and some blame for the defeats its a journalistic construct. Most voters dont care about endorsements. Alison Lundergan Grimes loses to Mitch McConnell by nearly 16 points, and Hillary was supposed to have saved her?

No one wants to say that, because it doesnt get you clicks or ratings. So theres a debate: Did the midterms help or hurt?

If I had to choose Id lean toward hurt. But heres what the New York Times says in a front-page story:

The lopsided outcome and conservative tilt makes it less likely she would face an insurgent challenger from the left. Like Hillary was losing sleep over Bernie Sanders?

And a Republican-led Senate creates a handy foil for her to run against: Rather than the delicate task of trying to draw a stark contrast with an unpopular president in whose administration she served, her loyalists say, Mrs. Clinton can instead present herself as a pragmatic alternative to what they predict will be an obstructionist Republican Congress.

Rand Paul and Ted Cruz and their allies in the House will be pushing Republican leadership hard, said Geoff Garin, a pollster who succeeded Mark Penn as chief strategist for Mrs. Clintons 2008 campaign. When that happens, it will give Hillary Clinton or whoever the Democratic nominee is a better platform to run.

An obstructionist Republican Congress? Well have to see. Pure spin, of course. But if youre going to quote the spin from the left, why not include the shots from the right such as Rand Paul saying the midterms were not only a referendum on President Obama but on Hillary?

Read more:
KURTZ: Hillary helped by midterm wipeout?