We lost an election. We haven’t lost America.

Well, that was a rough night.

There’s no point dressing it up. Democrats took control of both houses of Congress, and Republicans suffered losses in places where, not very long ago, the idea of a Democratic victory would have seemed almost unthinkable.

Texas. South Carolina. Kansas. Those aren’t exactly places Republicans expected to be licking their wounds.

And I know what some of you are thinking this morning.

Are we screwed?

Funny you should ask.

On yesterday’s show, a friend of mine in Florida sent me a text asking that very question. My answer was immediate.

“No, we’re not screwed.”

And I went further. No matter how the election turned out, I said, “We are not screwed, period, period.”

Well, now we know how it turned out. And I haven’t changed my mind.

Don’t misunderstand me. This was a serious political defeat, and it deserves serious examination. Republicans cannot simply shrug their shoulders and pretend nothing happened. Voters have been telling Washington they’re unhappy about the cost of living, and those concerns don’t disappear because somebody delivers a terrific campaign speech.

But there’s a difference between losing political power and losing your country.

Yesterday, I spent a good portion of my show arguing with Ken Burns, the brilliant documentary filmmaker, over his declaration that America is facing its fourth great crisis, alongside the Civil War, the Great Depression and World War II.

I respect the man’s work enormously. But I reject the idea that every political development we dislike means the American republic is coming apart.

America is not a fragile country.

We’ve had enormous disagreements since before the founding. We’ve survived wars, depressions, political upheavals and some truly awful leadership.

And we’re still here.

Now Democrats will have congressional majorities. They’ll have investigations to conduct, legislation to pursue and promises to answer for. Republicans will have to decide what they learned from this election and what they intend to do differently.

That’s how our system works. Elections have consequences, and neither party gets a permanent lease on Washington.

One thing I won’t do is join the chorus declaring that the country is finished because the political scoreboard changed overnight.

I spent years alongside Rush Limbaugh, listening to all of you, and one thing I learned is that the American people are a lot bigger than the politicians who claim to speak for them.

So yes, Republicans have some hard questions to answer. Yes, there will be battles ahead. And yes, yesterday hurt.

But to the friend who asked me whether we’re screwed, and to everybody waking up with that same sinking feeling, my answer remains exactly what it was before the votes came in.

No.

We lost an election.

We haven’t lost America.

— Bo