So why did Republicans win big in the midterm elections? Occam’s razor suggests that voters were unhappy with Democrats for enacting massively unpopular and intrusive legislation while failing to deal effectively with real problems. But some people avoid Occam’s razor for fear of cutting themselves, so we end up with some very elaborate, if not downright crazy, explanations. They are also highly entertaining, which is something to be thankful for.

Graydon Carter, editor of Vanity Fair, attributes the election outcome to “general anti-Obama rage . . . this being America, there’s an attendant hatred for Obama that has more to do with race than anything else . . . angry right-wing extremists tend to carry guns . . . the wiggy mood of the nation [is like] a hormonal teenager . . . an electorate that seems prone to acting out irrationally, is full of inchoate rage, and is constantly throwing fits and tantrums . . . deranged Tea Party . . . the Angry Majority . . . seething blogosphere . . . Fox News marshaling forces . . . the fringe . . . anti-immigrant sentiment.”

Carter concludes: “America, you have it pretty damned good. Smile.” Or at least laugh.