In a special congressional election that had turned into a referendum on Republican plans to dismantle Medicare, Democrat Kathy Hochul has defeated Republican Jane Corwin in New York's 26th Congressional District. With 87 percent of precincts reporting, Hochul leads Corwin 48-42 in a traditionally Republican district in which John McCain beat Barack Obama 52-46.

And no, I'm not reading too much into these results. This was a campaign that focused almost entirely on Rep. Paul Ryan's proposal to end Medicare and replace it with a voucher program. Corwin endorsed the Ryan plan, and Hochul beat her mercilessly with it. Meanwhile, Tea Party candidate Jack Davis is trailing badly, in single digits.

Fair warning to GOPers: Your Big Red Wave of 2010 wasn't a referendum on anything except voters' frustration with a crappy economy. So continue to overreach at your own risk.