flipping a bunch of seats in the midterm election in the first term of an opposition party president has been par for the course for how long?

Actually, not as long as most people think. It really wasn’t common until 1994 (at least on the level we see it today), and even then it failed to happen in 2002. There were examples here and there like 1946 and 1982, but they were not as common as most people think.

If you’re reading the tea leaves from these events that Democrats need to build (or rebuild) a base by embracing Bernie, I think you are mistaken. Did I misunderstand your article?

No, that is basically what I said. I think it’s no coincidence Cortez let to a pickup, and her first speech boosted the ratings of CSPAN. While I’m not a fan of her, I do feel Democrats embracing her would be a good thing.