Does Talk of a Blue Wave Make It Less Likely?

We're in the thick of what I've come to call the silly season of an election cycle. Just days out from November 3 - but weeks into early voting - this is often the time when predictions, analysis, and expectation setting from both parties gets laundered through the media; and is most disconnected from the data. Why? Reasons vary - but I mostly find it an effort to proactively explain the expected results.