For the Democratic party, was it better or worse that Hillary lost?

[SWE]

Worse since it's not clear that the Democratic party will remain legal within the next four years.

[ShadowRocket]

Better off. Clinton would've been a lame duck from the get go with a GOP House even if the Dems had taken back the Senate. 2018 would've been a disaster and she would've likely have lost to someone like Rubio or Cotton in 2020.

Since he isn't actually a conservative, I don't think Trump will do the kind of lasting damage to the safety net, even with a GOP Congress, that a President Cotton could've done. And while the Senate map is bad, the Dems have a shot of picking up a fair number of governorships and seats in the House, possibly even winning the majority there.