Reply #17: yep there is so much hatred for democrats

[salin]

that Al Gore won the popular vote. That John Kerry nearly toppled a sitting president (in terms of electoral college count). Yep it is overwhelming hatred that led many senate races to be very, very close.

More to do with incumbancy - in terms of congressional elections... and some funky circumstances in 2000 in terms of changing the party at the top of the ticket.

If extremism is what is being feared... and the fear of legislating one-sided views... as is the argument made by the OP... then all we have to do is sit back and let the story unfold - as the GOP gets more emboldened doing exactly that (legislatively and PR wise per extremism). Indeed the most recent WSJ polls do show a shift away from the GOP in terms of who should lead congress after 2006 elections (47% dem control vs 40% repub control). So for that part of the argument - there is growing evidence... but the fear of extremism and of legislating said extremism - seems to be turning on the current republicans.