Al Hunt: Democrats See House Victory, Senate within Reach

[DeepModem Mom]

Bloomberg: Democrats See Victory in U.S. House Races, Senate Within Reach
By Albert R. Hunt

....Democratic insiders, who months ago thought their chances of winning a majority in the House were no better than even, and that the Senate was a lost cause, have become far more optimistic. Now, they say, winning the House is a lock, and the Senate is within reach.

"We have to go back to 1974 (during Watergate) to find such a favorable environment,'' says James Carville, who ran Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign. "If we can't win in this environment, we have to question the whole premise of the party.''

More telling is that the smartest Republican political minds agree. "The issue matrix and political dynamics are not good for us,'' says Representative Tom Davis, a Virginia Republican. "Only some big national or international event before the election can change that.''...

***

To be certain, the party's confidence is occasionally tempered by the realities of recent elections. At a private gathering sponsored by Democratic House Leader Pelosi for some of the party's biggest givers in California early this month, there was a palpable sense that Karl Rove and the White House will engineer some "October surprise.''

And Republicans, with a better get-out-the-vote system, generally tend to close better in American elections....

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=washingtonstory&sid=aHczjrHrbtxo

[electropop]

1. November surprise: Diebold

The "surprise," as in all recent "elections" will occur at midnight when a mysterious computer glitch suddenly reverses the margin of victory across the country.

[Vinca]

4. That's what I'm afraid of. I still remember the 2004 election -

going to bed thinking Kerry was the winner and waking up in the wee hours only to find . . . well, you know. I get a lump in my throat just thinking of it. Now I'm afraid Diebold will strike again, just when we have our hopes up.

[Kolesar]

6. Easier just to trash your registration before you vote

"The Blackwell method"

[electropop]

10. All of the above: Electronic and backroom malfeasance, plain thuggery,

and so on. It's more refined and less reported-on each time.

[BOSSHOG]

2. What a sad conundrum for republicans

I sincerely believe many would like to see the democrats take over the mess bush has made and let them deal with it. But, those in the white house don't want honest people like Rep Conyers getting subpoena power. It really sucks being them; and it has for years.

[Atman]

3. This is a scary, scary quote...

"If we can't win in this environment, we have to question the whole premise of the party."

Abso-fucking-lutely. And the Republicons know it very well. That is why they MUST find a way to steal this one, and THEY WILL. They won't care if we're upset, outraged, or if we march or throw rocks at them. They simply WON'T CARE, because the end result will be that they'll still hold on to power, enabling them to continue the perpetual warring, and stave off criminal investigations into the top levels of the White House.

And the talking point on ALL the CIA Media Center broadcasts (aka "news shows") will be how this great loss proves once and for all that Americans reject liberalism at its core, and use it as their next excuse to ratchet up their authoritarian wet dreams.

I'd bet money on it.

[gasperc]

7. I know, sets us up as possible to win or really lucky

Like the 40 years of democratic dominance was a fluke. Just as in 2000 when the GOP stole Florida with the Thanksgiving stuffing they engineer something wicked again. Let's keep pushing forward as hard as we possibly can, and also start pushing the message that we can win, and it won't just be a fluke but the will of the voter's and the country.

[liberal N proud]

5. Time for a new Osama tape to appear!

[gasperc]

8. then we remind voter's he hasn't been caught yet

and we hammer the hell out of that point and remind voter's that it was wiretapped information that gave Bush his infamous "Bin Laden determined to attack in the US" memo

[Jackpine Radical]

9. Tom Davis announces impending terrorist strike in US...

"The issue matrix and political dynamics are not good for us,'' says Representative Tom Davis, a Virginia Republican. "Only some big national or international event before the election can change that.''...