Saturday, May 15, 2010

2010: 1994 All Over Again?

It is not news that the Democrats in Congress are worried about the upcoming midterm elections while the Republicans are smelling blood. But what news there is about the issue is becoming clearer every day.

At AOL's Politics Daily, David Corn writes that despite numbers and issues which the Democrats could use against the GOP, such as the party being in bed with Wall Street, the polls indicate that the voting populace lacks any real feeling for the Dems. Anti-incumbent sentiment naturally will hurt those in office more than those out, and that seems to be the trump card which fate intends to play.

A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll gives the Republican Party a whopping 56 to 36 percent advantage over the Democrats as to who the public supports for November. Now, polls are not necessarily reliable, especially so far ahead of the actual event, but a 20 point differential is huge nevertheless. We may be rolling headlong into a repeat of the 1994 midterm elections.

True, the GOP suffered a setback in Utah, where incumbent Bob Bennett has apparently lost his Senate seat through in-party squabbling. Notice, though, that he has the dreaded I word associated with him, and that he is from a very conservative state. What happened to him means little to the tsunami the left faces.

So, to use the question which Mr. Corn asks, are the Democrats screwed?

Let's hope so.

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