No, I am not going back on my predictions of a month ago. I am generally satisfied with my overall conclusions, which are as follows: 18 to 23 seat Republican gain in the House, 2 to 5 seat Republican gain in the Senate, the reactionary elements of the Tea Party becoming more bitter and desperate. I did want to briefly consider some of the major trends in the last month.
I am very worried about the large amounts of corporate, foreign and wealthy individual dollars that are being dropped into our election process. This may influence some races that could have fallen to the Democratic candidate. On the other hand, the blatancy of this money has become so apparent that it may have a backlash effect, especially if Democratic politicians are strong enough to keep pointing it out. Citizens Untied has proven to be the most destructive Supreme Court ruling since Bush v. Gore, and definitely in the top five worst rulings of all time. If not changed very quickly, this will be the last shovel full of dirt burying the corpse of democracy.
I have recently heard that there are 70 Tea Party candidates for the House, of which roughly half are leading or contending. Of course what the MSM is not saying is at least half are NOT contending. So let's say 20 to 25 win. What does that mean? I think they will try to steer the Republican house in a more reactionary direction, if that's even possible. It will make compromise with the Democrats even more difficult. They will be a frustrating nuisance, and only have the power that they can gender through fear and intimidation. Tragically, that may be more power than their numbers warrant.
The false equivalency that CNN keeps trying to bring to the table drives me crazy. I don't mind them trying to be the "more journalistic" network in the middle. But journalism means calling it like it is. If all the crazy candidates are one side, it's best just to call it that than to try to gin up something on the other side. The Democratic equivalent of Newt Gingrich is not Lanny Davis.
The house being allowed to burn in Tennessee is a terrifying glimpse into a Tea Party future. If I were a Democratic candidate, I would play this up, over and over. The rescue in Chile is an example of what government can do IF we let it. They took over from day one, they did it methodical and careful, they brought the best resources from around the world, and we all cried for joy. Contrast that with the Gulf Oil disaster. The media, the government. BP - all sniping at each other. Meanwhile, don't kid yourself. just because our A.D.D. press is not covering it, doesn't mean you won't be seeing negative effects in the gulf for generations to come. And guess what? We're back to drill, baby, drill again!
Sorry for the somewhat random nature, but these are my thoughts with the election less than three weeks way. Please feel free to share your thoughts. I welcome the dialogue!
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