AH, FOR A HAPPY SATURDAY NIGHT – AT 7:46 P.M. ET:  Two New York Times writers deliver the grim news to the wine and Brie crowd, although this story appeared in another paper:

ASHLAND, Wis. | Rep. David Obey has won 21 straight races, easily prevailing through wars and economic crises that have spanned presidencies from Nixon to Obama. Yet the discontent with Washington surging through politics is now threatening not only his seat but Democratic control of Congress.

And...

The fight for the midterm elections is not confined to traditional battlegrounds, where Republicans and Democrats often swap seats every few cycles. In the Senate, Democrats are struggling to hold on to, among others, seats once held by President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden. Democrats are preparing to lose as many as 30 House seats - including a wave of first-term members - and Republicans have expanded their sights to places where political challenges seldom develop.

I think the writers are being gentle with their prissy readers, and treading softly as they raise the delicate issue: 

Rep. Pete Sessions of Texas, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, said he would consider anything short of taking back the House a failure. Republicans say they have not recruited strong candidates in all districts, but both parties agree that Republicans are within reach of capturing the 40 additional seats needed to win control. Republicans also are likely to eat into the Democratic majority in the Senate, though their prospects of taking control remain slim.

Control of both houses would bring the same contentment as a warm puppy on a cold night.  But even if the GOP should edge closer, effective control would transfer to a coalition of moderates and conservatives, with liberals left checking hats, coats and carbon content.

Democrats worry that some lawmakers who have avoided tough races in the past could be at added risk of defeat because they are out of practice, slow on their feet and often reluctant to acknowledge the threat they are facing. The chairman of the House re-election effort, Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, has called mandatory face-to-face meetings with vulnerable members to monitor their campaigns.

COMMENT:  Kind of a teacher-knows-best approach. 

But the story is correct.  This could be a big Republican year, unless the GOP works hard to wreck it, or the press charges every Republican with crimes against decency. 

We're six months away from change we can really believe in.

April 24, 2010