SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:51 P.M. ET:

McCONNELL PULLS AHEAD – In the bitterly fought Senate election in Kentucky, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, appears to be strengthening his lead against Dem challenger Alison Grimes.  From The Hill:  "Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) may be pulling ahead from Alison Lundergan Grimes as the toughest race of his political career nears, a new poll suggests.  The latest and final Bluegrass Poll finds that McConnell holds a five-point lead over Grimes. And his support is growing: In last week’s poll from the same organization, he was up by only one point."  The election is five days away.  In addition to focusing on polls, we should be focusing on the possibility of voter fraud.

UGLY – Dem Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, becoming desperate, stirred the internet today when she suggested that Obama is unpopular in Louisiana because of racism, and she's unpopular because of sexism.  Hey, wasn't she elected to the Senate three times?  Wasn't she female those three times?  Throughout the South the Democrats are pouring it on in an attempt to bring black voters the polls.  Some Dem ads suggest that a Republican victory will mean the return of Jim Crow.  One of Landrieu's ads has an apparently lynching as a background.  It is ugly, but it will work with some black voters.  It may repel others. 

INCREDIBLE – Comedian Jon Stewart, proprietor of the Daily Show, confirmed today that he had indeed been offered the host's job on NBC's legendary "Meet the Press."  Fortunately, Stewart turned it down.  Can you believe that NBC was willing to destroy a journalistic institution for some temporary ratings gain?  I have DVD's of "Meet the Press" programs from the early 60s, and watching them shows us how much journalism has fallen since.  The program was serious and probing.  Chuck Todd now has "Meet the Press."  We hope he succeeds by aiming for the best possible journalism. 

SABATO'S TAKE – Larry Sabato, of the University of Virginia, is predicting GOP control of the Senate, although it may take days or weeks to count the votes:  "While many races remain close, it’s just getting harder and harder to envision a plausible path for the Democrats to retain control of the Senate. Ultimately, with just a few days to go before the election, the safe bet would be on Republicans eventually taking control of the upper chamber.  We say eventually because there’s a decent chance we won’t know who wins the Senate on Election Night. Louisiana is guaranteed to go to a runoff, and Georgia seems likelier than not to do the same. The Georgia runoff would be Jan. 6, 2015, three days after the 114th Congress is scheduled to open. Vote-counting in some states, like Alaska, will take days, and other races are close enough to trigger a recount."  Get your popcorn, and tranquilizers, ready for Tuesday night.

October 30,  2014