Democrats Positioned for Big House Gains

[DeepModem Mom]

NYT/AP: Democrats Positioned for Big House Gains
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: October 31, 2008

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democrats are positioned to make big gains in the House in next week's elections, adding 20 or more seats to their majority.

Republican candidates face a toxic mix of antipathy for President Bush, a sour economy, a huge financial disadvantage and a formidable Democratic campaign organization powered by presidential nominee Barack Obama. Few in their ranks feel safe and a rush of GOP retirements is further feeding what is emerging as a Democratic wave.

With Obama leading Republican rival John McCain in key battleground states, the House GOP is in crisis-control mode....

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(S)trategists in both parties predicted privately that Democrats would pick up anywhere from 20 to more than 35 seats -- the first time in more than 50 years that a party rode waves to bigger congressional margins two elections in a row. Democrats won 30 seats and control of the House in 2006, leaving them with a 235-199 majority, with one vacancy.

All 435 seats are up for grabs.

''Things are looking very good'' for Democrats, said Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., the head of the party campaign committee. ''We are going to break the historical curse and pick up a significant number of seats.''...

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Democrats -- who came out of the 2006 contests girding for potentially huge losses this year -- have key financial and organizational advantages that are helping their candidates keep the upper hand.

''Democrats are in the mode of having money to throw at the problem late in the game. For Republicans, it's a zero-sum game: If you're going to put resources in somewhere, you have to take it out of someplace else,'' said Jim Bonham, a Democratic strategist who headed the party's House campaign arm from 2002-2005.

One week out from Election Day, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee had spent about $65 million in 76 congressional districts. The National Republican Congressional Committee had spent $24 million in 73 district, according to data compiled by the Federal Election Commission. Democrats had spent $1 million or more in 33 districts, while Republicans had poured that much into just four races....

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/washington/AP-House-Stakes.html

[puerco-bellies]

1. Three words.

Thank Howard Dean

[DeepModem Mom]

2. Yes, indeed! nt