Strengthening Constitutional Self-Government

No Left Turns

Sunday Straws

Barron’s, my favorite financial publication, says Republicans are going to hang on to control of Congress: "Jubilant Democrats should reconsider their order for confetti and noisemakers. The Democrats, as widely reported, are expecting GOP-weary voters to flock to the polls in two weeks and hand them control of the House for the first time in 12 years -- and perhaps the Senate, as well. Even some Republicans privately confess that they are anticipating the election-day equivalent of Little Big Horn. Pardon our hubris, but we just don’t see it." I think their analysis (based on the one-dimensional metric of canpaign cash on hand) is a bit shaky, like most of the quantitative political science election models. But their predictions have been fairly good in the last two election cycles, while mine were too pessimistic about GOP prospects.

Michael Barone argues, as I did in my recent podcast here, that even if Democrats win the House, it won’t be a harbinger of realignment. He’s already looking ahead to 2008: "If a Democratic victory presages realignment, we should see some evidence of that in the polling for 2008. But we don’t. Which party has candidates that can poll above their party’s 1996-2004 ceilings -- 49 percent for Democrats (Clinton 1996), 51 percent for Republicans (Bush 2004)?" Answer: Republicans. Barone’s conclusion: "Competence may defeat Republicans in 2006, but that doesn’t mean that ideology can win for Democrats in 2008."

Now, off to TV land to watch the Redskins get skinned by the paleface Indianapolis Colts.

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