You know, judging by the way Democrats and their mouthpieces in the mainstream media are acting, you’d think this election was already over and Democrats had swept to power. In fact, they’ve already started bickering over the spoils of their tidal wave victory. Although Nancy Pelosi would appear to be the heiress apparent, she’s already received a challenge from “moderate” Democrats who realize having a card-carrying communist as Speaker of the House might not work to their benefit. Few people realize that if she failed to get 218 votes, Denny Hastert would be next in line and would stay Speaker until Democrats stopped fighting amongst themselves. But why am I playing out this scenario already? They haven’t won yet.

Not only are Republicans still running both houses of Congress with the opportunity to defend their majorities, they have a couple of chances to actually gain seats! I realize this is a difficult concept for you all to grasp, based on what you’ve been bombarded with from the mainstream media, so I’ll explain as best I can. The non-partisan Cook Political Report rates 79 seats as being up for grabs 13 days from now. Nineteen currently belong to the Democrats. That’s something you’re not hearing from the mainstream media- that there actually are vulnerable Democrats in the House this term. Two of those seats are in Georgia where Republicans engineered off-year redistricting that can only work to our favor. As a little historical footnote, in 2004, Republicans picked up four “Democrat Toss-up” seats and three more that weren’t even rated.

The Senate is also very much up for grabs. New Jersey’s race is a dead heat and has been for some time. I guess that’s what happens in a heavily-Democratic state that has literally shut down since Robert Menendez’s predecessor- John Corzine- became Governor. Jersey may yet be one of the few states where anti-incumbent sentiment might actually work in favor of the GOP. Open races in Maryland and Minnesota aren’t total lost causes either. The land of Humphrey, McCarthy, and Mondale is getting redder by the day, with Republican Congressman Mark Kennedy hoping to join Senator Norm Coleman and Governor Tim Pawlenty as the most recent statewide winners. Maryland is also putting forward a strong candidate in Lieutenant-Governor Michael Steele who is still campaigning quite well, despite an onslaught of racist attacks from liberal groups you’ll never hear about on 60 Minutes. That state up north is home to an interesting Senate race as well. Debbie Stabenow has yet to put her contest away, and it may still be competitive.

Dick DeVos is also making the land of the blue competitive and is giving Jennifer Granholm a run for her money. This reflects the nationwide trouble plaguing do-nothing Democrat governors running for re-election. Trust me, I know this first-hand. Granted I’ve been away for most of Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski’s term, but each time I go back I’m told I haven’t missed anything. A recent Ron Saxton ad asks viewers to think for thirty seconds about everything Kulongoski has accomplished as governor. Things have gotten so bad The Oregonian- as reliably liberal as any paper in the country- endorsed Saxton. Iowa and Wisconsin are also a pair of toss-ups currently held by Democrats. Of course, Democrats are about to do the impossible this year, lose a statewide race in California. Former Governor Moonbeam Brown’s strategy for this year’s nominee is to hide him away in Chico, since every time Phil Angelides opens his mouth or appears on TV his poll numbers go down.

I realize this week’s entry is a bit lengthy, but it needed to be in order to drive home the point. This election is not only far from over, Republicans might actually win it. Yes, the fact that we’re in the majority means we’ll have to play defense this year. However, there’s an old saying that the best defense is a good offense. There are, as you’ve just read, quite a few opportunities for this to happen. Thirteen days is a long time in politics, and a Democrat sweep is far from guaranteed. Think of this election like a football game. The lead-up to the contest is perhaps the most exciting since the stakes are so high and the outcome (despite what you’ve heard all year) is still in doubt. If we knew what would happen in advance, there’d be no point in playing. After all, that’s why they play the game.