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.

What a difference a week makes! On October 12, in the wake of the Mark Foley scandal, the editorial board of the Columbus Disgrace urged House Republicans- and Speaker Dennis Hastert in particular- to “Uncover the Truth.” They condemned the inappropriate internet exchanges between Foley and teenaged pages in their commentary and news pages, as well they should. Tack on to that the deluge of attention the scandal is receiving in the national media almost a month after Foley was forced to resign. Now, a week later, it was revealed that Ted Strickland hired a convicted sex offender and kept him on his staff in spite of this. In addition, Strickland (in one of the few votes he actually made) refused to condemn a resolution condemning adult-child sexual relations joining 12 other members of his party in voting “present.” When the time came to write the editorial this week, who did the Disgrace condemn? The accuser!

The Disgrace referred to “tired accusations” and “old stories” being dug up by Ken Blackwell in a last, desperate attempt to smear the candidate they’ve already proclaimed the winner of the election. They also claimed that the Blackwell campaign hadn’t introduced any new evidence that would call Strickland’s integrity in to question. I guess when a member on your staff exposes himself to children and masturbates in front of them, your personal integrity is still safe. Instead of asking the same questions they’re asking Speaker Hastert- what did he know and when did he know it- they’re blasting Blackwell and his campaign for mudslinging. “Candidates,” they say, “particularly those trailing in the polls, roll out accusations in the final weeks because they see that as a way to reverse the momentum.”

Then again, if you want mudslinging, just turn on your TV or radio or check your mailbox. The Democrats have tied Mark Foley to practically every Republican running for Congress this year. Just ask Foley’s “friend” Deborah Pryce. Yes, when Mark Foley was making advances to sixteen year old pages, your Republican member of Congress not only knew about it, but covered it up. That’s why we need Democrat challengers to keep our children safe. By condemning Foley and the Republicans and refusing to do the same for Strickland and his staff, the Columbus Disgrace and other Ohio media outlets are sending a clear message to their readers and Ohio voters.

Is it too much to ask for a little consistency? Either adults having sex with children is ok or it isn’t. There should not be two sets of standards based on the political affiliation of the accused. The Columbus Disgrace and every other newspaper that has already anointed Ted Strickland has shown just how blatantly partisan they really are by not only shoving the matter of the sex offender staffer under the rug but by condemning the accusations as mudslinging. I suppose nowadays if you’re a Democrat you really are above the law. If you’re a Republican pointing out Democrat wrongdoings, on the other hand, you should be ashamed.

This is a message from George Soros.

Last night, while America slept, the neo-conservative warmongering profiteers at Faux News concocted a story that Comrade Kim Jong Il tested a nuclear weapon. While the simpletons in fly-over country will doubtless be frightened in to submitting to more totalitarian tyranny from the Bush administration in his quest for global domination and imperialism, do not be swayed yourselves! We enlightened few know the far more important issue in this election campaign is the actions of pedophile Congressman Mark Foley and the cover-up by Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert and Karl Rove.

While George Bush and his cronies try to destabilize the Korean Peninsula and East Asia to try to divert America’s attention, Foley, Hastert, and Tom DeLay are going unpunished! Our children in Washington, DC are at risk from the entire Republican Caucus who are only interested in protecting themselves and big oil. Comrade Kim Jong Il is merely an innocent pawn caught up in Bush’s imperial schemes. Indeed, even if Comrade Kim Jong Il was developing and testing a nuclear weapon, it is only to defend the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea against Bush’s planned invasion of the peninsula. All of this in a plot to cover the actions of Mark Foley’s pedophilia and spy on American citizens.

Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, on the other hand, is on our side. She too refuses to be swayed by Bush’s hegemonic jingoism. Congresswoman Pelosi will stand by our children and protect them from Republican pedophiles like Mark Foley. She’ll make sure his protectors- Hastert, Rove, and Cheney- are all held accountable for their actions. And she won’t stand for Bush’s petty diversions and schemes to dominate the world and protect his criminal friends in Congress and Haliburton. Tell President Bush you won’t let Mark Foley’s perversions be thrust out of the spotlight by his warmongering scare tactics. Vote Democrat in November, because they know who America’s enemies really are: pedophile Republican Congressmen.

-This message paid for by MoveOn.org and terrorist friends of Nancy Pelosi.

Last night on the campus of the University of Cincinnati, J. Kenneth Blackwell won the battle of ideas for Governor of the State of Ohio. He clearly out-debated Congressman Ted Strickland and stated a much better case as to why he should be entrusted with power. He detailed a clear and actual plan to reform Ohio’s economy and showed why he would not only be different than Strickland but Governor Taft as well. In his words, “I’ll be a Republican, for a change.”

It’s just a pity nobody was watching. This is especially true when you consider that the other two debates have been at noon in the middle of the week, and that everybody who thinks they know anything has said this race is already over. The media and the Strickland campaign have both said time and again the race for Governor in November will be a foregone conclusion in his favor. Even though Strickland hasn’t said anything specific about his platform or ideas and even though Ohio voters (and probably Strickland staffers) are still clueless as to what his Turn Around Ohio Plan actually is.

Indeed, if Ohio voters were watching last night, the polls would be going the other way, with Blackwell ahead by double digits. Last night those who were watching learned that Ken Blackwell will cut taxes, which will alleviate the nation’s third highest tax burden and create jobs. They learned Ted Strickland has a plan to turn around Ohio. They learned Ken Blackwell will limit the growth of state spending and cut unnecessary bureaucracy and red tape that has contributed to one of the most hostile business climates in the country. They learned Ted Strickland grew up on Duck Run, wherever that is. They learned Ken Blackwell will defend the rights of property owners against aggressive abuses of imminent domain. They learned Ted Strickland gets defensive when he’s criticized. Perhaps this was the most entertaining moment of the debate. Indeed, in all his complaining about being bullied by Ken Blackwell, who’s more likely to take your lunch money?

Ted Strickland, if nothing else, represents the perfect post-2000 election Democrat candidate. He has no ideas of his own and refuses to discuss them in commercials, in public appearances (which he keeps to a minimum anyway), and in debates. He has the endorsement of crazy fringe groups who hate George Bush and think the past two elections were stolen. His only coherent position is that he’s not the person he’s running against, he’s against anything and everything George Bush has ever said or done, and this alone should be enough to get your vote. One hundred and eighty years ago there was another party whose sole uniting feature was opposition to a single person. The Whigs are gone now, and if the Democrats continue to run empty suits like John Kerry and Ted Strickland, their days might be numbered as well.

J-K-B!!! J-K-B!!! The concrete finishers for Blackwell (aka college republicans who've never mixed concrete) were out in full force yesterday to cheer on Ken Blackwell as he destroyed Ted Strickland in yesterday's debate. Blackwell has been pummeling Strickland in debate after debate, but the question that lingers is this. So What? Political diehards watch the debates, but they've already made their minds up. I'm convinced that if the general population were to watch these debates, particularly the one last night, it would be Ken with the double digit lead.

The problem is that people simply don't care (thank you Bob Taft). They'd rather watch Jeopardy or Wheel of Fortune or Entertainment tonight than spend a couple hours becoming informed regarding the future of the state. I suppose objectively I can't blame the citizenry, but I also know that in a year and a half, I will likely join the "Brain Drain," because I'm scared that a month from now, Ohio will become a lost cause. Bob Taft failed as a governor, and his last failure is the most criminal, that even as he leaves office, his criminal incompetence is helping destroy the state.