The Dem electorate has been showing a strong survival instinct by nominating candidates who look like winners, even repeatedly defying the party's national and state leaders in order to do so. Cases in point:
>West Virginia's Dem Congressman Alan Mollohan has been in the House forever, and his old man was there forever before him. Mollohan is a porkbarrel type and has been under fire for ethically questionable behavior involving his office and a business; this gave the GOP hopes of knocking him off in November. But Mollohan lost his primary to young, less liberal, reform-minded State Senator Mike Oliverio, whose distinguishing traits are just what it will take to keep that seat blue.
>For the Dem nod for U.S. senator from Kentucky, Lieutenant Governor Dan Mongiardo, a wealthy and somewhat conservative physician with a propensity for being unpleasant and needlessly controversial, had organizational support and led in the polls during most of the race. But by the end the young and clean-cut and more liberal state Attorney General Jack Conway edged past him. Conway is by far the more delectable and more electable of the two.
>Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter had the president and the governor and all of the party machinery behind him for the Dems' Senate nomination. Congressman Joe Sestak gave up a safe seat to challenge him, despite polls that showed Specter with what appeared an insurmountable lead. But Sestak, who is a retired 3-star admiral, a Harvard Ph.D, and an all-around attractive guy who has been in public office for only 4 years, won by 8 points. Specter is 80 and has been a senator for 30 years. He had too much baggage and too much a patina of opportunism to come out on top in the fall, in my estimation. Sestak, who is 58 and a new face to most Pennsylvanians, should do fine.
Mollohan, Mongiardo, and Specter had the connections and the endorsements and the ward leaders on their side. The voters didn't listen to the party honchos and made the right choices.
Along with the primaries, there was one Congressional race. The Republicult thought it was going to pick up the late Jack Murtha's seat in Pennsylvania's Johnstown district. Instead, Murtha's aide Mark Critz bested rich Repub businessman Tim Burns 54%-44%, a landslide. This is a blue collar district, full of what used to be called Reagan Democrats. If the Repubs can't carry such places, they will not make gains.
Since Obama took office there have been special Congressional elections in NY-20, IL-5, CA-32, CA-10, NY-23, FL-19, and now PA-12. How many of them did the GOP win? NONE!
The rightist-influenced media are telling you that this is inevitably a Repub year, that the Dems are sure to get wiped out. If you look at the evidence you won't buy the lie.
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