Donald Lambro On the Mid-term Elections

Congressional openings
Democratic retirements in troubled economy

The column notes that democrats aren't in panic mode yet. I beg to differ. I think their collective panties are in a very tight wad, and they will do anything to maintain the staus-quo. Just remember the axiom, "If it ain't close, they can't cheat."

It is difficult to remember when the American people have expressed such a deep level of disdain for Congress as they do now under the leadership of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. The latest NBC News-Wall Street Journal poll finds a pathetic 7 percent of Americans give Congress an above average job approval score. Worse, 34 percent now call this Congress one of the worst.

The survey numbers are especially bleak among incumbents. Only 38 percent say their representative should be re-elected, and 49 percent say it's time to give a new person a chance - the same percentage who said that before Republicans took control of the House in 1994.

No one is saying that retirements alone endanger the Democrats' 258-seat majority. Independent election analysts I've talked to say the number would have to climb a lot higher before than can happen.

"Democrats aren't at the panic point in this process. Keep in mind that Democrats lost 22 open seats in 1994. Right now, they only have seven potentially open vulnerable seats, including the four recent retirements," said David Wasserman, senior House elections analyst at the Cook Political Report, which closely tracks congressional races.