Today's "analysis" from the Washington Post's Dan Balz:The euphoria among Democrats that accompanied President Obama's inauguration a year ago has disappeared. They face the possible loss of their governing majorities in the House and Senate and becoming the minority among the nation's governors. Survival is now the watchword.And Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele on Monday night's edition of Hannity:
HANNITY: Do you think you can take over the House? Do you think Republicans...The Washington Post is now so far to the right (either by choice or because it's terrified of accused of being part of the "liberal media"), the Post is more optimistic about the GOP's chances in November than even the head of the Republican Party.
STEELE: Not this year.
There's plenty more to scratch your head about. The article's headline warns Democrats are facing a "wave of retirements" -- but among members of Congress & governors for the 2010 cycle, GOP retirements outnumber Democratic retirements.
The Beltway media's dire warnings about Democrats' electoral prospects in November might ring true -- if the Beltway media was ever optimistic about Democrats' chances. Remember that in June 2006, Mark Halperin, then ABC's political unit director, warned, "If I were [Democrats], I'd be scared to death about November's elections." Five months later, Democrats picked up 7 seats in the Senate and 32 seats in the House.
Will the economy turn around and bring the jobless rate back below 10%? Will Congressional Democrats rally their base by tackling clean energy & climate action, financial reform? Will President Obama lay out a coherent, progressive platform for the next two years? Will the Tea Party movement consume the Republican Party in a blaze of fury?
Until we know the answers to those questions, any predictions about November are meaningless. But that isn't stopping the Beltway media from their usual forecasts of doom for Democrats.
