Dems Define Success Down

[Casino67]

National Journal:

THE PARTY HOPES TO DECLARE VICTORY BY LOSING LESS THAN EXPECTED.
by Major Garrett
Saturday, Oct. 9, 2010

How many balloons do you order for a party celebrating nearly 40 House Democratic losses? Are confetti cannons an appropriate response to retaining the House majority by a slender margin of one, two, or three seats?

This bizarre conversation has taken on a somewhat comic urgency among party strategists closest to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Chris Van Hollen, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Why? Because House Democrats are increasingly confident that they are going to beat back the Republican onslaught and keep control of the chamber -- even as they suffer massive losses across the country.

This is what passes for optimism in Democratic circles. And the hopeful outcome is a possibility because just enough Democrats warned the rank and file more than 18 months ago that these midterms promised to be a disaster for the party.



At the same time, party leaders were focusing on more than two dozen Democrats with substantial seniority who had not run modern races in tough political climates for years. Ike Skelton of Missouri, Rick Boucher of Virginia, and Earl Pomeroy of North Dakota were among those summoned to private meetings and put on notice.