To judge from Schumer's presentation, the Democrats will achieve this extraordinary triumph by employing an extended series of mixed metaphors. Schumer himself may have set a record in that department yesterday as he painted the electoral landscape:I realize that it's Schumer's job as head of the DSCC to paint a rosy picture of the Democrats' chances and that his counterpart on the GOP side is minimizing their forthcoming defeats. As Glenn Greenwald noted, the Republicans are masters making a disaster for the GOP into something that sounds good for them; I swear I once heard Bob Novak claim that if the Democrats beat the crap out of the Republicans and won back the majority in the House and the Senate, it would be "bad news" for the Democrats based on the theory that they would actually have to lead rather than just complain about not being in power. Yeah, that's the ticket, Bob.
"This administration is shrugging its shoulders. . . . It's like 'The Wizard of Oz' -- it showed the man behind the screen. . . . You know which way the winds are blowing. . . . There have been very few bumps in the road. . . . The wind continues to stay at our backs. . . . The idea that there should be no check and balance, no congressional oversight, just isn't flying. They want to try to bring back the 2004 playbook. . . . They're trying to find a new rabbit to pull out of the hat, but so far they've gone back to the old chestnuts."
Chestnuts? In the same hat with rabbits? With the wind at their back on a bumpy road?
Anyway, while it may be Chuck Schumer's job to talk up every race as a plus for the Democrats, it's also a given that it would truly be a stunning upset if the Democrats actually won every race and regained the majority in both the House and the Senate. The reality it doesn't matter if the glass is half-full or half-empty; all politics is local, and you can take that to the bank. (Agh! Stop me before I metaphor again!)
