Until then, there's little point in doing anything other than making sure as many progressive voters get to the polls and actually vote as possible, and sufficiently discouraging the Rethugs from doing similarly.

It consisted of a telephone survey of 1,000 likely voters in the 48 most competitive congressional districts.

Now let me see. That is a survey of about 20 likley voters in 48 out of more than 500 districts... somehow that doesn't strike me as a very accurate sample, given that it is the individual district results that count, not the total.

And, of course, the poll doesn't allow for upsets in what are regarded as "safe" districts by both sides. Should we assume none? Or will all the upsets break 50-50?

Arlen - Perhaps you can explain to us why the Repub base is less motivated?? Can you understand how happy the Repubs were with the Lynne Stewart decision?? And with North Korea? All they need now is a tape from OBL to make things complete.

And who, pray tell, among the Right will reject a Repub to vote for a Left Wing Demo?

Even more, what Demo will reject a moderate to vote for a Left Wing Demo??

As the number of voters increase, the influence of the Demo faithful decreases... I call that the Lieberman Effect.

A Final Shelby County Fact (based on election official depositions):

4) At 6:30pm on election day, the GEMS main server was cross-connected to the main county computer network, which in turn has a cross-connection to the main Internet. They did this to allow uploading results from four regional elections offices across the county.

To be clear, it appears that results were modemed in to the regional stations from the precincts. The regional stations were reportedly connected to the county network.

It is impossible to overstate the seriousness of this security violation. This practice is flat banned in California and many other states, and may or may not be illegal in Tennessee...we're checking on that. As a practical matter, this allowed anybody sitting at a county PC to get to and manipulate the central vote tabulator database.

With this final insult, it can be plainly stated that this wasn't an election. It was a hacking contest, open to whoever was most efficient and motivated to alter vote totals.

Huh. Well. That's a tough one, I must admit.

Maybe you're right, and they won't reject a rethug. But then again, maybe they'll just stay home.

Well, like I said: either way works for me.

If they stay home the gop is dead. And they get to stay true to their professed morals. It'll be the first time in 6 years, but hey, they gotta start cleansing themselves of their sins sometime, right?

If they don't stay home, and go vote for gop candidates, they show themselves up as lying immoral hypocrites who've sold their souls cheap, and for what? A vicarious feeling of power? A pat on the head and a stab in the back from Bush while he laughs at them as suckers behind their backs? And they'll be repudiating everything their professed religion has taught them all their lives.

And still lose the house and the senate.

Speak out,
you got to speak out against the madness
You got to speak your mind,
If you dare.
...
It's been a long time comin',
It's been a long time gone.
But you know, the darkest hour,
Is always just before the dawn.

And it appears to be a long time,
Such a long, long, long time,
Before the dawn.