In Search of 60

I think we can all agree that it wasn’t a good weekend for John McCain. Colin Powell’s endorsement of Barack Obama was clear and powerful and made the case for Obama even better than the candidate could have done himself. If there are still undecided voters out there, then Powell’s endorsement must have impacted a good number of them.

So once again, democrats are starting to wonder, "how are we going to screw this up?" Will an army of Joe the Plumbers sweep in to save the Republican Party from defeat? Or will the Democrats finally keep their cool all four quarters instead of fading after half time? Most likely, if there is another game changing event before November 4, it will not be a Presidential gaffe, but rather an external shock to the system. So let’s talk a little about how the next two weeks could look if McCain doesn’t achieve a much needed bounce in the polls.

In the 2006 midterm elections, democrats exceeded even some lofty expectations. It was clear that they would win back the House of Representatives, but the Senate would be much more difficult. In the end, a few acts of god occurred to show some GOP candidates as racists and sex offenders to cede their seats to the Dems by a miniscule margin (there are only 49 real democrats in the Senate and two Independents who caucus with them to secure the majority).

So if Obama’s popularity remains unblemished, we could see a massive shift in support for some candidates down the ballot in Senate and House races. As of now, it is clear that the Democratic margin in the House of Representatives will increase so the question is how many seats Dems can steal in the Senate. Many pundits are expecting that the Democrats will get 57 or 58 seats, gaining in states like Minnesota, Colorado and Virginia. Even some Democratic candidates who are trailing could benefit from Obama’s nearly flawless campaign and feed off his reputation. Read this for more information on some important Senate races.

If this happens, the Dems could reach the coveted 60 Senate seat advantage, which would even suppress a Republican filibuster. Combined with a Democratic President and control of the House, that would mean near-world-dominance.