2006 Elections

I haven't felt good on election night since 1992 (incidentally, the year Feingold won his first term in the Senate, but I wasn't really aware of that back then).

1994 was excruciatingly painful.

1996 held little joy for me after Clinton signed the welfare reform bill (which was merely the culmination of a number of betrayals leading up to that final straw).

1998 was ok, but Democrats failed to take back either house of Congress, and some of the other victories set the stage for later defeats (See, Gray Davis in CA).

2000, we all know, was a mess.

2002 was the most demoralizing election I've ever observed (compounded by the tragic loss of Paul Wellstone) with the exception of . . .

2004: Worst. Election. Ever.

All the talk about 2006 is about how big the Democratic wave will be. I hate to be a killjoy, but I'll believe it when I see it. Don't get me wrong, I think all the reasons that people cite about why this should be a Democratic year are true. But, to varying degrees, they're the same reasons why Dems should have won in 2002 and 2004, namely that people are finally fed up with the Bush Administration and the Republicans in Congress.

Maybe it's taken 6 years for people to finally get fed up. I hope that's true, but I'm not expecting it.

Here's hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst!