The Balance of Power

The latest totals:

The House

Democrats: 221 seats
Republicans: 181 seats

Democrats' gains: 22 seats so far. Republicans' gains: big fat ZERO.

That's an overwhelming 40-seat majority at this point. The electorate has unequivocally spoken: enough is enough of the rubber stamp Republican Congress. They are demanding accountability and oversight which the Republicans failed to deliver.

Oh, and so much for that old saying that all politics are local. Countless Democrats who made a stand against staying the course in the war have won, in some cases upsetting long-term incumbents. Meanwhile, Republicans have not unseated any Democrats, almost unheard of in any election in recent memory.

The Republicans no longer hold the national security card. This is a signal that the country wants change, especially in Iraq. The question is, will the White House listen?

The Senate

Democrats: 48 seats
Republicans: 49 seats

Democrats gains: 3 seats so far. Republican gains: big fat ZERO.

Three seats are still in contention: Missouri (McCaskill/Talent), Montana (Tester/Burns) and Virginia (Webb/Allen).

Update:

Tester (D) at 52% is ahead of Burns (R) at 46% in Montana, with 55% of precincts reporting.

McCaskill (D) at 49% is ahead of Talent (R) at 48% in Missouri, with 81% of precincts reporting.

Webb (D) at 50% still leads over Allen (R) at 49% with 99% of precincts in. Allen spoke to his supporters but didn't concede, saying the count isn't over yet. Jim Webb just spoke as well and claimed victory. Not sure about that yet; with a razor thin lead of less than 3,000 votes, I'm still not comfortable calling that one. It's going to be a long night in Virginia. If the trend holds with absentee ballots that still need to be counted, there will automatically be a recount.

| +Save/Share | |