Keep The Telescopes Working — But Right Now, Put Armageddon On Hold

By Baxter

We cats have a word or two to say about the United States Senate.

Over at The New York Times, Charles Blow is having kittens at the thought of the Senate going Republican this fall. He should. We cats have said privately many times that Barack and Michelle might as well pack their bags if that happens, because — just as in the Clinton years — the GOP would rather impeach than govern.

So we agree with our friend Charles that Democrats mustmustmust mobilize their voters and get them to the polls in November. And we agree from the outset that of the 2014 Senate races, South Dakota and West Virginia are looking very bad for us.

But that's two states. What's happening everywhere else?

We'll tell you, because that's where our contrarian natures are taking hold — and where reality may be interfering with the punditheads' prognostications (which, by the way, we've stopped listening to). Here's our take on 2014 to date.

We've been hearing for a year now about what a disaster this midterm is going to be. Yet Kay Hagan, Mark Begich, Mary Landrieu and Mark Pryor are all even in the polls or actually ahead. (In fact, Pryor, who was supposed to be dead, has been running a spirited campaign that no one thought him capable of.) If these races are such a done deal, why haven't Haley Barbour and The Wall Street Journal told the voters?

Alison Lundergan Grimes and Michele Nunn are ahead or even in Kentucky and Georgia. (P.S.: Why aren't the media labeling Mitch McConnell toast? By their standards, he would be.)

Michigan, Iowa, Colorado, Minnesota and Oregon — the so-called "expanding map" — are, indeed, tight races. But the Democrats in those states are still ahead. And in several, the Republican nominee has fallen back in the polls after the blush of nomination has worn off.

In New Hampshire, Scott Brown is a joke. Here in Virginia, Chinless Ed Gillespie is invisible. Mississippi is, as we know, an abortion for the Republicans (who as we know don't believe in abortion).

Meanwhile, the media aren't asking the following questions:

Will state public employees just lie back and let the GOP take power? Will young voters not show up to defend contraception, gay marriage, the environment, and voting rights? Will African Americans not step up and say "screw you" to Republicans who hate the President? Will Hispanics not vote to excoriate GOP inaction on immigration (and Ann Coulter's insults)? And most of all, will pissed-off teabaggers not stay home?

When all is said and done, we cats would still rather be us than them. Check back with us in November — but in the meantime, we PURR.