The "liberal media" will continue to treat them like Olympian Gods.

The DLC will do everything possible to prevent the GOP from losing control of both houses of Congress.

The GOP will lose control of both houses of Congress, if we keep our eyes on the ball, and refuse to let the DLC bamboozle us.

They want to see a Republican New Jersey governor
They want to believe that Bush will have a good approval rating
They want to see Arnold winning reelection
They want to see Congress becoming more Republican

I am the most intrigued by two of these predictions: Congress and Bush's numbers. Congress is hard to take back because our congressional districts give a huge advantage to the incumbent. I expect to see some gains, but I am not betting the farm that we will have a Democratic Congress by this time next year. We still have to put the best fight that we can, anyway.

On Bush's numbers, Republicans are counting on three things: first, that people will forget Katrina and the Republican culture of corruption, that Bush will launch another winning PR campaign, and that no further bad news will happen around September.

They may be also counting on Bush bringing back some troops by this time, taking away an important issue from the Democrats.

This is why the campaigning for 2006 should start now, persuading voters to work for Democratic cause now that they are the most willing to do so, so that we can capitalize in the current low ratings.

Once independents or moderate Republicans begin campaigning for Democrats, we will have increased our chances of locking their vote for our party.

Finally, Republicans are no good, and they will give us plenty of bad news throughout the next year. Just watch and see.

If you actually go look at the NRO predictions, there are far more people predicting that the GOP will lose seats in one or both houses, or that the GOP will retain control, but it will be "close."

• Democrats will pick up 14 seats in the House, including three in North Carolina.
  
• Democrats will pick up 4 seats in the Senate (PA, OH, RI, MT).
  
• Howard Dean will not be DNC chair by the end of 2006 as he will be running for some other, perhaps HIGHER office.
  
• John Edwards will lead the Presidential pack heading into the New Year followed by Hillary Clinton.
  
• A total of four Republicans will be forced to resign from their posts (not including Libby; Rove, DeLay, Frist, ???)

We will not make incremental gains, picking up a few seats in each house.

We will either make a big, big gain in a sea change that results in at least one of the Congressional Houses going Dem ...

Or we will screw up and lose a few seats in both houses. And democracy will pretty much end.

Most predictions tend to project a modest trend from the surrent status quo. Well, that's generally a good idea.

But not right now. This moment in American history is a fork in the road.

Either the Republican machine will consolidate its hold on the nation through only marginally democratic means, ...

Or it will shatter and lose its ability to maintain its democratically precarious coalition.

And a lot of THAT depends on fair election issues. These people don't fight fair. If their crooked election practices are not dealt with effectively, we won't pick up ANY seats in the houses.

American politics has changed so drastically that business as usual predictions about trends just do not reflect reality. I call it the Ruy Texeira syndrome. In 2004, Texeira kept posting all those polls and analyses based on standard, traditional election dynamics.

And none of it mattered because Rove wasn't playing the old game. He was cheating his brains out.

Now, resistance to Bush Co has tripled, threatening the heart of the GOP coalition. I can see deep Red States turning blue--insofar as it's a matter of voting trends.

But Rove & Co. are at work, trying to rig even more elections.

And meanwhile the investigations into Delay, Abramoff, the Plame affair, and wiretapping threaten to just blow up the GOP politariat.

None of this is predictable, IMO.

But the forces rumbling towards a seismic shock are NOT the sort of modest trends that will result in incremental evolution.

We either shatter that GOP machine in the next 11 months ...

Or they gain an Executive Branch hegemony that will dismantle our democracy.

The choice is that stark. Peak or chasm. Nothing in between.

Senate:  gains, but no control, anywhere form 3-5 depending on fundraising.  Also if the senate is 50-50 at then end but we did not win in RI, Chaffee will defect.

Governors: NY, MA, CA, Maryland all flip for sure.  A few others flip as well leading to a dem majority of governorships.  Texas becomes anybody's game between Ind, R, and D.

Bush:  Approval will be somewhere about the same, low 40s.

Dean:  Remain head of DNC going into the 2008 presidential election.  A drop out afterwards would lead to calls of he was a loser.

Iraq:  a minor, mostly symbolic pull out begins in August-October.  This keeps Dems from gaining even more seats.  Should Hackett be Ohio Nominee, he rips Bush hard as cut and run, makes him a lock for the win.

It truly think they know Howard has been working the trenches, not the pundit circuit.  I truly believe that it scares them, makes them tremble a little.

They aren't sure what he's up to, and it bothers them.

In the process of doing this, I think Lay will disclose who was at the energy task force meetings back in 2001. It's my suspicion that the name Ahmed Chalabi will float up the surface. Other names like Abramoff may appear, but it's likely this revelation...that the Bush Administration planned to Iraq before 9-11 to the extent of bring in Chalabi to discuss how these resources would be used that likely will cast a pall over the "trust and honor" meme of the Republicans.

Add in a very weird year economically with lots of deflation and this ought to be good.

I think Montana might be a bit wider, 53-47 maybe

Tennessee might go our way, we'll see later.

Also, I doubt Laffee will beat Chaffee, but you never know.

Besides that, I still think with the corruption issue the house will swing our way.  General referendum on GOP instead of candidate v. candidate.

"Culture of corruption" has legs I say.  :-)

"Will President Bush's approval rating stand at 57 percent?" - No, it'll be in the high 30's at most thanks to the economy, Iraq, several convictions concerning PlameGate (including Cheney), and another scandal (or two).

"Will Howard Dean be out at the DNC?" - Are you freakin' kidding me?

"Will the GOP extend its majorities in Congress?" - See "Bush" above.

"Will the folks at NRO continue to be paid to spout such unrealistic ramblings?" - Of course. No one else wants them (excepting perhaps the New York Times).

Howard Dean will say something that makes liberals cheer, moderates cringe, and Republicans laugh at him.

Democrats will make gains in the Senate and House, but will not take control of either. They will, however, make significant gains in Governors races.

Rick Santorum will lose to Bob Casey, Jr., but the result will be surprisingly close.

Bush's approval rating will be in the mid to upper 40's by the end of the year. His disapproval rating will be about the same.

Another 500 American servicemen and women will die in Iraq.

Democrats who are interested in 2008 will practice their fence riding when it comes to the Iraq war.

Conflicting reports will come out of Iraq. Each side will acuse the other of being too optimistic/pessimistic and outright lying.

There will be another major Al Qaeda attack in the west, probably in Europe.

Several high ranking members of the Bush Administration will be indicted. The American public probably won't care.

DeLay will not be convicted, but will lose re-election.

Large areas of New Orleans will still be a mess. Lawsuits will be rampant.

The housing boom will slow down, but growth in other sectors will offset this.

Samuel Alito will be confirmed to the Supreme Court.

The White House will prevent conservative members of Congress from enacting any serious tax reform. (Bush only believes in tax cuts for likely Republicans.)

Bush will still not veto a bill.