I live in Massachusetts, and so it's very hard for me to get a feel for what it's like "on the ground" in the Red States, and even the Purple States. I just honestly asked myself what my biggest political concerns are right now, and I realized that aside from all the talked-to-death issues (that are nonetheless very important) and various strategies for unseating Republicans, it's that I honestly don't know what the political air really feels like right now in states with contested midterm races.
I'm asking you for your own feelings about that, if you live in a state that's not so very Blue.
I was walking around with my 19-month-old daughter today in a Boston suburb, and I saw bumper stickers and signs and flags, and basically each and every one of them was the obvious: anti-Bush, anti-GOP. Don't get me wrong; I'm comfortable in that environment, but it seems to me that I'm in a bit of a Blue-State Bubble.
I'm kind of like the president in that regard. I don't get to confront dissenters because I can't find any. All my "audiences" are hand-picked from the liberal patch.
I feel like there's not much I can do to sway the midterm elections or the 2008 presidential race, because there is no way in hell you're going to see a national officeholder with (R-Mass.) after his or her name.
The closest the region gets to a conflict is whether Kerry Healey can take over for Mitt Romney so that there's some oversight over the historical patronage that goes on here.
Maybe I can go down to Rhode Island and convince people to vote for Whoever's Running Against Lincoln Chafee, because let's face it: The guy has an (R) after his name, and we need to get control of the agenda back. So if John F. Kennedy himself came back to life and ran as a Republican, you still couldn't vote for him.
Anyway, back to my original question for those of you in Red or Purple areas. What does it FEEL like on the ground right now? Are we going to take the House back? What does your gut tell you?
Fill in those of us who are just talking in the echo chamber, in the Blue Bubble.
What are people saying? What are they feeling?