Political Masochist - 72 hours plus 24

* Recommended Reading

For anyone with access to National Review, I highly, highly reccomend Ramesh Ponnuru's "Conservatives on the Couch." This will be worth rereading after the election.

* Hope for a local election?

The powers-who-be have written off Hostettler’s seat – Indiana’s bloody eighth – for the better part of this election cycle. The rationale goes something like this: he’s won too many squeakers for him to statistically be able to win this one, political climate aside. His luck has plum run out.

But I had an interesting conversation with a voter in Indiana’s Eighth District this evening, who informed me (upon my making some cynical comment or another) that Ellsworth, Hosetettler’s celebrated challenger, has really been tripping over himself the last few days. Still the acting sheriff of one town in the district, Ellsworth has made some critical errors in his current position as a result of his consumption in the congressional race, and the proverbial chickens are restless. My source says the whole county is upset about a particular incident (which I couldn’t seem to find a story about online) that is making them question their support for Ellsworth. With the last RCP poll for this race over a week old, who exactly is to say this incident hasn’t already made a difference?

This caused me to wonder, how many districts are experiencing similar early November surprises? With the media heralding a Democrat House (and possibly Senate) as a foregone conclusion (and if I have to hear one more news anchor say “the stakes couldn’t be higher” during this cycle, I may be forced to exercise my Second Amendment rights… ahem…) and the party-elect-in-the-wings already congratulating themselves, have we forgotten that there is still an election in four days? Are the challengers proud to the point of overlooking the reality that their party’s unfavorables are a mere 4 points off Republicans’ nationally? Don’t they realize how sick the American people are of their utter pompousness, and their patience will only grow thinner between now and Election Day?

This could be yet another straw that allows the Republicans to hold on.

* And more good election news.

Finally got tickets to a real, honest-to-goodness D.C. election night party – free food and apple juice*, lots of big screen TVs, and lots of breath-holding. I’m so there.