and Merkley and Franken and Hagan and LaRocco and Musgrove and Noriega and Lunsford and Slattery and Allen and Martin.
(Below the fold.)
Take a look here. That's Pollster's composite for the 2006 Virginia Senate Race. The candidate's support lines come from a 5 poll average.
In August, then challenger Jim Webb was polling in the high thirties vs. Allen's 50% plus. Right about where many of our more longshot candidates now range. Webb only shot up after Macaca-gate, and even then his support dropped precipitously back down to where it was before.
Until October 23rd, when the Los Angeles Times finally showed Webb besting Allen by a few points, progressives were running on sweat and blood and a prayer.
They were not waiting for a pollster to tell them that their work would be easily rewarded.
I have no patience for lazy progressives. Nor does reality: Obama is no magic wand and he can't fix your problems or your mother's problems or your neighbor's by himself. This election is as much about our Senate races as it is about Obama. Of course, our House races too. But in the House we look good to consolidate our majority, whereas it's far more tenuous in the upper chamber, with only over a dozen competitive races this fall. Senate races in Oklahoma, Idaho, North Carolina and Maine are where my kind of progressives are headed.
So if you're here on DK for a one-note fix and you don't weigh the Senate and House races high on your list, please consider how effective Obama would be with a 50 or 51 Lieberman majority in 2009 when it comes to real action on climate change and the war.
Even with a probable 54-45 Senate (rightfully counting Lieberman as a traitor) that's a dangerous coalition on national health care or climate change. Every progressive changes the balance, whether it's education or infrastructure.
And the only thing that will make these races work is you. Please donate to long shots. I am well below the poverty line and I have donated to both Andrew Rice and Barack Obama. Sop lease hit the pavement. And please call for them.