Kos, I very much enjoyed reading your post "Riding a populist wave toward 2014" as I've been feeling some unusual creeping optimism about the upcoming midterm myself.
However, I couldn't help notice you left out perhaps the biggest issue that might help our side out in 2014, that the American people are with us on: taxes and spending!
Tax and spend has been used as a dirty word forever, but I think making "cut and gut" even more toxic is the way forward with 2014's older and whiter midterm electorate.
More than half of the house Republican caucus wouldn't vote for tax increases for millionaire's, and now "more than half" apparently would rather see a global financial meltdown than allow spending to go uncut. Is this how the American people would prefer we balance the budget? Absolutely NOT. In the underappreciated Slate/YouGov poll, 84% would raise taxes as the least painful way to reduce the deficit, while only 34 and 27% would reduce Medicare benefits.
Since most Republican candidates can't resist talking about the deficit as if they care, my proposed question for all of them in 2014 is: "Do you think raising taxes or cutting Medicare and Social Security benefits is more important for balancing the budget?" If they pick raising taxes, ask them how they voted on the fiscal cliff deal (and the same insane people who voted against that will likely vote to blow up the economy to make Obama cut spending). If their votes prove them a liar, make them pay for it. If they pick cutting Medicare and Social Security, congratulations you've just made them into the Todd Akin of the 2014 election! Who can imagine what crazy quotes might ensue in order to justify gutting these popular programs?
We only need 14 House and 5 Senate Akins (or should we call them Tommy Thompson's?) to kick some serious legislative butt in 2015. So add it to the pile, Kos, and in addition to asking every candidate about abortion, ask them about taxes and spending!