by Art Kelly

With two months until election day, all indications point to a possible Republican landslide, which will give the GOP control of the House and Senate, along with many governorships, state legislatures, and local offices.

In an article in the National Journal, political analyst Charlie Cooks writes, "Democrats find themselves heading into a midterm election that looks as grisly as any the party has faced in decades. It isn't hard to find Democratic pollsters who privately concede that the numbers they are looking at now are worse than what they saw in 1994."

The latest Gallup Poll shows the GOP at  51%, Democrats at 41%, and 8% undecided.  This is the largest lead in the 68-year history of the poll's tracking of midterm congressional elections. 

Perhaps even more significant, Gallup found that 50% of Republican said they were very enthusiastic about voting in November, while only 25% of Democrats felt that way.  If that 2 to 1 advantage is reflected in turnout in the elections, the GOP could win more than 60% of the vote nationwide.

Of course, the national percent of the vote each party receives does not indicate how many districts each of them will win, but Politico reports that "an increasing number of Democratic strategists now say privately that they fear the House is already lost."

With Republicans needing to pick up 39 seats to take control of the House, CNN lists the 50 most vulnerable House seats and 50 others that appear to be worth watching. 

In the top 50, only 3 GOP held seats appear to be in danger of being won by a Democrat, while 47 seats may switch from Democratic to Republican.  In the next 50, 12 GOP held seats are considered competitive, while 38 Democratic seats are considered competitive.  This could suggest a gain of about 70 seats for the Republicans in the House.

In an article, "Will House Dems Risk a Rout?" political strategist Dick Morris ponders the possible tactics of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee:  Should they concentrate on defending the 50 most vulnerable Democrats--which are probably doomed no matter what they do?  Or should they concentrate on the 50 next most vulnerable--some of whom might be able to be saved?

"If they focus their funds and manpower on the most endangered seats, they may well let slip away dozens more seats that they might have defended successfully.  Futile efforts to protect a disappearing majority could lead to a loss of 60 to 80 seats, where a more prudent allocation of resources might hold the damage to 50 seats," Morris writes.

In separate article, "How Republicans Will Win the Senate," Morris points to polls which show GOP candidates likely to pick up the 10 seats needed to take control. It looks like Republicans will probably replace Democratic senators in 8 states: Pennsylvania, Colorado, Wisconsin, Washington, Arkansas, Delaware, North Dakota, and Indiana.  Two other states--Illinois and Nevada--are essentially tied, and California looks winnable.

And in a third article, Morris believes the GOP will achieve a larger GOP victory than the polls are indicating.  "For those who anticipate a major Republican win in 2010, you ain't seen nothin' yet," he writes.