The Presidential slugfest is getting so much media attention that the congressional races are running below the radar, and I'm wondering if we might be in for some pleasant surprises. Both the House and Senate are within reach for the Democrats, particularly if Kerry does well and draws an unusually high turnout to the polls. From all the news reports I've seen the D's are kicking ass in the get-out-the-vote department, and this might translate into capturing one or both houses of Congress. The Senate in particular is critical this cycle; we have a group of elderly Supreme Court justices, and we cannot afford to give Bush the opportunity to stock the federal judiciary with Neanderthals. The consequences could last well into the new century. Democrat Joe Hoeffel in Pennsylvania is gaining on Snarlin' Arlen Specter, Brad Carson is looking strong against GOP cave-dweller Tom Coburn in Oklahoma, and Barack Obama is a slam dunk in Illinois. I think there is a chance that Maine Senators Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe will change their stripes ala Jim Jeffords, and Chaffee of Rhode Island has publicly stated that he is not voting for Bush. If the Democrats can pull even with the R's in the Senate, we might see the formation of a coalition that could offset the extremist tendencies of ShrubCo Inc. should the worst come to pass and Bush is re-installed in the White House.