DEMS HAVE CHANCE TO WIN SENATE

MSNBC highlights a new poll with the headline "Polls: Democrats in striking distance for Senate." That's pretty encouraging, no? But here's the actual breakdown:

In all, these key Senate races show the following:

Two Republican incumbents in very serious trouble, Burns and Santorum.
Four Republican incumbents tied with their challengers, Chaffee, Allen, Talent, and DeWine.
One Democratic incumbent tied with his challenger, Menendez.
One Democratic incumbent with a real lead, Cantwell.
One Democratic open seat with a Democrat in the lead, Cardin in Maryland.
One Republican open seat with a tie, Tennessee.

It's a squeaker in a big way, and the Rethugs will be pouring money into these races during the last couple of weeks before the election. Then there's that little clunker that could really mess up the works -- electronic voting machines and questionable practices at the polling stations. It's not time to get too confident; we need to pour on the heat. This election may be the most critical of our times.

Tags: midterm elections, Democratic control of U.S. Senate