Will the Dems Blow It ?

I share some of the concerns of Robert Parry in Will The Democrats Blow It?. I'm not allowing myself to buy into all the pre-victory celebration by many Democrats and progressives. Yes, the poll number show the Republicans are in trouble, but if you look close, there is no much enthusiasm for the Democrats either. If they Democrats win back either end of the Capitol, it will be because of an anti-Republican mood among voters and the disenchantment of the conservative Republican base with their party.
As usual, and expected, the Republican Party is playing mean and dirty with their ads and campaigns. They are using outrageous personal attack ads, and fear of terrorism and "San Francisco Liberals" like Nancy Pelosi. I have to say that I'm not too excited about Nancy Pelosi being the face of the Democratic Party in Congress either. Sure, on most issues she is "liberal", but I don't believe she will have the backbone and political support to stand up to Bush and possibly the Republican Senate. The Republicans will demonize her as they have Hillary Clinton and Ted Kennedy. In fact, they rarely mention one without the others. This will scare and rally southern conservatives to the Republican Party. And they are STILL attacking Demcrats for supporting gay marriage, even in states where conseravtive Democrats also oppose gay marriage and helped pass anti-gay marriage laws and amendments!
As Parry points out, while the Republicans are doing a pretty good job of scaring voters about having Nancy Pelosi and liberals in control of Congress, the Democratic Party is NOT counter-attacking with the scenario of what will happen if Repblicans win again! Bush used the GOP victories in 2004 as a justification for usurping more and more executive powers, subverting U.S. and international law, and "staying the course" in Iraq, with thousands more dead, with an eye on Iran and or Syria next. Why aren't the Democrats painting that picture clearly for voters? And what about some bold initiatives on health care (anyone heard of "universal health insurance" lately?)? The Democrats are in a bad position politically as well, since they have to appeal to "independent" moderate and conservative voters to win the House and Senate. If they go too far to the right (as they are in Tennessee with Harold Ford Jr.) they risk losing "progressives". If they don't go far enough to the right, they will not win enough of those conservative voters in the tight races in "RED" states. And if they Democrats Do win, will they drop the ball like they did the last time they were in control of Congress?
So while I hope the Democrats can at least win the House, I'm not ready to celebrate. Trick or Treat?