The point I was making with the term "Payback Tuesday" is that Democrats were highly optimistic in 2002 and 2004, too. That's where the term came from. After the 2000 elections Democrats were convinced that their voters would come to the polls with pitchforks and torches, and throw the damn Republicans over the horizon. The Republicans picked up more seats, including big wins in Florida, where the Democratic Party had concentrated its best efforts.

Before the 2004 election, the Democrats and the media threw everything in the quiver at Bush. Everything. A new anti-Bush book came out to great publicity about every two weeks. Countless anti-Bush news stories were circulated in the mainstream media, while anti-Kerry news had to push through the internet. The economy was derided, the war in Iraq was pilloried, and it was open season on the President.

Guess what. He still won. And even more interestingly, the Republicans picked up some more seats. The Senate minority leader was defeated.

Now Howard Dean is head of the DNC. Nancy Pelosi is House Minority leader. Did you see the "Take Back America" conference? The party leaders project contempt for middle American values, contempt for people of faith, and contempt for those who think America should look out for its own interests in foreign policy. I'm sorry, but I'm not seeing a lot of learning going on over there.

So what is this "real challenge?" I don't know what people are saying in meetings, but I haven't heard anything from the party leaders that isn't a carbon copy of things they've been saying for twenty years.

If you know something I don't know, let me know.