Labor Day has morphed into more of an occasion for publishing wrap-ups about mid-term congressional campaigns than assessing the prospects for American workers. In this spirit, The Grey Lady leads with “G.O.P. Seen to Be in Peril of Losing House” by Robin Toner and Kate Zernike. The authors provide a host of insightful quotes from both parties, proving that the arts of spin and denial are still in practice. But Dems will be encouraged by this admission:

“It’s the most difficult off-year cycle for the Republicans since 1982,” said Representative Tom Cole, Republican of Oklahoma and former chief of staff to the Republican National Committee. “Environmentally, it’s about as good from the Democratic perspective as they could hope to have.”

The Sunday WaPo featured a long article by Dan Balz and David Broder with the happy (for Dems) title “More GOP Districts Counted as Vulnerable: Number Doubled Over the Summer.” Broder and Balz also present spin from both sides, but offer their assessment that “everything points today to Democratic gains across the board on Nov. 7.”
Republicans won’t find much encouragement in Janet Hook’s long L.A. Times article “GOP’s Hold on House Shakier,” either. Subtitled “As Labor Day gets the campaign in full swing, Democrats are counting on voters unhappy with one-party rule and Bush’s leadership,” Hook gives fair vent to leaders of both parties, but points out that:

But many analysts predict any throw-the-bums-out tide will take a greater toll on Republicans. Tim Storey, election analyst for the National Conference of State Legislatures, sees warning signs for the GOP in the results of 53 special elections for state legislative seats. In 13 cases, incumbents were dumped; all but two were Republicans.

And Slate‘s new feature “Election Scorecard: Where the midterm elections stand today,” written by polling experts Mark Blumenthal (Mystery Pollster) and Charles Franklin (PolitcalArithmetik), offers this cautious assessment for Senate races:

In recent weeks, Democratic candidates have gained slightly in Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington, while Republicans have picked up a few points in Missouri and New Jersey. Most of the states we are tracking, however, have no meaningful change. Since the net shifts at the state level have been largely offsetting our overall momentum shift, all of the races begin in the “no advantage” position, with no visible national trend helping either party.

With respect to House of Reps races, Democrats have done well in recent “generic ballot” polls. But Blumenthal and Franklin point out that:

While the generic House ballot has been a reasonable indicator of which party is faring better, it is a very imperfect predictor of both the total national congressional vote and, perhaps more importantly, how that vote translates into seats.

Franklin and Blumenthal are collaborating on a new website Pollster.com, which will be a regular stop for poll-watchers of all stripes.
On a more optimistic note, Reuters’ John Whitesides provides the following quote in his Sunday wrap-up “Democrats on a roll in battle for U.S. Congress“:

“I don’t think the question any longer is can Democrats win control of Congress, it’s can Republicans do anything to stop it?” said Amy Walter, House analyst for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report newsletter. “All the factors and issues are pushing so strongly against Republicans.”

Mid-term mania notwithstanding, it is Labor Day, so check in with The Nation editor Katrina Vanden Heuval, whose “Lessons for Labor Day” provides incisive commentary on the disconnect between the aspirations of working people and the poltiicians who purport to represent them.