This is a bizarre assertion from Matthew Continetti in this morning's LA Times:
Five months out, it is difficult to locate a single pundit who disagrees with the conventional wisdom that Republicans will lose control of their gerrymandered House, and possibly even the Senate, which they hold by a margin of 10 seats.
Talk about raising expectations. Aside from Matt's boss, Bill Kristol, I can't think of a single pundit who does believe that Republicans will lose the House. The normal prognosticators, Charlie Cook and Chuck Todd, don't think that. Nobody at my office thinks that. The New Republic hasn't said it, nor has the Democracy Corps, or even the reliably optimistic blog pundits at DailyKos. Indeed, while just about everyone acknowledges that there's a possibility that Democrats will lose, most folks I know are erring far on the side of caution -- hell, I'll be surprised if we pick up five seats.
Of course, there's a damn good reason rightwing pundits are trying to entrench these expectations: tangible fear of Democratic ascendance will turn out the dispirited conservative base, while high expectations will make anything but a 20-seat win further proof that Democrats are out-of-touch and electorally incapable. On the other hand, the buzz is making the corporate world anxious, and they're donating more money to Democrats. And while that may be an electoral good, it's long-term effects are a bit more problematic.
