Oh, No! Election Day is Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010...

I am becoming convinced that the electorate is a howling mob acting on emotion rather than intellect.
...

No wonder the country is going down hill at a rapid pace.

Is there a concerted lobbying group opposing it?

One reason we do try to be so precise with our forecasts — projecting a margin of victory in each race rather than putting them into broad categories like “tossup” and “lean Republican” — is exactly so that it can serve this benchmarking function. It’s not that we know exactly what is going to happen on Tuesday; quite to the contrary, we think other forecasters are being incautious in not acknowledging the degree of uncertainty inherent to forecasting this House election.

But we can show you the blood, guts and entrails of roughly what a Republican gain of about 55 seats would look like, if that turns out to be the number: it would look something like this.

HOUSE PREDICTIONS:|
Current Make-up: Dems 256 Repubs 179 = 77 seat Dem margin

EPro: Dems 194 Repubs 241 = 47 seat Repub margin (62 seat Repub gain)
Cook: Dems 196 Repubs 239 = 43 seat Repub margin (60 seat Repub gain)
Enten*: Dems 200 Repubs 235 = 35 seat Repub margin (56 seat Repub gain)
Sabato: Dems 201 Repubs 234 = 33 seat Repub margin (55 seat Repub gain)
Rudin: Dems 215 Repubs 220 = 5 seat Repub margin (41 seat Repub gain)
Silver: Dems 203 Repubs 232 = 19 seat Repub margin (53 seat Repub gain)

Georgeob: Dems 212 Repubs 223 = 11 seat Repub margin (44 seat Repub gain)
Cyclo**: Dems 218 Repubs 217 = 1 seat Dem margin (38 seat Repub gain)
JohnBoy: Dems 206 Repubs 229 = 23 seat Repub margin (50 seat Repub gain)

*Enten is the kid from Dartmouth Irishk introduced us to.
** I assigned numbers to Cyclo based on his long-standing prediction that the Dems would hold on to a majority.

Please feel free to quote/edit this post to add other pollsters or add you own predictions.

Recent public opinion surveys reveal a noteworthy paradox that results from Democratic-Republican party dominance over our political system. According to these polls, though the public favors Democrats, they are prepared to vote Republican this November. How can we explain this apparent contradiction? Arguably, it is a result of the ideological and political deadlock characteristic of the reigning two-party system.

One of the means by which the Democratic and Republican parties maintain their dominance despite their unpopularity is by obtaining the support of those who simply oppose the other party. A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll from August found that only 33% and 24% of respondents, respectively, had a positive view of the Democratic and Republican parties, while 44% and 46% had a negative view of them, respectively. Yet, on the so-called generic ballot, the parties were neck and neck: 42% desired a Republican-controlled Congress while 43% opted for a Democrat-controlled Congress.

Interestingly, the poll also inquired as to the respondents’ motivations, asking the latter group whether they preferred a Democrat-controlled Congress because they support Democrats or because they oppose Republicans, and asking the former group whether they preferred a Republican-controlled Congress because they support Republicans, or because they oppose Democrats. Of those who desired a Democrat-controlled Congress, only 48% stated that they support Democrats, while 47% admitted that they simply oppose Republicans. The breakdown was quite different among those who favored a Republican-controlled Congress. Only 35% said they supported Republicans, while a whopping 57% stated that they simply oppose the Democrats! This is the logic of lesser evilism in the aggregate. Taking these numbers at face value, it is safe to assume that the majority of American voters do not cast their ballots for candidates whom they support or favor, but rather against candidates whom they dislike and disfavor. It is thus no surprise that so many Americans do not feel they are adequately represented by their elected officials. The majority do not vote for candidates whom they favor! How could they if they dislike both the Republicans and the Democrats? That the majority of eligible voters do not vote in the majority of elections is a striking symptom of this sad state of affairs.