CURRENTLY THE House of Representatives is comfortably controlled by Democrats with a 235 to 199 majority. Polls suggest a 10 percentage point advantage to Democrats. Of the top 30 most vulnerable seats, 21 are Republican-held. Twelve seats do not have incumbents contesting them.
Observers suggest that the Republicans could lose more than 20 seats in the House.
Among the potential Democratic prizes within striking distance are Wyoming's lone seat, once held by vice-president Dick Cheney, and Texas's seventh congressional district, once held by George HW Bush.
Republicans are also in danger of losing what little diversity they currently have in Congress. If Democrats take three vulnerable south Florida seats held by Cuban-American Republicans, it will leave the House Republican caucus with no Latino members, no African-Americans and no Asian-Americans.
New England's last House Republican, Connecticut's Chris Shays, could fall.
Democrats have been bitter for six years over Georgia senator Saxby Chambliss's McCarthyite campaign against Vietnam war veteran Max Cleland in 2002, in which he called his triple-amputee opponent a coward and implied he was a traitor.
Now similar scare tactics are creating headaches for Republicans. Michelle Bachmann (Minnesota), Robin Hayes (North Carolina) and Randy Kuhl (New York) are under siege for heavily overplaying the patriotism card.