Big Mo is with the Democrats

With the November midterm elections just a few weeks away (November 7), it's time to pay close attention to poll ratings.

The Democrats need to win 16 seats to regain control of the House of Representatives. Right now they hold 202 seats to the Republicans' 230. In the Senate, the Democrats need six seats to take control of the upper chamber. The Republicans swept to power on Capitol Hill in 1994, in the so-called Republican revolution. But the revolution seems to have run out of steam.

Before the North Korean test, Republican officials were apparently telling reporters they could lose between seven and 30 House seats. This could be Republican spin - give out a worst-case scenario and claim victory if it does not materialise, but Republican supporters at Redstate blog are jittery.

In its statistic of the day, Rasmussen Reports says less than one-third of Americans believe the US is winning the "war on terror". That must be worrying for the Republicans, a party traditionally identified as being strong on national security issues.