BLUE WAVE?  WELL... – AT 2:18 P.M. ET:   It still may happen, but the Dems are plainly worried that the result on election night will not be as advertised.  Allowing Republicans to vote was clearly a big mistake.  From Fox: 

Top Democrats are working to manage expectations about a "blue wave" sweeping the party into power on Capitol Hill, urging caution about those predictions amid fresh signs that the midterms could be much closer than anticipated.

With just over two weeks to go before the critical elections, Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez said Monday that he doesn’t use the term “blue wave” to talk about a possible victory for his party. Even though House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi -- who has her eyes on the speaker's gavel -- said just days earlier they could be looking at a Democratic "tsunami," Perez predicted a tight race for control of Congress.

“We always knew that this election was going to be close — I don’t use the term ‘blue wave,’ I always talk about the need for the blocking and tackling,” Perez told CNN. “I always talk about the need for organizing, to make sure you’re leading with your values, and that’s how we’ve been winning throughout this year and throughout 2017.”

What values are those?  Harassing public officials in restaurants?

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders cast even more doubt on the "wave" narrative.

“A lot of people talk about this 'blue wave' and stuff,” Sanders told The Hill. “I don’t believe it.”
Sanders, an independent who ran for president in 2016 as a Democrat, added: “I happen to think that on election night we’ll find a very, very close situation and maybe a handful of votes determining whether Democrats gain control of the House.”

The cautious comments come as the shifting midterm landscape reflects a Republican advantage in the Senate and the likelihood of a tough fight for control of the House -- which could be determined by just a handful of races, even as Democrats are still seen as having the edge.

Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said Monday on Fox News’s “America’s Newsroom” that the GOP should hold the Senate, and has a shot at the House.

“There’s a possibility to keep the majority in the House,” she said. “… But it’s going to depend on our voters turning out.”

COMMENT:  Now, of course, a lot of this could be tactical talk, designed to avoid overconfidence and convince voters to get to the polls.  At this point it's all about turnout, or the "ground game" as some in politics call it.  Traditionally, the Democratic ground game has been better, based on years of experience in dragging voters to the polls in large cities.  But Republicans have been working on theirs.  I hope they're past the horse 'n buggy stage.

October 22,  2018