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Southack wrote "Moreover, you've got to comprehend basic math. Democrats physically *can't* win 60 Senate seats in 2006. In contrast, Republicans could mathematically take all 18 non-Republican Senate seats in 2006 to theoretically yield up to 73 Senate seats under Pubbie control. Of course, that won't happen either. Americans simply aren't that radical. We're a centrist nation that re-elects the same crew, with rare exceptions as well as in line with established trends (say, voter registration shifts, red-state - blue state prejudices, etc.)."

Factor in Jim Jeffords, Lincoln Chaffee and Olympia Snowe before counting your chickens, and I would not trust Specter either. The point is the collapse of the dollar will produce immediate hardships, while any benefits will take time. It will thoroughly discredit the free trade movement, and with the GOP in control of both houses and residing at 1600 Pennsylvania they will be the ones held accountable, especially if they have built up more history such as passing the CAFTA and FTAA.

I would venture that the "Democrats moved from parity up to 66% of all voter registrations in America" mostly between the years 1930 to 1932. That "rare exception" was due to an economic shock.

Retired people vote, if they get shafted on their bond holdings they will take vengeance at the polls.

"The point is the collapse of the dollar will produce immediate hardships, while any benefits will take time."

Not a chance.

Americans don't wake up everyday wondering about the foreign exchange value of the Dollar. Americans don't go to Wal-Mart wondering what that cheap Chinese flashlight will cost in Euros.

In fact, 85% of American GDP is domestic. That's 85% of our economy that won't even notice a 30% decline in the value of the Dollar (i.e. the decline that we've *already* had in the past 2 years).

With that 30% decline in the Dollar, American consumer sentiment is jumping up yet again with day-after-Thanksgiving "Black Friday" sales up 10.8% over the previous record level of American shopping.

In other words, Americans are *more* optimistic as the Dollar has declined.