RUSH: On top today, MSNBC is actually -- well, not actually. It looks like they're running a telethon for Democrats today. They are doing a day-long feature trying to stake their claim to political coverage with a special blitz on the 2006 midterm elections. It's entitled, "Decision 2006: Battleground America." Started at nine a.m. It will include all the big names: Brian Williams, Tim Russert, Campbell Brown, David Gregory, Chris Matthews, Lester Holt. It will air all day and into the night with live editions of all of their shows continuing the theme. So I've been looking at this. It looks like a telethon for Democrats with the disease they're fighting being Republicans. The only thing they're not saying is "operators standing by, call now." But it's incredible. We have some audio sound bites to illustrate this. Here is the promo that they have been running all day for this.
MSNBC VOICE: Republicans have it. Democrats want it. In two months you decide who gets it. Game on. MSNBC continues coverage of the battle to control Congress with one big day. The biggest names: Russert, Gregory, Holt, Brown, Williams, Matthews, Scarborough, Carlson. What are the key races? How close will these elections really be? Decision 2006 Battleground America continues all day on the network for politics, MSNBC.
RUSH: There's a killer disease out there, folks. It's Republicans, and MSNBC is going to do everything they can to slay this disease, and it's an all day -- the sense of urgency in this thing, and even included in that promo, is breathtaking. There was an interesting -- they go through the list of names in their own promo, interesting name left out. Not going to tell you who it is, but very, very interesting. Here is a montage of some of the anchors: Lester Holt, Stuart Rothenberg, Chuck Todd of the Hotline, Tim Russert, Rahm Emanuel, runs the Democrat Congressional Campaign Committee, Democrat pollster Peter Hart, all talking about the fall election and the Democrats.
HOLT: Democrats need to gain 15 seats to take control of the House for the first time since 1994. In the Senate, Democrats need to pick up six seats to take control.
ROTHENBERG: We'll see Democratic candidates do surprisingly well.
TODD: A voter that goes into the voting boot thinking about Iraq is voting Democrat.
RUSSERT: The election were held today do you agree with Stu that it would tilt Democratic?
TODD: I think it tilts Democrats.
RUSSERT: If the Democrats capture control of the House of Representatives.
TODD: If Democrats took control.
ROTHENBERG: The Democratic control could do a couple other things. One, it could lead to significant Republican retirements. It would certainly embolden Democrats.
RUSSERT: Who the new Democratic committee chairman might be.
TODD: Speaker Pelosi.
EMANUEL: Democrats are running as new-direction Democrats, and the American people are saying, as they did in '74, '82, 1986, 1994, all mid-term elections, they're saying it's time for a change, it's time for a new direction.
HART: This is equivalent of the Ninth Ward in New Orleans. Essentially it's under water already, but they don't know it. Democrats win the House, and I think comfortably.
