Follow the money

In anticipation of November, K Street is looking to hire itself some Democrats.

Published August 17, 2006 1:06PM (EDT)

Maybe it's a sign that Democrats will take control of Congress in November, or maybe it's just a reminder that Washington may not change that much if they do. Either way, the Washington Post reports today that lobbying shops, trade associations and corporate offices that have long stocked themselves with Republicans are now "moving to hire more well-connected Democrats."

On the flip side, the Post says that more and more Republicans on Capitol Hill have begun eyeing jobs on K Street as they confront the prospect that their privileged status as members of the majority party in Congress may soon be over.

Fuel for the fire: Political prognosticator Charlie Cook, looking at polls asking voters to choose between generic Democratic and Republican congressional candidates, tells the Post's Chris Cillizza that a tidal wave may be coming. "If you take an average of the last three or four polls, because any one can be an outlier in either direction, you can determine which way the wind is blowing, and whether the wind speed is small, medium, large or extra-large," Cook says. "The last three generics that I have seen have been in the 18 or 19 point range, which is on the high side of extra large. That suggests the probability of large Democratic gains."


By Tim Grieve

Tim Grieve is a senior writer and the author of Salon's War Room blog.

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