Majority Rulers

AT the Los Angeles convention, Democratic congressional candidates saw their optimistic pitch to donors rudely interrupted by an unwelcome assessment from a key ally. Steve Rosenthal, political director of the AFL-CIO, told the Washington Post, “If you do the math race by race, it’s difficult to see the Democrats winning the majority.”

Two months before the House elections that will determine whether Republicans hold their slim 223-to-210 majority, it appears that the GOP’s efforts to follow Tip O’Neill’s advice and focus on local issues will pay off. But Republicans still fear that over the next several weeks, Bill Clinton could change the current political climate-and hurt incumbents-by nationalizing congressional races the way Newt Gingrich did in 1994.

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Kate O'Beirne

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House of Representatives

AT the Los Angeles convention, Democratic congressional candidates saw their optimistic pitch to donors rudely interrupted by an unwelcome assessment from a key ally. Steve Rosenthal, political director of the AFL-CIO, told the Washington Post, “If you do the math race by race, it’s difficult to see the Democrats winning the majority.”

Two months before the House elections that will determine whether Republicans hold their slim 223-to-210 majority, it appears that the GOP’s efforts to follow Tip O’Neill’s advice and focus on local issues will pay off. But Republicans still fear that over the next several weeks, Bill Clinton could change the current political climate-and hurt incumbents-by nationalizing congressional races the way Newt Gingrich did in 1994.