I don’t want to spur anyone to start making hemlock cocktails, but I’ve now seen, in the span of a week, three astonishingly ominous indicators for GOP prospects on November 4.

The first I alluded to, a very Smart Washington Guy, who foresees “an Obama landslide of epic proportions, a filbuster-proof 60 seat Democratic Senate majority, that the Democrats may pick up 50 seats in the House.” Believe me when I say this guy is not a natural pessimist; together we nailed 49 of 50 states in 2004, and he was one of the folks telling me I was way too optimistic in 2006.

The second I mentioned earlier today, that Michael Barone isn’t laughably dismissing polls with a margin of eight or nine percent more Democrats. I really wanted to hear some variation of, “Jim, you’ve been calculating in Turkish again.”

And now the third, this account from a Republican consultant, passed on to Ben Smith, about a focus group’s response to an ad that lays out tough charges against Obama:

Yes, they believed the charges against Obama. Yes, they actually think he’s too liberal, consorts with bad people and WON’T BE A GOOD PRESIDENT…but they STILL don’t give a f***. They said right out, “He won’t do anything better than McCain” but they’re STILL voting for Obama.
The two most unreal moments of my professional life of watching focus groups:
54 year-old white male, voted Kerry ‘04, Bush ‘00, Dole ‘96, hunter, NASCAR fan…hard for Obama said: “I’m gonna hate him the minute I vote for him. He’s gonna be a bad president. But I won’t ever vote for another god-damn Republican. I want the government to take over all of Wall Street and bankers and the car companies and Wal-Mart run this county like we used to when Reagan was President.”
The next was a woman, late 50s, Democrat but strongly pro-life. Loved B. and H. Clinton, loved Bush in 2000. “Well, I don’t know much about this terrorist group Barack used to be in with that Weather guy but I’m sick of paying for health insurance at work and that’s why I’m supporting Barack.”
I felt like I was taking crazy pills.

This is starting to feel like the scene in a movie like one of the variations of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” when the protagonist sees the third consecutive person on the street screaming maniacally, “They’re coming! They’re coming! No one is safe!” and starts to think it’s no longer a coincidence…