I have been writing columns on political issues for over ten years. It is interesting to look back to see what was written and how right or wrong you were. For instance, in an article entitled Eating Crow in the first week of ’08 I said,

“In analyzing what I think will happen in New Hampshire, it’s clear that Barack Obama is no longer the “black candidate.” He is now viewed by many Americans as an articulate, young, likable candidate who is bringing a fresh breath of air to American politics and wants change. Whether you are for Obama or not this is good for our Country, as another racial barrier is being broken whether he wins or loses. It also means that if he doesn’t win he will be a viable candidate for the vice-presidency, now viewed as a Senator from the heartland of our Country who has an interesting message.”

In talking about New Hampshire, I went on to say,

"On the Democrat side, Obama will win, Hillary will finish second, and Edwards will finish third. Despite this Edwards will probably stay in the race through the next couple primaries, but realistically it is a waste of time and money. Despite Hillary’s troubles in Iowa and New Hampshire she will win most of the states on February 5th and lock up the Democrat nomination. Part of the reason is her organization and the money she has raised. The other reason is that Obama’s message of change needs more substance. For instance, people are deeply concerned over international problems and so far he has had very little substantive to say on the subject. The spotlight now is on him and requires answers not rhetoric.”

On the 21st of July, 2008, I wrote another article entitled A Looming Disaster for Republicans I said,

“During my statewide radio program, The Florida Roundtable, I made the statement that this year the Republicans could be in much worse shape than after the 1974 Watergate election. I said Republicans may look back and talk about the good old days of ’74. I was questioned about this because Republican losses in the House in 1974 were close to 70 and it doesn’t appear that the House losses this year will be of that magnitude. There were losses in the Senate also in 1974, but in 2008 it is possible that the Democrats could pick up nine seats. If this happens, they have the ability to shut off debate and can totally control the legislative program in the Senate. Remember, in 1974 the Republicans had a president; the Democrats did not have sixty votes in the Senate and there were enough conservative Democrats in the House that President Ford had a chance to have his veto sustained. Furthermore, there was no way the Democrats could stack the Supreme Court. This time, there is a good chance that the Democrats may hit the lottery by increasing their number of seats in the House, reaching sixty in the Senate and winning the presidency. What that means is that the Supreme Court will have a totally different look to it within the next four years.”

Jim Broyhill, a close friend of mine, former House and Senate member from North Carolina just recently sent me an e-mail and said that he had disagreed with my remarks when I wrote them in July, but now unfortunately agrees with them all. In some ways North Carolina is a microcosm of what is happening across the country. The state is changing as new people move in. The Democratic Party has done a great job of registering new voters. The support for Obama among African-Americans is close to 100%. Young people are more involved in the process and heavily favor Obama. It appears now that Libby Dole (R-NC) will not hold her Senate seat and Obama has at least an even chance of winning North Carolina.

Finally, in an article dated December 19, 2007 and entitled Looking Back at 2007 and Ahead to 2008 I said,

“But first let me tell you my Holiday wish for our Country. My wish would be to have a President run and at the same time announce he or she will be a one-term President. The President would lay out an agenda which will include reforming Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. The President would take on the deficit, balance the budget, and would also pass an immigration bill. The President would come out with a national energy plan which would include conservation, alternative energy research, and in the interim the willingness to increase the use of present energy sources like coal, gas, oil, and even nuclear. The plan would guarantee energy independence in 2040.”

That still is my wish for our Country. It doesn’t look like it is going to happen. It looks like it is now not just possible, but probable, that the Democrats could end up with 60 seats in the Senate and increase their House majority by 25. The Congress will be more liberal than in ’06. If Obama wins, and it looks that way, we will have the most liberal president ever elected. An interesting footnote is that approximately three weeks ago, before the economic collapse, McCain was opening up a lead on Obama. A number of Republican Senators in battleground states were winning and the House was getting closer. What a perfect storm. What a disaster for the Republican Party. I hope and pray it is not a disaster for our Country.

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Lou Frey represented Central Florida in the U. S. Congress from 1969 to 1979. In his last election, he received nearly 80% of the vote. He was elected one of five Republican leaders in the House of Representatives during the 93rd and 94th Congress. He served on...