Wrapping up the Ohio River Ramble

After logging a thousand road miles, Chris, Jim, and Chet returned Thursday night from the Ohio River Ramble, driving back to Washington from West Virginia in a fierce thunderstorm. As the Ramblers rest comfortably, we are left to contemplate what they found in this marathon trip through nine competitive Congressional districts in nine days.

"Spend nine days traveling through one of this year's most contested political regions and there is no mistaking the mood of voters: They are angry," Jim and Chris wrote in today's Washington Post. "Nor is there any doubting the mood of incumbent politicians: They are anxious."

Fair enough, but the Ramblers also warn that "it is a mistake to assume that anger and anxiety look and sound the same in these coveted precincts as they do in Washington."

The Ramblers found that "debates over Iraq and President Bush shadow virtually every competitive race, but they do not dominate the conversation -- which suits many Democrats just fine."

They also assert that "interviews with voters, candidates and operatives made plain why the old line about all politics being local is a truism: It really is true."

Read the full article and then offer your take on the Ramble and how these nine districts might effect the election in November. Will the Democrats be able to take control of one or both chambers? Will the Republicans weather the storm and come out on top?

By washingtonpost.com Editors  |  September 29, 2006; 10:20 AM ET
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