Question today from Sydelle at The Hill: What do the new polls imply?:

It means the realities of the new century are beginning to set in. It means Americans are not sheep and the age of Roosevelt has past. America is a vital, complex, responsive and diverse group in a varied work force from coast to coast and not the compliant and uniform “huddled masses” of the factory floors of a few northeastern cities waiting for guidance from the Master as the nostalgicos in power today wish it to be. As John Fund of the Wall Street Journal writes this morning, the real historic parallel may by 1894 when Republicans took 100 seats. As you recall, McKinley was just ahead, prelude to Teddy Roosevelt, and rise of the power paradigm that created the modern world. We are at such a turning again. The century ahead will find prelude in November and begin to awaken in 2012 and 2016. This is the critical fourth-generational turning which will form our century and it will be marked by internal growth and strengthenings and regional circles of responsibilities. It will awaken in the red states where the soldiers are as soldiers and veterans engage and engineer every historic turning. ‘Twas ever thus. Call it the new federalism.