In the early days of the fall of 1994, as the Republican tidal wave began gathering strength, Democrats had a hard time comprehending what was coming. They chose to take solace in the old "Tip'' O'Neill adage that "all politics is local,'' even though the two previous elections had been marked by an anti-incumbent mood, fueled by an endless procession of Capitol Hill scandals. In 1990, for the first time in modern history, the incumbent re-election rate for sitting members of both parties declined. In 1992, the re-election rate of Democrats and Republicans dropped again. Even so, those "nationalized" elections did not foreshadow the political turbulence of 1994, when Democrats lost their majorities of 40 seats in the House and five seats in the Senate.
No, 1994 was different. It was unlike any other recent election. And it's unlikely to be replayed again soon. In 1996, Democrats were making headway with the theme ``They've gone too far'' and their M2E2 mantra (Medicare, Medicaid, Education and the Environment). But their momentum stalled in the closing two weeks of the campaign as
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