What Anti-Incumbent Anger?

Of the 471 Senators and Representatives up for re-election this year, about 460 of them -- or their establishment successors -- will avoid the predicted mass purge of incumbents.

There is no anti-incumbent mood -- at least no more than is typical in American politics.

There are 471 Senators and Representatives up for re-election this year. After the dust clears, it looks like about 460 of them -- or their establishment successors -- will have somehow avoided this mass purge of incumbents. In its endless quest for the grand narrative, the media seems to have missed the hundreds of congressmen who have dodged this American uprising.

Entrenched moderate congressmen like Mark Kirk and Mike Castle -- both of whom were open to cap-and-trade measures -- faced no serious opposition from the right in their quests for nominations to the Senate. John Boozman, who voted for the bailouts, garnered enough of the vote the other night to avoid a run-off. Even Bob Bennett would have waltzed to re-nomination had the primary been open to the broader electorate. From West Virginia to Arkansas to Pennsylvania, it seems that most of this "anti-incumbent" sentiment, to the extent that there is any, is taking place amongst Democrats -- and in the meantime, following historical trends, it's only Democrats who are in danger in November. (John Boehner ludicrously has predicted that Republicans could reclaim up to 100 House seats -- way to play the expectations game, Mr. Speaker!)

The truth remains what it always has: Americans hate Congress, but they love their own Congressman. Congressmen are bastards, but if he's in your district or state, he's your bastard. And in off-year elections, if he's in the president's party, he might be enough of a bastard to give him the boot. Let's dust off the history books before pontificating about grand narratives.