Hope In The Face Of Difficulty?

Lost within polls that show John McCain closing the gap with Barack Obama are signs that Cong. GOPers are also showing signs of life.

-- The lastest NBC/WSJ poll shows the Cong. generic ballot has "tightened", giving Dems a lead of 11%. That may seem rather large, and it is, but it's still the best showing for GOPers in that poll since 10/06. And NRCC fundraising, which has been a leading indicator of GOP problems this cycle, has picked up. The cmte raised $9M this qtr, significantly outraising the DCCC.

-- Separately, neither is significant. The NRCC still trails the DCCC by $40M+ in CoH, and that 11% gap still shows a big Dem advantage. But taken together, these events, along with McCain's resurgence, may help lift GOP morale. It's also a sign that GOPers are "coming home." And in many of the CDs where GOPers just need the base to turn out in order to win, that's significant.

-- GOPers should refrain from popping the champagne just yet. But if we see this trend continue into the fall, that may significantly lessen the expected Dem surge in the House.