Are Democrats, buoyed by President Bush’s historically low approval ratings, counting their votes before they are cast? There is increasing evidence they might be:

Some Republicans also drew confidence from Saturday’s election of Republican U.S. Rep. Bobby Jindal as governor of Louisiana. The incumbent Democratic governor, Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, still blamed for post-Hurricane Katrina incompetence, decided not to seek re-election.
“Jindal walked away with that race,” said Democratic pollster Dave Beattie, who is not affiliated with a campaign.
“There’s a real anti-incumbent, anti-Washington mood out there,” he said. “Democrats cannot take for granted that just because voters are upset with the Republican administration it doesn’t mean they think Democrats are much better right now.”

No one should forget that while Bush’s ratings are in the mid-20s, congressional approval ratings hover in the pre-teens – 11% at last count. Anything could happen next fall, especially with the news in Iraq improving. This feels a lot like 1994. The only difference is voters are angry at everyone. If ever there were a time for a third party…