'But the Reason We're Going to Keep the Majority Will Be Because of Their Crazies'

I love the smell of desperation in the morning. Whenever the Democrats start offering advice to the GOP you know their in full panic mode. If some GOP contenders in the Senate are so crazy, why not step back and let them implode?

Sarah Palin's revenge may be sweet - for Democrats.

With a Palin-backed insurgent on the brink of toppling Alaskan Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Democrats on Wednesday pointed to her home-state triumph as proof the Tea Party is brewing up trouble for the GOP.

Murkowski, whose father lost the governorship to Palin in 2006, trailed lawyer Joe Miller by about 2,000 votes on Wednesday after outspending him by about 10 to one, with some 8,000 absentee ballots to be counted.

And many were pointing to Palin's endorsement of the little-known attorney over a scion of a political family Palin has feuded with for years - and who was named to the Senate by her dad over Palin.

"I think Palin had a big impact," said veteran GOP consultant Ed Rollins. "There's still a little of that bad blood there." But Rollins said the big problem was Murkowski underestimated her opponent and the Tea Party.

"Basically, she didn't run a very good campaign," he said.

It leaves the GOP establishment with a little-known nominee it did not support. But Democrats still face a tough time winning, since their pick, Mayor Scott McAdams of tiny Sitka, Alaska, has little cash and isn't much better known.

So the "GOP establishment" in Alaska is in trouble. Um, hate to break it to you folks, but the "GOP establishment" in Alaska is Sarah Palin, and now Joe Miller and the Republicans who voted for him.

It's incredible the lengths the media will go to to deride Palin and when her candidates win it's supposed to be bad news? Do they think people are as stupid as they are?

But at least it gives them a chance, just like in six other states including Kentucky and Nevada where Tea Party darlings have knocked established party leaders by running far to the right.

"I'm not naive - some of these guys are going to win," said one Democrat. "But the reason we're going to keep the majority will be because of their crazies."

Republicans think "crazy" is ignoring Tea Party energy. In fact, 3.5 million more Republicans have voted in primaries this year than Democrats - a flip from 2006 when Dems swept to power.

Gee, that's a lot of crazy people out there.

Back in Alaska, meanwhile, the desperate Democrats already are calling Miller a dangerous enemy.

Oooh. He's so scary!

Assorted links and roundup on Alaska here.