Politics | Democrats Only Dems Fear Obama Loss Despite polls, "pessimistic" party can't shake that sinking feeling By Kristina Loew Posted Oct 21, 2008 6:20 PM CDT Copied Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., center, greets supporters after visiting his campaign office in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2008. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) Despite all evidence to the contrary, lots of Democrats "have convinced themselves that John McCain is going to be the next president,” writes Tucker Carlson in the Daily Beast. Having “snatched defeat from the jaws of victory” so many times, Democrats remain superstitious. Or just shell-shocked. “They shouldn't be,” says Carlson, but the sting of the last two elections still seems to smart. They worry about bin Laden, the Bradley effect, and Karl Rove, who's "too busy giving speeches and doing TV to pick up his dry cleaning, yet Democrats imagine he's having breakfast with Satan every Thursday at the Four Seasons to chart strategy." Obama tells crowds, "don't underestimate our ability to screw things up," but Carlson argues that's being too pessimistic. “Republicans have no master plan for victory, no October Surprise. You'll never convince most Democrats of that." Read These Next Defense officials react to Hegseth's Quantico meeting. Government shutdown is here. Here's what to expect. Colorado wants to give 'peace of mind' on Hunter S. Thompson. President asks nation's top generals to loosen up. Report an error