Wrong. Elections turn on things like this. Trust me. I'm a political historian; I've analyzed in some detail most of the elections in U.S. history. It CAN be closer to the actual voting date, but sometimes things said much earlier end up being unshakeable. This will affect, among other things, the Dem primaries and, possibly, result in much more radical/liberal candidates unseating incumbents, meaning we have a much easier time knocking them off. Don't forget in 1994, the "Contract With America" was only a small part of the outrage---a big part was also the House Bank scandal, which had died down by election time, but which the voters remembered.
Okay, but I have unshakeable faith in the Republican Party's ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
Right now, I just amazed that they grew a spine, even if it only for a few hours!
It would be wondeful if this became the norm!!!!