First, I must say that I'm excited about this 23 point lead!  Really excited!  However, I'm also worried.  Republican's are armed for winning elections (even when they don't technically "win"!).  Their extensive talk-radio and right wing media will repeat a very consistent, focuses, and often deadly message (even if that message is a lie).  They are very good at finding messages that stick (e.g. flip-flopper, cut and run, etc...).  Their "Voter Vault" surgically targets their likely votes and ensures they show up at the polls.  They are well connected with the election administrators and voting machine vendors (e.g. Blackwell in OH and Katherine Harris in FL).  They (read "Rove") have continually been successful at destroying a candidate's character (albeit with lies) and rendering them "unelectable" (e.g. Ann Richards' sexuality in TX and McCain's love-child, and with Pelosi right now).  Lately, I've been listening to some right-wing talk radio (during commercial breaks on Air America), and they tell a confident convincing story for somebody who doesn't have the full set of facts (I am continually appalled by how they unabashedly still spinning the Foley sex scandal as a Democratically lead political ploy and not about the actually sexual harassment of minors that it really is).  They have a ton of cash.  They don't mind lying.  They have the advantage that their spokes person is the leader of free world (that would be Bush) and will always draw a crowd and free press.

As a scientist, I have trusted data my whole life, and therefore love these polls and the whole approach taken by Chris and the MyDD team!  However, I have also observed that the Republican war machine (that is, the machine that consistently wins elections) is aimed, armed, and desperate.  They are still on talk shows saying that they will keep control (despite come counter examples) with great confidence.  When Ed Gillespie was on The Daily Show, Jon Stewart asked him (somewhat rhetorically), "Why are the Republican's so effective at managing/winning elections, but so bad at governing?" (not direct quote).  Winning elections is what this group does best.  

So, my question to this group is this:  Despite these great poll results, why shouldn't I be worried about everything I just mentioned above?  I don't want to wake up with the same hangover I had on November 8th, 2004.