Pelosi: Democrats facing toughest midterms ever

The 2010 congressional elections will be the "toughest midterm elections Democrats have ever faced," Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) acknowledged today.

Pelosi made the statement in a fundraising pitch for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, urging supporters to help Democrats beat back Republican attacks.

"The Republican defenders of the status quo are shouting because they understand that this is the toughest Midterm Election that Democrats have ever faced," Pelosi wrote, hinting at Rep. Joe Wilson's (R-S.C.) outburst.

"They also understand that this is a critical month for health insurance reform and they are trying to deal a serious blow to President Obama's agenda for moving America forward."

Pelosi's comments acknowledge a stark reality for Democrats. The president's party almost always loses seats in a midterm election, especially in a president's first term. But Democrats' ambitious agenda--healthcare reform, climate legislation, etc.--combined with a still-lackluster economy makes Pelosi's party particularly vulnerable in 2010.

Many analysts have drawn parallels to 1994, when Democrats' suffered heavy losses in the midterms after an ambitious attempt to overhaul healthcare.

Pelosi implored supporters to help Democrats maintain their majority this time around.

"It is urgent that we stand together as Democrats," Pelosi wrote in the email to supporters. "With all eyes on the coming Midterm Elections, let us use this critical September deadline to show the world just how prepared we are to maintain a strong Democratic Majority for President Obama so he can keep America moving in a New Direction."