During the final days leading up to any election the rhetoric is heated.

This time, however, the Liberals really outdid themselves.

Joe Biden branded Republicans "extremists." James Carvell called Tea Party activists "nut jobs." The writer of "Blue Notes" on this page compared Republican voters and Tea Party activists to segregationist George Wallace voters and KKK supporters. Attempting to portray voters and activists as extremists, nuts and bigots is preposterous.

Not only are these comments misguided, they are neither accurate nor constructive. They say more about the judgment and prejudice of the author than they say about Tea Party activists or the Republican Party.

Recent polls tell the real story. According to a new Frank Luntz survey, "72% of voters are mad as hell." Another poll shows that over 50% of Americans feel the country is now "headed in the wrong direction." Another shows that 40% of voters call themselves "Conservative" while only 20% identify themselves as "Liberals."

Many thought the 2008 election results spelled the end of the GOP Brand.

The liberal media trumpeted its death as a national party and predicted it would be reduced to a regional party.

But voters don't vote for Brands. They vote for people. The Independents call the tune in most elections and they support people and policies, NOT parties. That's what happened in Virginia and New Jersey. Both Republican candidates received more than 60% of the Independent vote. In both cases, good candidates offering fiscal responsibility and real solutions, beat bad candidates offering bigger government and weak leadership.

In Virginia the victory was even more striking. Republicans swept ALL statewide offices for only the second time in history. They defeated six members of the House of Delegates many of whom were Obama activists running on national issues such as Cap and Trade.

In 2010, more than 80 Democrats in the House of Representatives will be running for re-election in districts which went for Bush in 2004 or McCain in 2008.

The new Gallup Poll shows Republicans have made a big comeback in Congressional Districts with Independents favoring Republican candidates by 4% in the generic ballot.

The key for Republicans is not the Brand. It is recruiting good candidates like Bob Mc Donnell who the Richmond Times Dispatch called a "sunny conservative."

The opportunity for the GOP is enormous. Discussing the philosophical disagreements within the Republican party, so promoted by the liberal media, democrat pollster Pat Cadell said "the civil war isn't in the Republican party, it is between the people and the politicians."

Ken Rietz lives in Delaplane VA.