Chris Van Hollen's challenge: Confidence in the face of a landslide

Chris Van Hollen is a confidence man.

"We're confident we're going to retain the majority, and I'm confident that Nancy Pelosi will be speaker of the House," says the Maryland congressman in charge of keeping the House Democratic.

"I am confident," he told reporters at a breakfast gathering on Thursday, that "the day after the election . . . we will have the majority."

How about Rep. Ciro Rodriguez (D-Tex.), said to be trailing in his reelection bid? "We're very confident that he is going to prevail."

And Rep. Bruce Braley (D-Iowa), facing an unexpected threat? "I'm confident he's going to win."

Why so confident this won't be another 1994 wipeout? "On specific issues, voters have greater confidence in the Democratic candidates," he said.

But doesn't all the evidence point to a Republican triumph? "I'm confident we're going to retain the majority," the confidence man repeated.

One thing we can have reasonable confidence in is that if Van Hollen were speaking confidentially, and not to a roomful of reporters, he would express rather less confidence. But he has the unsavory task of keeping up appearances, preventing a Democratic panic by being brave on the eve of what promises to be a drubbing of historic proportions.

That the U.S.S. Democrat is foundering even with Van Hollen at the helm tells you just how grim this year is for the majority party. Sixteen years ago, fat-and-happy Democrats were caught by surprise, losing 53 seats and their majority. This time, they saw the Republican assault coming, and, during Van Hollen's tenure, did everything possible to strengthen their fortifications. Yet handicappers now expect a loss similar to '94, and Van Hollen's Republican counterpart, Pete Sessions, sees "easily 95 to 100" seats up for grabs.

It's only logical, then, that Van Hollen would be second-guessing his decision to re-up as Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chairman, rather than taking a cushy role in House leadership after he guided the party's 21-seat gain in 2008. I asked whether he regrets serving again as DCCC chief, which he did at Pelosi's request.

"The short answer to your question as to whether or not I'm pleased I took the job is, um, uh, I'm glad I'm where I am in this position, but I will, you know, ah, obviously it's a tough cycle," he explained. "But when the speaker asked me to do this again, she said she didn't want somebody to start out with training wheels on."

My colleague Paul Kane asked if Van Hollen would do a third term at the DCCC. "That I can tell you will not happen," he said, emphatically. "I can be absolutely clear that that will not happen again."