Matthew Dowd on "Devil's Night" in Detroit, MI (ABC news "The Note" posting)

MATTHEW DOWD: "Growing up in Detroit, on the evening before Halloween, October 30th, we would participate in what was called Devil¹s night. We would commit mischief in our neighborhoods by toilet papering trees, or soaping or egging windows of our neighbors, and we would also simultaneously try and protect our own home from the acts of other folks out on Devil¹s night. In the end, our house and every other house would suffer the consequences of that night no one was spared from the trouble brewing among frustrated youths. This election and Tuesday night I fear will be a further manifestation of that. Both parties have and will suffer from the frustration of voters ­ young and old. Establishment Republicans have suffered in the primaries and Democrats will suffer in the general election. This has been one of the most interesting and curious I have ever seen. We simultaneously have two political parties who are disliked and distrusted by the voters. Both Democrats and Republicans in Congress have huge unfavorable numbers. We have candidates throughout the country who would be unelectable in any normal election environment. And Nevada is a perfect example of this where voters will basically decide whether Harry Reid will continue as majority leader. Both Reid and Republican Sharron Angle are unelectable, but since they are running against each other, someone has to win. And that is true throughout the country where even though Republicans are disliked as much as Democrats, they will win a majority of the contests because they just so happen to be not in charge. And when the election is over, most of these voters will continue to be dissatisfied and will be looking to take their frustration out again sometime soon in another election. So as Halloween approaches and Devil¹s Night is celebrated, whoever wins these elections, be prepared for either Trick or Treat from voters going forward."