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How sexy is optimism? If you're a Democrat in this city, you're probably looking at yourself in the mirror a little less critically these days. That slump in the shoulder is gone. The shine is back in your eyes. Looking good in the neighborhood.

There's a load of reasons to be smiling for the first time since the turn of the millennium, especially if you're supporting Patricia Madrid for Congress.

Sorta, kinda.

But if you're kicking your feet up on the living room table, I'd highly recommend getting those feet re-laced with your walking shoes and wiping that smile off your face.

If this race is going to be won, it's gonna happen in the neighborhoods, one door at a time, not on television and in our mailboxes. So far, a loose poll of friends shows a very limited amount of street-level tactics.

To date, I've had one visit at my front door from anyone from the Madrid campaign - and zero from Heather Wilson's side. This does not bode well because, despite a variety of recent polling numbers, Madrid's lead is just not big enough to hold off what will surely be a final get-out-the-vote push from the Republicans.

There's a lot of history in this city of gaps closing in a hurry.

Hearken back to the Wilson and Phil Maloof race lo those many campaign cycles ago for a stark, if not ironic, reminder.

In the last two weeks of that special election following the passing of U.S. Rep. Steve Schiff, Wilson had Maloof covered by more than 10 points. It was looking good for Wilson, who, of course, won.

By only four points. Maloof closed it rather quickly on Election Day with a dazzling get-out-the-vote push of which I am still in awe. Using a combination of paid volunteers," a fleet of vans and a fairly scientific bead on who needed to get to the voting booth, the Maloof people sent out a virtual small army across the district and literally dragged registered Democrats out of their homes.

Walkie talkies, vans, cell phones, you name it - you had to be impressed by the use of any and all tools at their disposal that day. It almost worked, if you can call four points almost.

Maloof, of course, had the financial means to make that happen, but his campaign laid the groundwork for it with a couple of months of good old-fashioned door-to-door campaigning that matched fairly well what Wilson had on the ground as well. These people just never stopped showing up at my door. It was relentless.

Compare that to what John Kelly and Richard Romero served up for the next two cycles, a fairly cynical approach that basically flew over everyone's heads.

This is still a contact sport and always will be. It works, especially with fence sitters.

And those fence sitters, hovering near 10 percent, need to be seen and heard from because there just aren't any more rocks to be turned over on television. It's played out.

If television alone worked, they wouldn't be undecided.

Back to the visit at my door last weekend. I have to say I was pretty impressed. A nice, even-handed conversation on issues, not personalities. There was not one over-the-top anti-Wilson rant in the half hour. This is a key change from canvassers who came around in previous races, whom I can only describe as having a permanent smirk, especially the Romero people.

And as history showed, that race was close - mid single digits - in the final two weeks, but Wilson delivered a 10-spot victory, in no small part because of the get-out-the-vote push.

Teachers have a saying I like: Save the smiles until November. In their case, it's meant to establish authority and respect versus being liked and popular. For Democrats, if this thing is going to happen, they'll need to stuff the giddiness and get those walking shoes laced up nice and tight.

It ain't how you start, its how you finish. You can smile on Nov. 8.