Posted on 10/08/2008 7:13:23 AM PDT by pabianice
According to Realclearpolitics, there is going to be a shift of five -- and perhaps six -- Senate seats to the Dems. I find this as alarming as an Obama presidency, because without a sustainable fillibuster in the Senate, there is nothing to stop a President Obama from running roughshod over the country.
According to RCP, senate seats being flipped to the Dems include AK, CO, NH, NM, NC, and perhaps OR. I live in MA, where there is zero chance of defeating the traitor John Kerry. Ted Kennedy is dying, and I am sorry for that because no one deserves to die of a brain tumor. But it's a cinch that Coupe Deville Patrick will replace him with someone even worse.
Let me suggest that, at this point, people living in states where the Senate seats may swing to the Dems should work hard to keep that from happening. Get involved.
(Excerpt) Read more at realclearpolitics.com ...
Virginia will add one more liberal Democrat to the Senate: Mark Warner.
REPUBLICANS can blame themselves for the entire mess. They created it. They kissed the Marxists asses. They joined them in destroying the Republic. Basically, except for a hand full of real conservatives in the Senate (than GOD that I have one in Jeff Sessions) we have a liberal senate anyway. The Republicans will become the yes boys to the Marxists, doing and saying anything to gather favor with the Marxists. Running in fear as they always do. It makes me sick to my stomach that I have to identify with this stupid party.
Ted Kennedy is dying, and I am sorry for that because no one deserves to die of a brain tumor. But it’s a cinch that Coupe Deville Patrick will replace him with someone even worse.
Yes, but of course he's replacing a liberal Republican: John Warner.
It's bad for the control of Senate issue, but he won't vote much differently than Jawn.
Can anyone tell me if Tim Johnson has recovered and is actively serving in the senate? I haven’t heard a peep about him since his seizure.
I just checked out the Dole (NC) race at the link and it’s very tight and certainly no easy pickup for the Dem candidate.
there is a very real possibility after the election there will be 58 dems in the senate. 2 votes shy of the filibuster proof majority.
the gop may very well lose VA, NM, NH, CO, MN, NC, and AK.
the gop has no one to blame but themselves, and bush is the head of the snake.
It is the national party’s fault. They didn’t make the senate a big enough issue and they have effectively ceded races they should have aggressively contested. We may find some surprises on election day because of the bailout both positive and negative. It looks like Stevens is going to survive which given the environment I’m not too picky. It looks like Latenberg is losing ground in NJ, it is probably now our best chance of an upset. Wicker will probably win in Mississippi. Here in Virginia it is a long shot. Gilmore has closed 7 points but he needs to close fast and the media just has been covering for Mark Warner. Steve Pearce would win NM if it wasn’t the most heavily Hispanic state in the union. I think they should implement a huge effort to change that. When the state is more than half Hispanic it can not be through legal immigration. New Mexico needs to be taken back. There are some possibilities but when our guys have been faced with a media that aids and abets everything that the Democrats say and refuses to scrutinize them without money to run it is an up hill battle.
Unless Coupe Deville Patrick gets the legislature to change the law back to allowing the governor to appoint a replacement until the next election—the legislature changed the law when Papercut Kerry was running for President AND re-election to the Senate to prevent Governor Romney from appointing a Republican—there will be a second election when Kennedy dies...but, I suspect Kennedy isn’t about to die soon...he is a stubborn old goat (not a lion, but definite the lyin’) of the Senate who will likely live another two to four years.
Well the good news in Mass at least there is that Patrick simply can’t pick someone to take Teddy’s spot. They stripped that power from then governor in 04, as they were certain that Kerry’s seat was going to open up and they didn’t want Gov. Romney to fill it.
Still a longshot to win it for the GOP, but its better than never having the chance at all.
Sen. Kerry didn’t run for re-election and president, at the same time. He ran for re-election, in 2002, and he received 81% of the vote. In ‘04, he ran for president. He’s running for re-election, in ‘08.
Johnson was on the Senate panel last week grilling Wall Street bigshots. He talks slowly and with a heavy lisp and it is unclear whether he had written his own questions or if they had been written for him.
Recovered somewhat but still showing the effects of his illness. And he is actively serving and running for reelection.
Fifty seven after they boot Joe Lieberman from their caucuses and take away his committee chairmanship.
Sorry, but this Conservative DixieCrat voted for a Democrat to replace Chambliss. I figure he’ll win anyway, but since he ignores my emails or answers them with “fluff” and no substance, I’ll just hammer away at Isakson instead.
Neither are worth much as they’ve been in Congress too long to want to do what the public wants. They’re in the hands of lobbyists and give voters short shrift. (whatever that is)
You are correct, sir. The legislature changed the law requiring an election because they expected Pinprick would win creating a vacancy.
*LOL*, now don’t sugar coat it RA.... and keep up your great posts! And don’t worry, we will still have one hard core conservative Republican senator left after next month being Jim Inhofe. He was the Soros Shadow Party’s #1 defeat initiative, but will win easily after some major campaign $ help by some “friends”. - FlA
Not true. John is a centrist squish and votes the right way maybe 60% of the time. Mark is a hard liberal Obamabot who is right maybe 10% of the time. If Warner (D) replaces Warner (R), the seat shifts much further to the left.
I agree that John Warner is no conservative though. Someone needs to give Ann Coulter a clue about that, since she kept making delusional statements about how McCain is "the most liberal Republican elected in a Bush state". Guess she never heard of John Warner, George Voinivich, Chuck Hagel, etc., all of which are from "Bush states" and vote to the left of McCain.
I looked up Senator John Warner’s voting record. I’m assuming Mark Warner would have differently on the following:
JOHN WARNER (R-VA) ...
Voted YES on prohibiting minors crossing state lines for abortion. (Mar 2008)
Voted YES on notifying parents of minors who get out-of-state abortions. (Jul 2006)
Voted YES on $40B in reduced federal overall spending. (Dec 2005)
Voted YES on Balanced-budget constitutional amendment. (Mar 1997)
Voted YES on constitutional ban of same-sex marriage. (Jun 2006)
Voted NO on adding sexual orientation to definition of hate crimes. (Jun 2002)
Voted YES on banning affirmative action hiring with federal funds. (Jul 1995)
Voted YES on rejecting racial statistics in death penalty appeals. (May 1994)
Voted YES on school vouchers in DC. (Sep 1997)
Voted YES on requiring schools to allow voluntary prayer. (Jul 1994)
Voted NO on banning drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. (Mar 2005)
Voted YES on Bush Administration Energy Policy. (Jul 2003)
Voted NO on removing consideration of drilling ANWR from budget bill. (Mar 2003)
Voted YES on drilling ANWR on national security grounds. (Apr 2002)
Voted YES on preserving budget for ANWR oil drilling. (Apr 2000)
Voted YES on approving a nuclear waste repository. (Apr 1997)
Voted NO on enlarging NATO to include Eastern Europe. (May 2002)
Voted YES on Strengthening of the trade embargo against Cuba. (Mar 1996)
Voted NO on granting the District of Columbia a seat in Congress. (Sep 2007)
Voted YES on requiring photo ID to vote in federal elections. (Jul 2007)
Voted YES on require photo ID (not just signature) for voter registration. (Feb 2002)
Voted NO on favoring 1997 McCain-Feingold overhaul of campaign finance. (Oct 1997)
Voted YES on prohibiting foreign & UN aid that restricts US gun ownership. (Sep 2007)
Voted YES on prohibiting lawsuits against gun manufacturers. (Jul 2005)
Voted NO on including prescription drugs under Medicare. (Jun 2000)
Voted NO on increasing tobacco restrictions. (Jun 1998)
Voted NO on preserving habeas corpus for Guantanamo detainees. (Sep 2006)
Voted YES on extending the PATRIOT Act’s wiretap provision. (Dec 2005)
Voted NO on adopting the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. (Oct 1999)
Voted NO on continuing federal funds for declared “sanctuary cities”. (Mar 2008)
Voted YES on building a fence along the Mexican border. (Sep 2006)
Voted NO on allowing illegal aliens to participate in Social Security. (May 2006)
Voted YES on terminating legal challenges to English-only job rules. (Mar 2008)
Voted YES on repealing Clinton’s ergonomic rules on repetitive stress. (Mar 2001)
Voted YES on confirming Samuel Alito as Supreme Court Justice. (Jan 2006)
Voted YES on repealing the Alternative Minimum Tax. (Mar 2007)
Voted YES on supporting permanence of estate tax cuts. (Aug 2006)
Voted YES on permanently repealing the `death tax`. (Jun 2006)
Voted YES on requiring super-majority for raising taxes. (Apr 1998)
You’re forgetting VA and MN. Both of those can easily go.
Exit question: What the hell is going on in North Carolina? Why isn’t Dole winning there? It will be a travesty if Alaska sends a Democrat to the senate. They will be stuck there for six years in a state that has a +30 GOP tilt.
Follow-up question, why is McConnell in a state where McCain will win by 20 pts?
IMHO, these are the races to watch:
VA- gone. Jim Gilmore has begun to climb, but it’s too little, too late.
NM- Probably gone. Steve Pearce made it somewhat competitive, but he’s swimming upstream.
CO- Leaning ‘Rat pickup. Bob Schaffer deserves an A for effort, but Mark Udall has money, media, and Bush’s toxic unpopularity on his side.
NH- Tilting to the ‘Rats again, but it’s really volitile. Jeanne Shaheen is slightly ahead again, but has higher negatives than most Senate challengers.
MN- This one has been all over the map. Norm Coleman is hurt badly by identification with Bush. But the ‘Rats nominated an obnoxious, abrasive radical. Polls have been all over the map, due mainly to Independent Dean Barkley, who’s siphoning votes from both candidates, but more from Coleman. Polls are all over the map, but I can’t imagine any state choosing Al Franken for any statewide office.
OR- This shouldn’t even be competitive, but it’s a cliffhanger. I don’t enjoy saying this, but Gordon Smith’s pandering to the left probably won’t be quite enough.
NC- Another one that shouldn’t be competitive, but Libby Dole is seen by some as a dilletante. Kay Hagan benefits from representing a Republican-leaning legislative district. Still, I think Dole pull it out by a narrow margin.
AK- Ted Stevens may be the only Republican incumbent to benefit from the bailout. It’s generated anti-government sentiment back home, and he’s using it agaist the Federal prosecutors. I think he’ll edge out Mark Begich, the well-liked Mayor of Anchorage.
KY- This race has also been all over the map. Mitch McConnell has led in most polls, but the margin has varied greatly. He’s a partisan Republican in a Democrat state. His opponent Bruce Lundford has personal wealth, but has controversies of his own. I expect McConnell to survive, but by less than his supporters had hoped.
GA- Here’s a surprise. Saxby Chambliss is ahead, but not by a great deal. His opponent (Jim Martin) is benefitting from residual name ID from a 2006 run for Lt. Gov. But everything would have to break Martin’s way to score an upset.
NJ- This was thought to be a lost cause, but RINO Richard Zimmer has surprised many by making a race of it. Concerns about Frank Lautenberg’s near-mummy state has voters concerned.
With the exception of the unnecessary tax increase he pushed through, you cannot legitimately call Mark Warner's record as Governor "hard liberal." I can't stand him, and hate the fact that he's going to be senator. But those are the facts. Warner is not as far to the left as Tim Kaine.
I suspect that yes, like Jim Webb (D-Angrytown), Mark Warner will move to the left when pressured.
But, in spite of a selected handful of votes you might pull from John Warner's 30-year-record, any Virginian knows he's no friend of conservatives.
Charlotte is a banking town.
Dole will probably squeak by but she will owe her re-election to Palin.
One minor nit for what it’s worth... I wouldn’t call KY a “Democrat” state. It votes GOP for President, both Senators are Republicans, a majority of House members are Republicans (and can win every district), the State Senate is Republican and we still have 2 statewide offices, and would have the Governorship had he not been a victim of a coup d’etat. The state resembles OK, and nobody would call it a Dem state (except for statewide offices at the moment). McConnell I’m not so worried about now, but as for the other seats... this is, as I’ve maintained, a total fiasco. McConnell needs to go as leader in January, regardless, even if we lose only a few seats (because, simply put, if he couldn’t even “educate” the public WHICH party is the majority, he’s not fit to lead).
The charges against Fletcher were BS?
For it being a crime ? Absolutely. Imagine the horror of wanting individuals in appointed jobs that are... gasp (!) loyal to the Governor and not thugs from the opposite party looking to undermine the administration. There hadn’t been Republicans in some of those jobs in 4 decades and Dr. Fletcher felt it was time for a change. No KY Governor had been challenged on that before (at least in recent memory), and I’m sure those appointees of Fletcher were fired by Beshear who promptly installed Democrats (and, of course, not a peep out of the rodent AG). Disgusting double standard.
Oh so all he did was it what Duckabee didn’t.
Poor guy. I backed Anne Northup solely cause I thought she had a better chance to win.
He was never able to deftly handle the situation and was clearly damaged (especially with the party and infighting with McConnell) by his last year and should’ve stepped aside. His Lieutenant quit the ticket and Northup was pulled into the race by McConnell (hastily and awkward, it seemed, especially just fresh off her reelection loss). Northup had the added problem that Louisville-based candidates often fare poorly in statewide races (McConnell himself is the exception). I think even if she had received the nomination (either via Fletcher stepping aside or beating him) she probably still would’ve lost.
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