CNN's Inside politics report that Rove offered Nelson (D. Ne) Sec of Agriculture..Rove is BRILLIANT

INside politics..CNN

[ken5050]

Judy (hmmm?) Woodruff just had a report that Karl Rove had offered Nebraska Sen Ben Nelson the post of Secretary of Agriculture. Nelson is up in 2006...and facing a hard race from popular GOP Gov Mike Johanns. Nelson is among the most conservative of Senate Dems..Does this make sense, because Nelson votes with the GOP on most of the key issues..?

[graf008]

Hmmm...Didn't Minnesota go more for Kerry this time than it went for Gore? Only way Dayton is in trouble is if Daunte Culpepper runs for the seat....

[WoodstockCat]

Or ask Ted Kennedy if he's like the Ambassadorship to Ireland to cap his illustrious career.

swwwwwwweett Roooosie O'Graady....

[graf008]

I don't think we have to worry about the media running such stories. We've effectively halting much of that liberal sensationalism in the past few years....now they just report about sensationalistic court cases.

[TheMole]

Dick Cheney was George H.W. Bush's SecDef. Pointing out that he took draft deferments and never served in the military was/is practically a tic among liberals.

[pgkdan]

Is a Cabinet post Rove's to offer?

It is if he's speaking for the President...and of course he's speaking for the President with the President's permission.

[Southack]

"I disagree about your statement on "solid facts and logic" - but you are entitled to your opinion even if I think it is overly simplistic."

You haven't disagreed with squat, save your own howls of protest. What *specific* fact, from committee chairmanships to campaign funding to the best Senate office space to having your own pet legislation introduced and passed, do you dare disagree with?

Do you think that Senators gain power *other* than by pleasing the Majority leadership and increasing their in-Party seniority? Do you think that mere vote-selling outweighs both seniority and Majority Party status?

How far has Jumpin' Jim Jeffords advanced? Did he even get what he wanted in his precious milk compact?

Look kid, the last time that a group of rogues had any political power was the Boll Weevils led by Charles Stenholm.

...And that little act stopped his political career from ever advancing in the Democratic Party again.

[Dan from Michigan]

It's more about Dayton as a person than the party. His cut and run terror scare makes him look REALLY bad.

[byteback]

Who is interested in running against Dayton? I'm hearing that Corzine may want to run for Gov.

[graf008]

Kid? You aren't even reading my comments. I never said that they HAVE gained power - I said that in the bitterly divided Senate things could change.

In addition as a moderate, Chafee, Snowe, etc should read the writing on the walls that other moderates have. As long as America remains as bitterly dividend as it is, and the political parties remain as bitterly partisan as their are, the system will get more and more biased aganst the moderates. That FACT (if you need a cite, let me know although if you call me "kid" again - ignore you should go) might lead the moderates to do something if they want to survive.

[graf008]

He's still very popular in Minnesota. Only way the GOP could take that seat is either have some media type personality (a la Ventura) run, or someone who professes to be a very liberal Republican.

[Dan from Michigan]

I don't know. I haven't followed Minnesota all that much.

[Txsleuth]

Yeah, we "folks" need the media to tell us what it going on because, after all, all of the smart people are in the blue cities. Oh, well, I guess we'll just hunker along dragging our knuckles!

[RockinRight]

LOL!!

[Defiant]

It is possible that Rummy will be going too, although I hope not. But what is not fathomable is that Lieberman would replace him. Are they that deluded at TNR?

[Southack]

"In addition as a moderate, Chafee, Snowe, etc should read the writing on the walls that other moderates have."

...And do what, give up their Party seniority, committee assignments, campaign funding, plum Senate offices, and Majority Party status in exchange for being tagged as flighty jumpers in a losing Party?!

Moreover, you've completely bungled 2006. The Dems have 17 incumbent seats to defend in 2006, plus Jumpin Jim Jeffords. The Pubbies only have to defend 15. So right off the bat the Dems are starting out 2006 with a -3 disadvantage.

Moreover, of those 18 seats, the Dems have a further 4 that are in Red States. That means that Dems are starting out 2006 with a -7 seat disadvantage to the Pubbies.

That's right, the Democrats stand to lose 7 more Senate seats in 2006. Republicans also stand to lose some of their old seats, but not that many. Overall, Pubbies will *easily* gain Senate seats in 2006.

And if the U.S. grows more divided (unlikely), the Republicans will approach 62 Senate seats (31 red states translates to an eventual 62 Senate seats over time). A divided electorate *aids* Republican Senate prospects, after all.

[Ditto]

You're right. I had forgotten that. I retract my previous argument.

[Endeavor]

A lot of people care about Ag. Ever think of homeland security? Ever think what could happen with massive crop damage? Ever think about biological weapons of mass destruction being picked up in livestock/horses/pets as sentinels? Ever think?

[Keith]

It won't be a blowout, but Talent will get re-elected...the Dems have run out of Carnahans...

[Sonny M]

We need three or four more "Rove" clones working in the top ranks of the party.

There's the new or soon to be new, RNC head Melhann (is that how its spelled?), there's Ralph Reed, who's been absolutley brilliant, and a couple of other notable proteges of both Rove and the late Lee Atwater.

Strategists are no longer lacking in the GOP, lets just hope the party knows how to use them wiseley and deploy them properly.