Posted on 11/09/2006 5:56:19 AM PST by areafiftyone
WASHINGTON -- Democrats wrested control of the Senate from Republicans Wednesday with an upset victory in Virginia, giving the party complete domination of Capitol Hill for the first time since 1994.
Jim Webb's squeaker win over incumbent Sen. George Allen gave Democrats their 51st seat in the Senate, an astonishing turnabout at the hands of voters unhappy with Republican scandal and unabated violence in Iraq. Allen was the sixth Republican incumbent senator defeated in Tuesday's elections.
The Senate had teetered at 50 Democrats, 49 Republicans for most of Wednesday, with Virginia hanging in the balance. Webb's victory ended Republican hopes of eking out a 50-50 split, with Vice President Dick Cheney wielding tie-breaking authority.
The Associated Press contacted election officials in all 134 localities where voting occurred, obtaining updated numbers Wednesday. About half the localities said they had completed their postelection canvassing and nearly all had counted outstanding absentees. Most were expected to be finished by Friday.
The new AP count showed Webb with 1,172,538 votes and Allen with 1,165,302, a difference of 7,236. Virginia has had two statewide vote recounts in modern history, but both resulted in vote changes of no more than a few hundred votes.
An adviser to Allen, speaking on condition of anonymity because his boss had not formally decided to end the campaign, said the senator wanted to wait until most of canvassing was completed before announcing his decision, possibly as early as Thursday evening.
The adviser said that Allen was disinclined to request a recount if the final vote spread was similar to that of election night.
FR is making me SICK!!!!! too much BS going on and finger pointing.
If this were the other way around, Webb's lawyers would be all over the place and the media would be all over this 24/7. As long ad the press is the DNC PR Dept., I don't see how we can win. Honestly. I think also there are people who just wanted the noise to stop. The press was so anti-bush, day after day. I think on a subconscious level people (who aren't as passionate as we are), knew that if Dems were elected, the noise from the press would stop. I really do.
Clinton once lost a gubernatorial election but then came back and won it two years later.
I've never used this except in jest. I mean it this time.
Bush's Fault.
I still don't hear any fat lady.
I DID my best for re-electing the GOP, mainly for the soldiers in Iraq and the Immigration thing... but now that we LOST... and no one can pin this on me :)... I can't say that I am too sad with losing both houses. I think the Reps have become fat and lazy... they lost the idealism and hunger to do things better... it's a Natural prgression... you stay in power too long and you lose the fire and incentive. Just like Rush said yesterday... I found myself supporting what we had, even though I was not crazy about it. I still, to this day, recent GW bringing us appart by chosing Miers...(there was NO NEED to to this!) then with Immigration... yes, he was "arrogant." if that is the right word.
Miracously, he still has time to fix Immigration.
Mr. PRESIDENT: TAKE CONTROL OF THE BORDER FIRST SIR... You know "security"? that will stop the flow of illegals. When the Amreican people see results, THEN sir, we can attend to the Illegals aready inside the country. It's that simple. You can kill two birds with one stone and finish up with something very positive that would help the GOP for 2008
Well That is why I think that title might be misleading!
Sigh =(
Miracously = miraculously
I feel drained! Almost like I felt in the 2000 election when Gore took back his concession and demanded a recount.
He had everything including the kitchen sink thrown at him and he lost by 10000 votes. I think that's a testament to the man.
You really ought to stop urinating all over allen blackirish, there's plenty of allen supporters out there looking for a home and your likely to drive them into somebody elses camp like that.
Yes--Richard Nixon
But GFA has to start the rehabilitation -- right now-- drop any thought of recount...
Like rush always says, don 't let elections determine your hapiness. We lost this round, but it's only going to inspire us and motivate us more in 2008. Remember, democrats are the ones who cry foul and whose world's crash on top of them when they loose elections, were more grown up than that.
I brought a nice look of horror to my dem friends yesterday, they were gloating about the election and knocking allen off, said now were onto win in '08. I'm like oh really? You just ejected the person who in your mind was most beatable, now who are the republicans going to nominate? Rudy, and we all know he's going to streamroll hillary. Good job dumbasses.
They were included in the total. What still needed to be counted were the provisional ballots. Those tend to go Democrat.
"All but"?? He's dead meat after turning what should have been an easy coast to re-election into this fiasco.
If he plays that card too often and the Dems pick up any more seats in 2008 (almost certain -- the GOP is defending 21 seats, the Dems are only defending 12) he'll learn the ancient lesson that payback is a bitch.
Ergo, I expect him to hold that "nuclear option" in reserve for emergency use only.
The absentee ballots have already been counted. There are some outstanding provisional ballots, but not enough to affect the result (even in the unlikely event that all of them are judged to be valid -- the whole point of a provisional ballot is that it's filled out in situations where there's reasonable doubt whether or not a given person is an eligible voter).
The good thing that will come out of this is Watching the Democrats make fools of themselves for two years. That will pave the way for another Republican president!
I was a little upset Election night when it was reported on Fox News that all Absentee Ballots could not be counted until Thursday. Which is today!
Yet we hear no more about them. What did they do? Throw them away???
It was reported that absentee ballots were really up this year, too. They have a LOT to count. Well?????
I am really suspicious about this.
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