We Have Found the Enemy--and the Enemy is Us

self | February 2, 2008 | exit82

[OPS4]

omney’s Illinois highlight was a presidential straw poll at the state fair last August, when about 1,000 people cast votes and he won with 40 percent - twice as much as the second-place finisher, Fred Thompson, who now backs McCain.
McCain/Thompson 2008,
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1964695/posts

[justiceseeker93]

Excellent piece, though I have a quibble or two with it.

The bottom line: Vote ROMNEY on Tuesday and in future GOP primaries!

[backtothestreets]

Thank you for your kind words.

If I am wrong in my analysis we will all know soon enough. I have started to dig a bit deeper to substantiate my suspicions. I've barely scratched the surface and found something of interest:

Class II of the Senate has 33 seats up for election, plus an additional seat from another Class that was vacated. Class II is the most Republican populated Class. Of the present 49 Republicans in the US Senate, twenty-one are members of Class II, with the remaining 28 Republicans seats being members of Class I (9 Republican seats) and III (19 Republican seats).

As many as 10 of the Class II Senate seats are expected to face strong challenges, 9 of which are now held by Republicans, and only one by a Democrat.  Next I'll tally how these Senators of Class II voted on the two Immigration Reform Bills in the Senate last year.  Since not all Republicans voted against the amnesty bills, and conversely, not all Democrats voted in favor of the bills, the actual votes will paint a clearer picture. Those results will either substantiate my claims, or shatter them.  Either way, I will post the results for all to see.

Once again, very recent history tells us a pro-amnesty president is of no consequence in signing an amnesty bill if such a bill cannot be passed in the Senate.  That said, the presidential race will result in a new President of the Senate (Vice-President of the United States) to cast the deciding vote in case of a tied Senate vote when such a bill resurfaces.

The race for the White House is an extremely crucial race, but the greater battle will be for the overall composition of the US Senate, including who will serve as President of the Senate.

 

34 Senate Seats Up For Election In 2008 (22 Republican - 12 Democrat)

State		Incumbent	Outlook	Amnesty Bill Votes
Alabama	R	Jeff Sessions (1997 - )	Considered safe seat
Alaska	R	Ted Stevens (1968 - )	He will be 85 in 2008; under corruption investigation.
Arizona	D	Mark Pryor (2003 - )	Considered safe seat
Colorado	R	Wayne Allard (1997 - 2008)	Open seat; retiring. Received 51% of votes in 2002.  Candidates: former US Rep. Bob Schaffer (R) and current US Rep. Mark Udall (D)
Delaware	D	Joseph Biden (1973 - )	Considered safe seat
Georgia	R	Saxby Chambliss (2003 - )	Considered safe seat
Idaho	R	Larry E. Craig (1991 - 2007)	Was to resign amid scandal.
Iowa	D	Tom Harkin (1985 - )	Considered safe seat
Illinois	D	Richard Durbin (1997 - )	Considered safe seat
Kansas	R	Pat Roberts (1997 - )	Considered safe seat
Kentucky	R	Mitch McConnell (1985 - )	Considered safe seat; senior senator and Senate Minority Leader. Seat targeted by DNC.
Louisiana	D	Mary Landrieu (1997 - )	Possible Katrina voter backlash.  Received 52% of votes in 2002.
Maine	R	Susan Collins (1997 - )	State leans Republican; Will be strongly contested.
Massachusetts	D	John Kerry (1985 - )	Considered safe seat
Michigan	D	Carl Levin (1979 - )	Considered safe seat
Minnesota	R	Norm Coleman (2003 - )	State leans Republican. Received 50% of votes in 2002.  Candidates: author and former radio talk show host Al Franken (D) DNC Targeted
Mississippi	R	Thad Cochran (1979 - )	Considered safe seat
Montana	D	Max Baucus (1978 - )	Considered safe seat
New Jersey	D	Frank R. Lautenberg (1982-2001, 2003-)	Considered safe Democratic seat; will be 84 in 2008
North Carolina	R	Elizabeth Dole (2003 - )	State leans Republican; Received 54% of votes in 2002.  Could be targeted by DNC
Nebraska	R	Chuck Hagel (1997 - )	Considered safe seat
New Hampshire	R	John E. Sununu (2003 - )	State leans Republican
New Mexico	R	Pete Domenici (1973 - )	Will not run; implicated in US Attorneys firings.
Oklahoma	R	James M. Inhofe (1994 - )	Considered safe seat
Oregon	R	Gordon H. Smith (1997 - )	Received 56% of votes in 2002.  May be targeted by DNC
Rhode Island	D	Jack Reed (1997 - )	Considered safe seat
South Carolina	R	Lindsey Graham (2003 - )	Considered safe seat
South Dakota	D	Tim Johnson (1997 - )	Considered safe Democratic seat; Health issues
Tennessee	R	Lamar Alexander (2003 - )	Considered safe seat
Texas	R	John Cornyn (2002 - )	Considered safe seat
Virginia	R	John W. Warner (1979 - 2008)	Will not run
West Virginia	D	Jay Rockefeller IV (1985 - )	Considered safe seat
Wyoming	R	Michael B. Enzi (1997 - )	Considered safe seat
Wyoming	R	John Barrasso (2007)	State leans strongly Republican; Special election to fill seat vacated by death of Craig Thomas

May have heavily contested races  9 Republican - 1 Democrat

 

 

[exit82]

Another excellent analysis.

Your table is one that will be very helpful in the coming months.

With everyone so focussed on tomorrow, please consider posting this as an article here once Super Tuesday passes.

The information is too good and too important to get lost in the present shuffle.

[justiceseeker93]

I tend to agree that Romney would do better than McCain vs. either ‘Rat in the general , especially as he would get more exposure on TV. He’s a better speaker and has much more sex appeal to female voters, beside having a much better record on issues.

[Quix]

Excellent piece.

Rings true to me—another boomer, too. 61 years.

[gruna]

He’s just a far superior candidate to run against either Hillary or Obama. McCain will look like the doddering old fool he is against either Hillary or Obama, but especially Obama.

[justiceseeker93]

We have not only aborted 50 million children in 35 years, [so] we're missing a whale of a lot of Americans.

True, but I'm reluctant to say that it may be a bessing in disguise because the majority of those aborted and their lineage would likely be Dummycrats today.

[oneamericanvoice]

Splitting the vote is your plan? Making sure there isn’t a victory is your goal? There never has been nor will there ever be a candidate that meets expectations of “the full glass”. Not even Reagan would fulfill that criteria. If you care about this nation then you vote for the candidate that has the most checks on the list of important issues for you. In my case, that would be Romney.

[backtothestreets]

Here's the completed table of Senate races and how they voted on the two Immigration Reform bills last summer.

 

34 Senate Seats Up For Election In 2008 (22 Republican - 12 Democrat)

State		Incumbent	Outlook	Amnesty Bill Votes
				S.1348 Vote 204 06/07/2007	S.1639 Vote 235 06/28/2007
Alabama	R	Jeff Sessions (1997 - )	Considered safe seat	Nay	Nay
Alaska	R	Ted Stevens (1968 - )	He will be 85 in 2008; under corruption investigation.	Nay	Nay
Arizona	D	Mark Pryor (2003 - )	Considered safe seat	Nay	Nay
Colorado	R	Wayne Allard (1997 - 2008)	Open seat; retiring. Received 51% of votes in 2002.  Candidates: former US Rep. Bob Schaffer (R) and current US Rep. Mark Udall (D)	Nay	Nay
Delaware	D	Joseph Biden (1973 - )	Considered safe seat	Yea	Yea
Georgia	R	Saxby Chambliss (2003 - )	Considered safe seat	Nay	Nay
Idaho	R	Larry E. Craig (1991 - 2007)	Was to resign amid scandal.	Nay	Yea
Iowa	D	Tom Harkin (1985 - )	Considered safe seat	Yea	Nay
Illinois	D	Richard Durbin (1997 - )	Considered safe seat	Yea	Yea
Kansas	R	Pat Roberts (1997 - )	Considered safe seat	Nay	Nay
Kentucky	R	Mitch McConnell (1985 - )	Considered safe seat; senior senator and Senate Minority Leader. Seat targeted by DNC.	Nay	Nay
Louisiana	D	Mary Landrieu (1997 - )	Possible Katrina voter backlash.  Received 52% of votes in 2002.	Nay	Nay
Maine	R	Susan Collins (1997 - )	State leans Republican; Will be strongly contested.	Nay	Nay
Massachusetts	D	John Kerry (1985 - )	Considered safe seat	Not Voting	Yea
Michigan	D	Carl Levin (1979 - )	Considered safe seat	Not Voting	Yea
Minnesota	R	Norm Coleman (2003 - )	State leans Republican. Received 50% of votes in 2002.  Candidates: author and former radio talk show host Al Franken (D) DNC Targeted	Nay	Nay
Mississippi	R	Thad Cochran (1979 - )	Considered safe seat	Nay	Nay
Montana	D	Max Baucus (1978 - )	Considered safe seat	Nay	Nay
New Jersey	D	Frank R. Lautenberg (1982-2001, 2003-)	Considered safe Democratic seat; will be 84 in 2008	Yea	Yea
North Carolina	R	Elizabeth Dole (2003 - )	State leans Republican; Received 54% of votes in 2002.  Could be targeted by DNC	Nay	Nay
Nebraska	R	Chuck Hagel (1997 - )	Considered safe seat	Nay	Yea
New Hampshire	R	John E. Sununu (2003 - )	State leans Republican	Nay	Nay
New Mexico	R	Pete Domenici (1973 - )	Will not run; implicated in US Attorneys firings.	Nay	Nay
Oklahoma	R	James M. Inhofe (1994 - )	Considered safe seat	Nay	Nay
Oregon	R	Gordon H. Smith (1997 - )	Received 56% of votes in 2002.  May be targeted by DNC	Nay	Nay
Rhode Island	D	Jack Reed (1997 - )	Considered safe seat	Yea	Yea
South Carolina	R	Lindsey Graham (2003 - )	Considered safe seat	Nay	Yea
South Dakota	D	Tim Johnson (1997 - )	Considered safe Democratic seat; Health issues	Not Voting	Not Voting
Tennessee	R	Lamar Alexander (2003 - )	Considered safe seat	Nay	Nay
Texas	R	John Cornyn (2002 - )	Considered safe seat	Nay	Nay
Virginia	R	John W. Warner (1979 - 2008)	Will not run	Nay	Nay
West Virginia	D	Jay Rockefeller IV (1985 - )	Considered safe seat	Nay	Nay
Wyoming	R	Michael B. Enzi (1997 - )	Considered safe seat	Nay	Nay
Wyoming	R	John Barrasso (2007)	State leans strongly Republican; Special election to fill seat vacated by death of Craig Thomas	Vacant Seat	Nay
Vote Results of Class II Senators on S.1348 & S.1639				N = 25 Y = 5	N =  24 Y = 9

May have heavily contested races  9 Republican - 1 Democrat

 

A total of eleven Class II Senate seats, currently held by Senators that were instrumental in the outcome of Immigration Reform Legislation in 2007,  are expected to have strong competition in the November General Elections.

Of the Class II Senators voting Nay on Immigration Reform Legislation, 10 seats will face strong competition.

Of the Class II Senators voting Yea on Immigration Reform Legislation, 1 seat will face strong competition.

[exit82]

Reading about John McCain’s little get together with Hispanics in Chicago on Wednesday night, wherein he once again raised the spectre of comprehensive immigration reform, along with an amnesty and a non fence, I thought of this ditty from four and one half months ago.

McCain was the wrong candidate then, and he is certainly the wrong candidate now.

We need a new horse by September for this race.

GOP? Buehler? Anyone?.......

[Guenevere]

Anyone?......Please...anyone?

[exit82]

Hi Guen! Thanks for the bump!

We need a picture of the kid praying by his bedside, asking God for a new GOP candidate by the convention!

[Guenevere]

I just saw this .... it's well written and expresses my heart exactly.

May God have mercy on us.

[Guenevere]

God knows what we need...

..He does hear our prayers...

..but have enough of us fallen to our knees and repented and asked Him to heal our land?

I'm sure you have....and I have...

..but our nation ....those in our nation who love God and want to keep America free...

..PRAY PEOPLE......PRAY!

The clock is ticking!

[MARTIAL MONK]

I can update your chart a bit. Mark Pryor will lose Arizona by a large margin. I would go so far to say that he will not get one vote.

[Guenevere]

I'm bumping your excellent commentary this morning!

It's timeless!

[exit82]

Guen, thank you!!

[gonzo]

"...We Have Found the Enemy--and the Enemy is Us..."

Guen, I once posted this quote by 'Pogo' on a Company-Bulletin-Board in 1976, and I got fired!

The wierd part was that the owner of the Company was one of the founding members of 'The John Birch Society'!

Good to see you, sweetie .................. FRegards

[Guenevere]

Good morning to both of you!

Thanks for the replies....it's heartwarming to know we're not alone....there are millions of us who 'get it'.....who know what we're up against.

Surprised though, gonzo, that it was a John Birch group that didn't understand all those years ago.

They were tilting at windmills when a lot of us were still sleeping.

Exit82, your excellent commentary is a keeper....a reminder I'm not alone!!
Well written, sister.