Posted on 01/12/2009 3:27:57 PM PST by americanophile
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The 111th Congress has just barely begun as Senate Republicans brace for more grueling elections in 2010 which threaten to further weaken the party's influence in Congress.
The latest setback for the party came Monday, when Ohio Sen. George Voinovich -- the 72 year-old two-term GOP senator -- announced he will not seek reelection in 2010. That leaves Republicans with a highly vulnerable seat in a perennial swing state that has drifted Democratic in the last two elections.
Voinovich's decision sent Ohio Republicans and Democrats scrambling ahead of what will likely be a competitive primary on both sides, and virtually guarantees the GOP will have to spend significantly more money defending a seat that otherwise would likely have been a safe bet.
"Republicans are starting the cycle on the defensive once again, it's a familiar but uncomfortable position," said Nathan Gonzalez of the Rothenberg Political Report.
Voinovich is the most recent in a string of Republican senators -- some from crucial battlegrounds states -- to announce his retirement, rattling Republicans in an election cycle that already promises to be difficult.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
It seems the dems are going for the knock-out punch in 2010.
CNN suffers from RDS (Republican Derangement Syndrome)
The dems are going to hose it up sooooo bad in the next 2 years, conservatives should mostly just waltz in...
Abandoning your base and your stated reasons for asking to serve as a US Senator have consequences.
LLS
Frankly, other than DeMint, Sessions and a handful of others, I don’t really care anymore.
Excuse me but haven’t the Dems controlled Congress for the last 2 years, make that 4 by 2010. Already the the spin meisters are at work. TO ALL YOU BUSH-BASHERS OUT THERE WHO THINK IT CAN’T GET WORSE....THINK AGAIN!
Your right on with that one. Not voting for a RINO ever again. Check book is closed.
Bushes line on immigration isn’t going to open it.
Facts are facts, and 2010 is not off to a good start for the GOP. Voinovich may be a crusty old RINO, but he would have won re-election by default. Now the GOP will have to spend millions in what is at best a 50-50 chance to retain. One of the reasons 2008 was suc ha bloodbath was because of all the Republican retirements.. very few incumbents ever lose.
It is after all the fault of the RINO party themselves. I propose a change from the Elephant to the Rinocerous for the mascot. I am not voting for RINOS, period.
Same thing was said about DeWine. RINOs that think they can abuse the base and have the party turn out to vote for them are out to lunch. Most of these people are WELL past their prime. Having to prop up men in their 70s and 80s that give us the finger is not a long term solution to our problems. We need young, hungry Conservatives winning office.
The remaining RINOS should be worried. The GOP is dead and many DC elite types still think they were on the right track. Massive losses didn’t tell these SOB’s a damn thing.
Duh, if people want RAT losers they will vote them in, except they will vote for the real thing.
I doubt it is only a 50-50 if they run a Conservative with a record of being such. If they run another RINO, it doesn’t rise to the 50% level by far.
Does it really benefit us to have a crusty old RINO win re-election? RINOs usually get even more ‘bi-partisan’ in their old age, and IF Vich stayed and IF Vich won it would’ve been hard to differentitate between him and a real Dem.
Shouldn’t be too much trouble in Ohio - - - all we need is Blackwell to run . . . should be tough to beat.
Sorry, there are more Pubbie seats than Rat seats to defend in 2010. It’s in 2012 when the Rats will have to defend many more Senate seats. Let them win in 2010. A Pubbie “win” in 2010 just makes the election of “The One” a forefone conclusion in 2012. Just like 1994 set up Slick Willie nicely for 1996. (Bob Dole’s candidacy didn’t hurt the Slickmeister, either.)
I hope Tim Walberg is going to try for a rematch. That is a Republican district.
I wouldn’t be that cavalier. Allowing the rodents to capture more seats in ‘10 and drop us into the 30s range in the Senate alone makes it that much more difficult in future cycles to recapture the majority.
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