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GOP eyes the mid-term
Townhall.com ^ | March 29, 2009 | Salena Zito

Posted on 03/29/2009 3:05:41 AM PDT by Scanian

Five minutes after George Bush won re-election in 2004 and began talking about Social Security reform, the pundits lined up those Senate Republicans they expected to be in trouble in the 2006 midterm election.

Some things never change.

Five minutes after Barack Obama took the oath in January and began signing executive orders and expanding government, those same pundits began lining up the Senate Democrats they expect to be in trouble in 2010, Obama’s first midterm.

Historically, a president's party loses seats in Congress in midterm elections, so in theory, 2010 should favor the GOP. Yet it is hard to imagine the GOP making significant gains because most seats held by Democrats facing re-election are in states that "went Obama" in 2008.

Colorado is one state showing signs of a possible GOP pickup. Democrat Michael Bennet, appointed to replace former Sen. Ken Salazar when he became Interior secretary, has little name recognition.

“If Bennet is opposed by someone like Pete Coors, who almost beat Salazar in 2004, or popular former Gov. Bill Owens, that seat could easily go to the GOP,” said University of Arkansas political scientist Rob Maranto.

Villanova University professor Lara Brown thinks a good conservative Latino recruit like Loretta Sanchez would be a smart move for the Colorado GOP.

Two other possible GOP pickups are the seats of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut. Polling in those states has found both men on remarkably shaky ground.

(Excerpt) Read more at townhall.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Editorial; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2010; dodd; midterm; reid; republicans; specter; zito
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1 posted on 03/29/2009 3:05:41 AM PDT by Scanian
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To: Scanian
“If Bennet is opposed by someone like Pete Coors, who almost beat Salazar in 2004, or popular former Gov. Bill Owens, that seat could easily go to the GOP,” said University of Arkansas political scientist Rob Maranto."

Is this guy smoking crack or is he a Democrat consultant ? Pete Coors was a complete fiasco as a candidate, a rich dilettante with a drinking problem (and in 2006, was arrested and sentenced for drunk driving). The Dems would love to have this guy run again. As for Owens, Colorado's GOP collapsed as the majority party under his leadership, and he all but handed the Governorship to the liberal rodent Ritter on a silver platter.

2 posted on 03/29/2009 3:10:35 AM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (~"This is what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps !"~~)
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To: Scanian
"Villanova University professor Lara Brown thinks a good conservative Latino recruit like Loretta Sanchez would be a smart move for the Colorado GOP."

The liberal Democrat California Congresswoman ? Huh ?

3 posted on 03/29/2009 3:13:33 AM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (~"This is what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps !"~~)
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To: Scanian
Five minutes after Barack Obama took the oath in January and began signing executive orders and expanding government, those same pundits began lining up the Senate Democrats they expect to be in trouble in 2010, Obama’s first midterm.

Really, all i saw was how the GOP is dead as a party and out of touch with the people. All the pundits I saw were saying the GOP needs to pack in it and give up. The Democrats are going to rule forever.

4 posted on 03/29/2009 4:13:36 AM PDT by Always Right (Obama: more arrogant than Bill Clinton, more naive than Jimmy Carter, and more liberal than LBJ.)
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To: Scanian
An enterprising Democrat might decide that taking Dodd on would be good politics," she said, pointing to a "reformer-type, someone who will not be perceived as a corrupt politician

Since when did Democrats worry about their candidates who are "corrupt politicians"?

5 posted on 03/29/2009 4:17:37 AM PDT by libertylover (The problem with Obama is not that his skin is too black, it's that his ideas are too RED.)
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To: Scanian
There is only one consideration that is going to matter in the midterm elections: how securely is ACORN ensconced in your state?

If they are there, and threw the state for Obama and other offices in 2008, kiss it goodbye, because they are going to defraud the elections again.

Unless, of course, people do something about them, which has not seemed to be the case. My husband says we must mount a campaign against them, and keep the public eye focused on ACORN to stop them. Which Republicans are planning to run against ACORN in the midterms? Have not seen any yet. Unless we do, we are too naive to breathe.

6 posted on 03/29/2009 4:23:59 AM PDT by Constitution1st (Never, never, never quit - Winston Churchill)
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To: Scanian

I note that SNL last night aired an opening that mocked and attacked House Republicans - all part of the ongoing MSM/DEM plan.


7 posted on 03/29/2009 4:57:08 AM PDT by LZ_Bayonet (There's Always Something.............And there's always something worse!)
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To: fieldmarshaldj
“Villanova University professor Lara Brown thinks a good conservative Latino recruit like Loretta Sanchez would be a smart move for the Colorado GOP.”

The liberal Democrat California Congresswoman ? Huh ?

Villanova should stick to basketball. LMAO

8 posted on 03/29/2009 5:05:32 AM PDT by kellynla (Freedom of speech makes it easier to spot the idiots! Semper Fi!)
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To: Scanian

“If his approval rating falls below 50 percent before March 2010, then he likely will drag down those Democrats running that November.”

“If?”...WHEN his approval rating falls below 50 percent.

Two things need to happen between now & next year...

1. The Gelding Old Party needs to get a testicle & spint implant and find a true blue conservative to lead the party.
I am no big fan of Newt Gingrich BUT he did lead the GOP into a majority of Congress.

2. The DOJ needs to come down hard on ACORN and put this criminal enterprise out of business. (That may never happen.)


9 posted on 03/29/2009 5:14:09 AM PDT by kellynla (Freedom of speech makes it easier to spot the idiots! Semper Fi!)
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To: Scanian

I don’t think Bayh will have any trouble, no inspiring opponents have stepped forward. However, he should be concerned: in 2004 he won a lower percentage of the vote than he did when he ran as governor. Voters seemed to agree that he was a better governor (more independent) than as a senator under the wing of Kennedy, Reid, and Clinton. Bayh’s opponent in 2004, Dr. Marvin Scott, ran an excellent campaign with no support from the national party. I think he held Bayh under 60% in the final. I was actually hoping Richard Lugar would get picked as Secretary of State, so we could replace him. I was going to request the RINO governor to appoint Dr. Scott if he was interested....

hh


10 posted on 03/29/2009 6:11:04 AM PDT by hoosier hick (Gotta go, millions of Obama supporters are counting on me to pay their mortgages)
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To: Constitution1st
My husband says we must mount a campaign against them, and keep the public eye focused on ACORN to stop them

Hard to do. I don't know how successful we can be at stopping these people if the msm never helps. I was thinking yesterday though, don't they care if they have horrible healthcare? Doesn't Congress care if they have substandard healthcare?

You'd think they'd work to get fair elections back.

11 posted on 03/29/2009 6:36:22 AM PDT by Kenny
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To: kellynla

How about TANCREDO for senate.


12 posted on 03/29/2009 8:10:31 AM PDT by staytrue
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To: Always Right

Yah, no kidding. All I saw from pundits was how democrats are going to rule forever and no one voted Republican.


13 posted on 03/29/2009 8:15:10 AM PDT by KC_Conspirator
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To: Scanian

I’d be more comfortable with “Conservatives plotting mid-term takeover.”

Unless, of course, the Republican Party can purge itself of RINOs.


14 posted on 03/29/2009 12:08:21 PM PDT by Taxman (So that the beautiful pressure does not diminish!)
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To: Taxman

Maybe Michael Steele can call David Frum for some winning ideas (/snic).


15 posted on 03/29/2009 12:48:10 PM PDT by Liz (I was like Snow White, then I drifted. Mae West (on liberalism.)
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To: fieldmarshaldj

Yes, the guy is smoking crack.
1. Media was NOT talking up GOP Pickups right after Obama’s inauguration ...
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/12/senate.republicans/index.html?iref=mpstoryview
TIME: “The 111th Congress has just barely begun as Senate Republicans brace for more grueling elections in 2010 that threaten to further weaken the party’s influence in Congress.”

2. Consider the fact that Coors could win more as a sign of how winnable this is, than as an endorsement of his strength.

3. The real contenders were NOT mentioned, possibly the media doesnt want to help REAL REPUBLICAN CONTENDERS.
- Scott McInnis for Governor
“Colorado: Former Rep. Scott McInnis (R-CO-3), after several times turning down the opportunity to run statewide, is now publicly saying he will challenge Gov. Bill Ritter (D). McInnis is said to be the CO Republican establishment’s first choice. Ritter is weak, so this is a legitimate race.”
- “Ken Salazar swam against the Republican tide in 2004, but since he has now been appointed to the cabinet, an appointee, Michael Bennet, will be running in 2010. Bennet has never held elective office before, so he has no experience campaigning. On the other hand, the only statewide GOP office holder, Attorney General John Suthers, has said he will run for reelection and not for the Senate, so there is no clear opponent, either. You can’t beat somebody with nobody, so Bennet might actually get a weak and unknown opponent.”
- Is Owens lining up to run?


16 posted on 03/29/2009 1:02:27 PM PDT by WOSG (Why is Obama trying to bankrupt America with $16 trillion in spending over the next 8 years?)
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To: fieldmarshaldj

So true, CO is no longer reliable at all and likely to remain unreliable.


17 posted on 03/29/2009 4:20:41 PM PDT by Theodore R. (GWB is gone: Now the American sheeple can sleep at night!)
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To: staytrue

No.


18 posted on 03/29/2009 6:33:46 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (~"This is what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps !"~~)
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To: Liz

I’m holding my breath.


19 posted on 03/29/2009 6:56:40 PM PDT by Taxman (So that the beautiful pressure does not diminish!)
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To: fieldmarshaldj; kellynla

“Is this guy smoking crack or is he a Democrat consultant ?”

I’d guess he’s just a dumbass moron.


20 posted on 03/30/2009 9:32:23 AM PDT by Impy (RED=COMMUNIST, NOT REPUBLICAN)
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