The coming GOP supermajority in the US Senate; how Bush will completely reshape the Supreme Court

[ken5050]

Like many here on FR, I've spent the last week knashing my teeth over Daschle's tactics in the Senate...blocking Judge Pickering's confirmation, blocking drilling in Alaska, and now this inane effort to make the Homeland Security director testify in Congress. And I've been hoping, like many of you, that Sen Miller would cross the aisle to the GOP side. Well, consider this scenario.....

[rohry]

Despite a bitter Republican fight in NH between Smith and Sununu, Shaheen will not win the Senator race in NH. You heard it here first...

[fogarty]

I never claimed the GOP was the perfect party. There WAS a time however, that the GOP believed in the sanctity of human life, a reduction in the federal bloat (AND elimination of the Dept of Education), and a commitment to limiting government power.

The GOP now is a merely dim reflection of the democrats - and its cowardly knack for compromising on EVERY principle has shown me that it is just a slower road to hell.

[deport]

FYI..... to put in your mix of things....

[ken5050]

Notice what we're up against...25% of the comments to the thread are flames against the GOP.......BTW..thanks again for the research data....and what do you think happens in the HP vote tomorrow?

[altair]

Now, as to the main thread, I wish it were true, but I think it hopelessly optimistic to think that incumbents will lose more than 5% of the races---that is the historical trend.

Yup. It will get even worse if Bush signs the Incumbent Protection Bill.

[fogarty]

"One thing about McCain that everyone forgets. He's staunchly pro-life"

Some would say his voting record shows this - but then why does he continually speak on the campaign trail and in interviews that he supports a woman's 'right to choose' and would never look to repeal Roe v. Wade?

[PhiKapMom]

I believe your analysis is right on the money! I just think this is going to be a big win for Republicans in Congress this Fall. Hope my hunch is right!

[MozarkDawg]

The coming GOP supermajority in the US Senate; how Bush will completely reshape the Supreme Court

Before these folks start counting GOP chickens before the eggs hatch, they might want to consider the people Bush is contemplating for nomination ...

You made some excellent points in your post.

[altair]

Barbara Boxer....well, California's in the midst of an interesting gubernatorial race now, who knows, and Boxer may be pushing the ideological envelope. At the worst, she'll have to work hard if the GOP finds a good candidate.

I seriously doubt it. As much as I want to see her go, I think she's got a senate seat for as long she wants it. The closest we came was in '94 when Feinstein was vulnerable and the best the California Republican party could come up with was Michael Huffington. Ugh.

[Askel5]

A revival of the modern-day GOP would be a calamity we would probably not recover from. What is needed is a throwback to a Constitutional GOP which died a longtime ago.

A Salute to the GOP Congress

[blam]

Shelby, R-Alabama is a 'shoo-in' regardless of who runs against him. (You can take him off the 'defend' list.)

[kayak]

ken ~~~ if we don't aim high, we won't achieve high.

We need these kinds of goals to spur us on .... and if the job that was done to Pickering last week doesn't provide incentive to strive towards this kind of majority then I don't even want to imagine what it would take.

[MozarkDawg]

but then why does he continually speak on the campaign trail and in interviews that he supports a woman's 'right to choose' ...

It's his double-talk code: he supports a woman's right to choose, but heavens, of course he thinks abortions are bad. It let's him get the choice vote while conning the Lifers into buying that *staunch* line.

[StockAyatollah]

Interesting, if highly optimistic, analysis. But socialism and the tyranny of the majority are our future. Most voters are not rational thinkers. Most voters think Social Security, Head Start and Americorps are great ideas. And by now it should be clear to you that W and the Republican Party leadership will do anything to try and appeal to "moderates", PCers, minorities, soccer-moms, and even illegal aliens: CFR, amnesty, "Islam is a peaceful religion", etc.

[rohry]

The best thread I saw on this was here:

Carly is Hated at H-P

NO

The company that I consult for did tons of work for H-P. It's a strange corporate culture, they are very "progressive" and don't want to be joined with the "yahoos" from Texas.

Just my opinion...Carly goes back to the vineyards...

[mwl1]

Face it, we've had a spate of bad luck since the 94 election cycle:

unexpected retirements like Connie Mack, Fred Thompson, Phil Gramm,

an untimely death - Paul Coverdell

utter incompetence in 1998 in several senate races, when we should have easily gained seats

inability and incompetence in not protecting our incumbents in 2000 in DE, MN, MI, and WA,

letting dirty, scheming RATS elect a dead man in MO and stupidly not challenging the results

and a traitor, Jeffords.

On balance, the article is well reasoned and worthy of consideration. It is true that Hollings and others, if put back in the minority, will likely retire in 2004. But first we must win this cycle and take back the Senate in 2002.

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

I believe the flaw here is that THIS year we have 20 seats to defend and the Democrats have only 14. I do not see how we gain 3.

REP: Allard CO, Cochran MS, Collins ME, Craig ID, Domenici NM, Enzi WY, Gramm TX Not Running, Hagel NE, Helms NC, Hutchinson AR, Inhofe OK, McConnell KY, Roberts KS, Sessions AL, Smith NH, Smith OR, Stevens AK, Thompson TN Not Running, Thurmond SC Not Running, Warner VA

Rats: Baucus MT, Biden DE, Carnahan MO, Cleland GA, Durbin IL, Harkin IA, Johnson SD, Kerry MA, Landreiu LA, Levin MI, Reed RI, Rockerfeller WV, Torricelli NJ, Wellstone MN

[mwl1]

We can easily gain 2 to 5 seats in 2002 because the battle is being played on GWB turf -- vulnerable RATS in MO, SD, MN, GA, and IA. We will have to defend GOP seats in TX and SC (no problem), NH, NC and TN (more of a problem but doable). And we will have the superior candidates.

[KQQL]

Mixed...:).......

By the way one has to be pragmatic to win the senate, and stop being PURE 100%!!! ( give and it shall be given to you )................... this means voting for DOLE in NC, Saxby in GA, and Lamar in TN...Politics is a long process , it better to be in the game then to be on the sidelines...........

But then again some will rather be pure , then WIN.......