I think Chafee will switch soon

[ps1074]

The only reason he stayed republican was to help moderate republicans have their voice in the Senate.

With so many southern right wing wackos in the senate now, there is no doubt they will push their far right agenda. People like Chafee, Snowe and Collins will feel it very soon.

I don't think Collins and Snowe have what it takes to switch nor do I thikn they really want it. But I have this feeling that Chafee will join Jeffords very soon.

Who else thinks this is inevitable?

[Spider Jerusalem]

1. Chafee was already saying...

he'd have to seriously think about switching parties if Bush won another term. So I wouldn't be surprised in the least.

[ps1074]

5. I was just thinking

How many southern senate members we are left with?

2 in West Virginia (Rockefeller and Byrd)
I am not sure Byrd will run for reelection in 2006 and if we have to defend it as an open seat we might lose this one.
2 in Arkansas (Pryor and Lincoln)

Anyone else I missed? 4 Senators...

[Spider Jerusalem]

6. That's it.

Breaux and Fritz Hollings were the only other Democrats from the South in the Senate; they both retired, and their seats were won by Republicans...

ON EDIT: I forgot Mary Landrieu, of Louisiana, and Bill Nelson of Florida.

[aquart]

And what good will that do? They'll only have 54 instead of 55?

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

2. What, in truth, does this accomplish?

At this time, nothing.

[prodigal_green]

3. Oh please lord

let the moderates exert their muscle now. I told a moderate Republican friend of mine (who voted Kerry and was just as upset that Bush won) that it was up to HER people to save America now.

The christo-fascists are too close to a 2/3 majority right now, and there are still too many conservative Dems that are happy to go along with them.

[aquart]

4. Fiscal conservatives better stock up on the Pepcid.

[jefferson_dem]

7. I would really rather Chafee remain a gadfly in the Repukes ointment than

switch to become just one more seat in the Dem's minority caucus. Let him be their Zell...as long as he votes with us!

[theboss]

8. I fail to see how that helps anyone

It makes it an 8 point difference instead of 10. And it would completely screw his constituents because the Republicans would punish him - and by extension, them.

As long as we get his vote on the issues that matter, it only make sense that he caucus with the majority.

[TexasProgresive]

9. Did anyone catch Moyer's conversation w/Viguerie

who is widely touted as the father of the conservative movement. There is no transcript as yet, but Viguerie expected Dumbya's reelection and he insisted that there will be a hell of a fight as the real conservatives (read fiscal) attempt to wrest control from the faux conservatives. I can't wait. The repugnants have efficiently divided and conquered us over the years and now that they are fully in power in government the cracks in their monolithic strenth will emerge. It is up to us to find and exploit those cracks to break their mountain into managable pieces.

http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/viguerie.html

[LionInWinter]

10. Why would they switch?

Their constituents will still re-elect them if they are dems or repubs and switching parties would remove their ability to bring the pork home to their states. Why would anyone switch to an assured minority status?

[Strawman]

11. Message to NE Republican Senators: switch or go extinct

Time to let go of this silly notion that you are from the party of Lincoln. You are from the party of John McCune and Tom Coburn. We should go after these seats as aggressively as Republicans go after our seats in red states and not give them a break for being moderates. These seats should be targeted big-time for Democratic pickups in 2006 or whenever they are up for re-election.