As bad as the presidential results were, the Senate was far worse

[dolstein]

Look, I'm just as disappointed about the presidential election as everyone else. But contrary to the Republican talk about "mandate," it was still a close election, and with the right candidate, I believe we can retake the White House in 2008. But the Senate was a different story. The Democrats were wiped out in the South. Before 1980, nearly every Senator from the South was a Democrat. Now the situation is reversed. If I'm not mistaken, there are now only four Democratic senators from the South (Lincoln and Pryor in Arkansas, Nelson in Florida, and Landrieu in Lousiana).

The sad truth is that while Republicans are able to get elected to statewide office pretty much anywhere in the country, there are more an more states that are officially off-limits to Democrats. That's a very dangerous situation. It's going to get harder and harder to recruit candidates to run against these Republican incumbents. And that allows Republicans to devote even more resources to defeating vulnerable Democrat incumbents.

[Teaser]

1. No...Senate actually a positive.

It's the final stages of the 1964-1994 realignment. The Senate, with its longer terms and generally more deliberative nature took longer to get into step. Only one step remains, the flip of the remaining New England Repubs to Democrat...which will start happening soon.

We have to finish the realignment before we can start pushing in the opposite direction.

[AP]

2. One of the consequences of running a coattail-less national election with

no southern strategy.

[Roland99]

3. Rev. Coburn (OK) and Rev. DeMint (SC) should be great additions.

oooof.

[Walt Starr]

4. That's why teh filibuster as a tool is not open to us for at least a year

We cannot hand the Republicans "Democratic Obstructionism" as the key issue for 2006.

[montana500]

5. hell yes we should

"We cannot hand the Republicans "Democratic Obstructionism" as the key issue for 2006."


Hell yes we can. We should obstruct everything they throw at us, and then defend ourselves with "bush hasnt vetoed anything raisingf the deficit" defense.


we need to stop worrying about what we hand the republicans in elections , and start worrying about what we can do to take from republicans in elections.