The Senate: Thinking ahead

[Timbuk3]

I know. With the election behind us we're "all" focussed on the Presidency now. Well, I'm not. Clinton came out of nowhere. Bush came out of nowhere. As far as that goes, Kerry came out of nowhere. I have no idea who's going to be running for the Presidency in 2008, but I know who's running for the Senate. Here's my question for anyone thinking about the Senate in 2008: Do we push the GOP further right, the Democrats further left, or both?

Excerpt from: "Yankee Republicans on last legs"

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061113/ap_on_el_ge/yankee_republicans

The defeat of Chafee, arguably the most liberal GOP senator, and Ohio Sen. Mike DeWine, who at times aligned himself with GOP moderates, leaves Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, both of Maine, and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania as perhaps the only reliably centrist Republicans in the Senate.

"It's truly regrettable," Snowe said. "Losing individuals like Linc Chafee and Mike DeWine, who were moderate consensus builders in the U.S. Senate, is a serious reversal."

Keeping that in mind, here's a list of all of the class II Senators, up for re-electon in 2008:

(What is a class? Article I, section 3 of the Constitution requires the Senate to be divided into three classes for purposes of elections. Senators are elected to six-year terms, and every two years the members of one class—approximately one-third of the Senators—face election or reelection. Terms for Senators in Class I expire in 2007, Class II in 2009, and Class III in 2011.)

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?Class=2

Alexander, Lamar- (R - TN)
Allard, Wayne- (R - CO)
Baucus, Max- (D - MT)
Biden, Joseph R., Jr.- (D - DE)
Chambliss, Saxby- (R - GA)
Cochran, Thad- (R - MS)
Coleman, Norm- (R - MN)
Collins, Susan M.- (R - ME)
Cornyn, John- (R - TX)
Craig, Larry E.- (R - ID)
Dole, Elizabeth- (R - NC)
Domenici, Pete V.- (R - NM)
Durbin, Richard- (D - IL)
Enzi, Michael B.- (R - WY)
Graham, Lindsey- (R - SC)
Hagel, Chuck- (R - NE)
Harkin, Tom- (D - IA)
Inhofe, James M.- (R - OK)
Johnson, Tim- (D - SD)
Kerry, John F.- (D - MA)
Landrieu, Mary L.- (D - LA)
Lautenberg, Frank R.- (D - NJ)
Levin, Carl- (D - MI)
McConnell, Mitch- (R - KY)
Pryor, Mark L.- (D - AR)
Reed, Jack- (D - RI)
Roberts, Pat- (R - KS)
Rockefeller, John D., IV- (D - WV)
Sessions, Jeff- (R - AL)
Smith, Gordon H.- (R - OR)
Stevens, Ted- (R - AK)
Sununu, John E.- (R - NH)
Warner, John- (R - VA)

Correct me if I counted wrong, but I get 21 "R's and 12 "D's". That's almost twice as many Republicans up for re-election as Democrats. I like those odds, but it's NOT to early to start planning how best to take advantage of it. It's true that there are a few on each side who will undoubtedly sail to re-election. Warner on the "R" side, Biden on the "D" for example. But what can we affect, and how shall we affect it? That's the question.

[Timbuk3]

1. Here's the poll

From a cross post on Kos.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/11/13/201016/32

Push the Democrats to the left

Push the GOP further right

Do BOTH

Push the Dems to the right of center

I don't care, just get rid of that A-hole Sessions

Did you see Stevens on the Daily Show?

Leave me alone. I'm still enjoying my victory champagne

Pie

[ellenfl]

2. i heard that

dole, domenici, stevens and warner might be retiring. we need to find good dem candidates to run in their states.

imo, we also need to do whatever is necessary to support howard dean who is getting clobbered by the establishment dems.

too bad rhode island's senator who is up for re-election is a dem. i would like to see lincoln chafee run as an independent.

ellen fl

[Timbuk3]

3. With ya on Dean

It occurs to me that the whole idea I'm asking about here, "which Senate seats should we target?", flies in the face of Dr. Dean's wisdom.

Target 'em all, right?

[ellenfl]

4. right. eom

[LeftishBrit]

5. From an outsider's point of view...

it might seem that the ideal would be to move BOTH parties to the left. If the day were to come when e.g. 65 Democratic Bernie Sanders-es faced 35 Republican Jim Jeffords-es, America and the whole world would be safer.

This is not likely to happen any time soon, and in the meantime, I suppose all that can be done is target those seats that can actually be won, and also try to defeat the most dangerous near-fascists: those who might end up like Helms or Thurmond or even Joe McCarthy.

[gratuitous]

6. Republicans will be on defense in 2008

Anyone thinking about switching sides of the aisle (like, oh, I dunno, anyone from Connecticut?) had better think long and hard about that, because in 2008, it looks like another year of pick-ups for the Democrats in the Senate. Getting credible candidates to run shouldn't be a major difficulty with the optimism that has to inhabit the Democratic camp right now.

I'd surely like to see the following folks become "the former senator" from their respective states: Alexander, Chambliss, Coleman, Cornyn, Dole, Inhofe, McConnell, Roberts, Smith, Stevens and Warner, all of whom I think can be beaten. And by no means do I think they're the only ones.

The Republicans will raise a boatload of money like they always do; too bad for them that majority status means that Democrats will more nearly match them dollar for dollar. And the bane of Republicans is anything resembling a level playing field.