We Really Should Have a Plan B

[liberalpragmatist]

Let's be realistic. In the chance that Kerry isn't elected, we need to have a backup plan to at least put a check on the Bush empire. That's not being defeatist - it's being realistic and preparing a backup just in case plan A doesn't work out. And it's not that I think Plan A (Kerry as President) will fail - I sincerely hope it will and I think it will. I'm looking forward to it and let's all work our asses off to make it happen.

Even so, we have to be prepared for the possibility of a Kerry defeat. This thread isn't to discuss possible futures of the Democratic Party in the event of a Kerry loss - rather, I want to draw attention to the Senate race. Certainly, the best possible outcome would be a Kerry victory PLUS a Dem takeover of the Senate (actually, best would be "plus the House" - probably won't happen). But in the event that Kerry loses, it is ESSENTIAL that we take the SENATE.

Why the Senate? Well, in addition to creating a good block to any of Bush's plans, the most obvious one is this: the SUPREME COURT. We CANNOT allow Bush unfettered appointment of extreme right-wing judges. A Democratic senate would put a check on any extreme right-wing nominees and possibly force Bush to appoint more moderate justices who won't overturn fundamental liberties.

So let's make sure we don't forget the Senate races. Illinois is a grab, though offset (sort of) by Georgia. If we can keep at least 3 out of the 4 other southern seats, and take Alaska and Colorado, we'd have a 50-50 senate. That's not enough if Edwards isnt Veep, so we'd have to go one further - Oklahoma, for instance, possibly Pennsylvania. We must get to at least 51 Dems and 49 Repubs in order to put a check on the Bushco.

[barackmyworld]

1. I wish...

Barbara Bush had taken plan B

on a more serious note, is there a good site with stats on the polls for senate races?

[jobycom]

2. It's all combined

The more people we get out to vote for Kerry, the better chance we'll have of getting senators, reps, and even local dems elected.

Local and state parties are concentrating on Kerry right now because Bush is such a negative draw. More people hate Bush than Alan Keyes, for instance, so you hype Bush as the bad guy, knowing that the extra people you get out to vote against Bush are most likely to keep voting D all the way down. Not everyone pays attention to state races, but they all know who the president is.

The flip is also the problem. If we can't get Kerry elected in swing states, we probably won't get the Dem senate candidates elected either. It's highly partisan right now.

What I had hoped to see was Nancy Pelosi or MoveOn do what Gingrich did in 94-- turn all the energy towards electing a whole slate for one party. Gingrich got America to throw out a lot of Democrats. No one organized such a national campaign this year. Sadly.