If we take the House but come up one short in the Senate

[ncteechur]

is there any principled republican out there that would switch parties like Jeffords because they understand that Bush cannot be allowed to continue his shenanigans?

Snowe
Collins
Anyone? Anyone?

[whistle]

1. Principled republican????

[ncteechur]

2. That is a bit of an oxymoron OR oxymoran, isn't it?

[Warren Stupidity]

3. Nope.

The three moderates are Snowe, Collins and Chafee. Chafee is in trouble in Rhode Island which leaves Collins and Snowe, and neither of them have shown much independent thinking at all.

[Eric J in MN]

6. Yes, Lincoln Chafee is the most liberal Republican, but...

...we're not getting to a tie in the Senate if he wins.

[bluedogyellowdog]

4. Doubt it

Jeffords was the last of a dying breed.

If anyone is still left in that party by now, they're too far gone for much hope. The only one I could remotely see switching is Chafee, and he would do like Jeffords and switch to I but not D, but he's probably going to lose his seat anyhow. A Democrat in the seat is far preferable to an R-turned-I.

Collins and Snowe are too far gone. I can't think of anyone in the House either.

[Geoff R. Casavant]

5. Yes and no.

I doubt anyone would switch parties, but I expect there will be several, especially the ones who are up for reelection in 2008, who will be more willing to vote with the Ds in appropriate circumstances.

[Hippo_Tron]

7. No but if it's 50/50 we can probably win it in 2008

Mary Landrieu's seat is likely the only one that we will have to seriously defend and that depends on who they can find to challenge her.

Collins pledged two terms so hopefully we can hold her to that.

[Justice Is Comin]

8. It will still be living hell for the republicans.

Anybody that said a year ago, we might actually take the Senate too would have been laughed off of here.

We will control the legislation agenda. It would take almost straight party obstruction to block bills and we can hang every one of them around their neck if they do.

You're hypothesizing that all the Dems are going to vote in block, and you can bet that's not going to happen either. Not with some we have like Nelson and Salazar. So the tie breaker is not going to be any daily activity.

The gold medal bonanza in this election victory is the subpoena and the committee chairs. We can turn the republicans into confetti.