A picture of Jeffords at the Announcment of Howard Dean Running For President on June 23, 2003 12:00 Noon Church Street and Bank Street Burlington, Vermont
Posted on 03/26/2005 6:01:47 AM PST by AmericanMade1776
There's no doubt about it: The 2006 U.S. Senate campaign has begun and it's already getting ugly, Sen. Jim Jeffords said Friday. The Vermont independent also said he expects to be the Republican Party's "No. 1 target." He said he expects to be treated like former U.S. Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D., who was pounded by the GOP during the last election cycle and, as a result, lost his re-election bid.
"The nasty part of (the election) has already started, too, which I hate to see," Jeffords told the Reformer during a visit to downtown Brattleboro.
The three-term senator is entering his first election season since abandoning the Republican Party in May 2001. The decision came after a dispute with the Bush administration.
The move threw control of the Senate over to the Democrats. Republicans have since regained control of the chamber, but are still brooding over Jeffords' switch.
Jeffords said he knew the GOP would be angry with him for switching in 2001 and he also figured it would mean an aggressive election season five years down the road.
"I have no regrets of what I did," Jeffords said.
Vermont Republican Party Chairman Jim Barnett has lashed out at Jeffords, saying he betrayed the party and the voters. Barnett questions the timing of Jeffords' decision, but Jeffords maintains he left the party because of President Bush's education funding plan.
(Excerpt) Read more at reformer.com ...
A picture of Jeffords at the Announcment of Howard Dean Running For President on June 23, 2003 12:00 Noon Church Street and Bank Street Burlington, Vermont
If that Pic is too small of Jeffords you can see the larger version at this URL http://ahynes1.homeip.net:8000/dean/june23/103_0322.JPG
Jeffords is a bedwetter that wishes he was as tall as Dashole, other than wants and wishes he lacks a sack for his hot air.
No picture of Jeffords can be too small!
Jeffords is a liberal.
He ran as a republican...vecause he did not think he could win other wise.
Which means he was stabbing republicans in the backs before.
Well......now he his known as a democrap. No other way around it.
Send him packing.
What a loser! He still thinks it's all about him. Talk about irrelevant!
vaudine
Bullseye is in Place Jeffords...consider yourself marked.
Jumping Jim Jeffords. Don't try to tell me that white men cannot jump.
I'm certainly no expert on Vermont politics, but when I read the quoted paragraph, my antennae went up. Jeffords the #1 target? That didn't sound right. And sure enough if you read the entire article you'll see the Republicans are anything but confident and united in taking on Jeffords.
This is nothing more than Jeffords trying to draw attention to himself and raise money and support in anticipation of what in fact looks to be a rather tepid GOP effort to unseat him.
"Jeffords said he knew the GOP would be angry with him for switching in 2001 and he also figured it would mean an aggressive election season five years down the road."
OK... whats his point? He knows hes a true Democrat who lied about being a Republican. He's not a bullseye he's a footnote in history an a soon to be unemployed politician.
thanks for the big pic link
You are welcome jarhead.
Good, and now you will pay for that decision with your job.
Welcome to democracy in action!
Oh, and wait until the Dems run their own candidate!
Neither did Benedict Arnold.....
Senator Jeffords is seen here with Senator Clinton at a press conference to highlight the Bush Administration's anti-environmental record. Thursday, January 16, 2003
Then quit whimpering and whining, Jeffords.
Good pick-up -- you're absolutely right. The top targets are probably the Nelsons, Bill (FL) and Ben (NE). Cantwell, too.
We can only hope.
The only Senator I have heard speak "nastier" towards his fellow elected officials is "Leaky Leahy."
Let's turn that little "turncoat" into the "former Senator from Vermont" and make it the nastiest (meaning truthful) in Vermont History!
The Ethical Humanist Award was presented in April 2003 to U.S. Senator Jim Jeffords for switching his party affiliation, thus changing the balance of power in Congress in 2001.
If Jeffords would just run as a democrat i'd have more respect for him. He hides behind the Independent designation when he votes like a democrat. He's a weasel.
So, how are those deals coming along? They keeping their side of the bargain?
Have to agree with you. Jeffords is an insignificant little turd from an insignificant little turd of a state. As much as I would like to see him unseated, Vermont has elected far worse turds. Just look at Leahy for proof.
Jeffords, Snowe, Cantwell, McCain — whom have I left out? — need to be targeted and removed from the US Senate.
Jeffords trying to delude himself into believing he's relevant.
Well, now that Little Tommy's gone from the Senate, who is keeping up the agreement with Jeffords?
Remember recalcitrant Republicans. Snowe must go!
| Term Expires | Name | State |
| 2006 | Snowe | ME |
| 2006 | Chafee | RI |
| 2008 | Collins | ME |
| 2008 | Hagel | NE |
| 2008 | Warner | VA |
| 2010 | McCain | AZ |
just check voting records, they tell all
Get Ready for the Pounding Jeffords!
For Jeffords to run, he needs money....He will not get Republican resources this time, does that mean Democrats will bail him out? Or is this man marked as a wishy washy ,backstabbing ,two timing, low down, no good traiterous, untrustworthy politician.
he didn't expect to be a hero, did he?
Actually, Jimbo, Daschle lost because more people voted for the other guy. That's how elections work...
If this guy thinks the 'Pubbies sit around pining for that Senate seat from Vermont, he's dreaming. They will work to defeat Jeffords, just as they will work to defeat every other Democrat (excuse me, Independent) in the Senate.
Considering that Jefford's betrayal of trust was far greater than even that of Tom Daschle, I should say that he is targeted in the 2006 election. He expected the Republicans NOT to put up a nominee for his seat in the next election? They had thought they had elected a Republican in 2000, and everybody saw how that turned out.
After all the last president to not lose senate seats in his second year in office was FDR in 1934. That took a massive depression to bring about. So Jeffords figured he would be in the minority by 2003. But if he went with the Democrats and gave them the senate in 2001, he would be in the majority for at least the next 8 years.
Jeffords figured that the Democrats would gain control of the Senate in 2002. It was also very likely that in 2004 that the Republicans would lose more seats. That is what history taught.
What Jeffords thought he was doing was remaining in the majority from 2001 to 2003 and keeping majority status from 2003 until at least 2009. He saw it as a win win situation for him. If the Senate stayed close, the Democrats would really need him.. He could always get lots of perks and power in exchange for his votes.
All jeffords got was what he already had ... being in the majority from 2001 to 2003. Then he lost what he would have had if he had remained a Republican.. He was relegated to the minority. He may stay their until perhaps 2010. He is now in a situation where he is of no value to the Democrats and no value to the Republicans. Jeffords is reduced to the state of having nothing to offer either side. As a turn coat neither side trusts him. He is at best a nothing.. with nowhere to go and nothing with which to negotiate.
Jeffords became an independent thinking he could command power by being a deciding vote. But Daschle once the Senate was lost to Democrats did not try to get things done. Daschle tried to block everything. Dashcle only needed 40 Democratic votes. He did not need Jeffords at all. And the Repubicans had no way of getting 60 votes. They had no use for Jeffords either and tons of reasons to screw him. So no one has needed Jeffords after 2002. His phone calls are not returned.
Now with the Republicans having 55 seats and likely to gain more seats in 2006, Jeffords is in a terrible position. The Democrats don't need his vote and the Republicans don't need his vote. And since he jumped ship, neither side would trust him farther than they could throw him.
What Jeffords did was place copious amounts of excrement in his own nest. Now he wants us to believe he does not regret doing it and really likes the smell.
He is just trying to convince the folks back home that he is important. Let's hope they figure out he is not important to anyone..anymore.
The sad thing is, that in a three-way race, Jeffords might actually win.
If I were a fellow senator, I'd kick his ass on the senate floor.
Maybe do a Nancyu Karrigan to the bastard in one of the halls of congress.
Now a for working to get him unelected, he will be the biggest target for the repubs next to the hitlery bitch.
He's not only a turncoat, he's a coward too. If he's going to do what he did, why didn't he at least have the cojones to say he was going to become a Demwit? He's sure no Independent.
Would Jeffords win in a 3-way race? Wouldn't the Pubbies stay united, while the Lib vote would be divided between "independent" Jeffords, and any Dem candidate?
I suspect that a lot of Jeffries voters would vote for him again, and they are the folks who voted for the "Republican" last time. The remaining 'Pubbies would probably nominate a firebrand who will scare everybody away. Jeffries would certainly poach votes from the Democrat as well. Does it add up to 40%? It might...
I'd consider trying to get rid of Hagel and Warner, because they're in red states. Running more conservative Republicans in their place would probably result in a victory. Arizona maybe. But we have to be pragmatic. Any conservative Republican who runs for Senate in Rhode Island or Maine will lose. We need role players in our party -- people who manage to win elections even though they're out of the Republican mainstream -- because that's a prerequisite to a national majority.
Good insight analysis. Your post also shows why it is a waste of time to vote for third party candidates for Congress. It is tough being an army of one in Congress.
Now, tell us what you really think of him.
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