I think if a old line Establishment Liberal like Chaffe loses in RI, that will be a serious wake up call to the Party Establishment. Dump Chaffe NOW.
I wish I had better news from MN. While the likely Republican for US Senate, Mark Kennedy, will certainly be far more a Conservative then the current Democrat Mark Dayton, he still is likely to be a pretty establishment Senator if he wins the Seat. He will be a reliably Republican Senator given the proper leadership. A disappointment if lead by the get along/go along who are the current Republican Senate Leaders. I think the key here is WHO is the Senate Leader going to be after Frist?
If we can hold the Senate with more then a 1-2 seat Majority we have a golden opportunity here. With Frist leaving we have a solid shot at a serious Senate Leader for the 1st time. Dole-Lott-Frist were too get along/go along types who would not fight on Conservative principals. Get a solidly Conservative leader, such as Tom Coburn (R-OK) who will use his leadership powers to lead the fight in the Senate for Conservative principals and that would be a HUGE boost to our side.
I agree that we need someone tougher than Frist to take on McCain/Graham/Specter.