Posted on 11/15/2008 7:31:26 PM PST by Libloather
For Senate Democrats, 60 seats still a possibility
Posted: Nov 14, 2008 09:50 AM EST
By Glenn Thrush and Josh Kraushaar
The dream of 60 Senate seats simply refuses to die - with positive signs suddenly popping up for Democrats in all three unresolved races.
Around 1 a.m. EST, news that Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich has inched ahead of Alaska Republican Sen. Ted Stevens rekindled flagging Democratic hopes they would reach the mythical filibuster-proof majority.
In Minnesota, Al Franken has steadily eroded incumbent Republican Norm Coleman's lead before the recount has even begun - with a highly contentious recount on the way.
And in Georgia, a poll released Thursday shows Democrat Jim Martin within striking distance of Sen. Saxby Chambliss in a surprisingly close runoff scheduled for Dec. 2.
If Democrats sweep those three races, they'll hit 60. At the moment they are stuck on 57 - a respectable six-seat pick-up for 2008.
But a three-seat sweep, which seemed impossible 24 hours ago, now seems merely improbable.
"A day ago, the coroner was ready to sign the death certificate on 60 - and now it's back on life support," says Jennifer Duffy, Senate analyst with the non-partisan Cook Political Report.
For starters, Begich would have to maintain his lead over Stevens - and widen it to 1,500 votes if he wants to avoid a recount. Franken's recount would have to continue trending his way, and Martin will have to hope that Georgia turnout for a runoff is strong enough to guide him to an improbable victory in a state John McCain won by 5 points.
"Will we get 60 seats? Well, I have the same answer today that I had the day before the election. It's possible, but unlikely," said Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Charles Schumer, meeting with reporters Thursday.
In a frantic bid to fend off the unthinkable, the GOP is ratcheting up the rhetoric seeking to energize donors and voters sapped by John McCain's decisive loss.
"At this point all that stands between an unchecked, liberal, Democrat tyranny in Washington are two yet to be determined races and a run-off in Georgia," said John Randall, spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
"Both parties are training their sights on the conservative Peach State," Randall added. "The prospect of sixty seats is still very much real, not to mention frightening, and the remaining firewall could very well be Sen. Chambliss."
Schumer announced Thursday the campaign committee will launch its first advertisement in the Georgia Senate runoff - a cable spot worth about $100,000. A newly released poll from Research 2000 shows Chambliss narrowly leading Martin in the runoff, 49 to 46 percent.
"Jim Martin has come out of the gate swinging with the right message, that you can either vote for a senator who will work with Barack Obama to change the direction of the country, or one who will obstruct change in every step of the way," Schumer added. "We're committed to this race 100 percent."
In Minnesota, where only 206 votes separate Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) and Democrat Al Franken, Schumer accused "the hard-right wing" of America for trying to obstruct the recount process.
He also accused conservatives of unfairly criticizing the recanvassing process in Minnesota, where Al Franken netted about 500 votes from his immediate post-election total - mostly over precinct tabulating errors.
In a related development, Franken attorney Marc Elias announced he was suing to force state elections officials to explain why they had rejected some absentee ballots.
Begich has rallied after entering the Alaska count about 3,000 in the hole, edging ahead of Stevens by 814 as of Wednesday night.
The Begich campaign said the Anchorage mayor was "cautiously optimistic" about winning with about 40,000 ballots remaining because many of the votes already counted came from conservative parts of the state.
"More than 59,000 ballots were counted yesterday," Bethany Lesser, spokeswoman for the Alaska Democratic Party, wrote in an e-mail. "Of the districts not counted on Wednesday, Begich won all of them on Election Day (for full disclosure, these are regions that have smaller populations)."
“...that’s he’s a common criminal.”
If you want to stop the criminals, support Saxby Chambliss.
I bet Liddy Dole voted for it too. Could have won if she had tought otherwise.
RE “You (like many in the MSM) don’t seem to understand ....The surge came about because of the success we were having.. “
Me, FNC, many conseratives in media, and most people (99%) don’t understand your point. Even many conservative radio talk show hosts pointed my point out when Rumsfield was let go, after the election. They asked, why this wasnt done sooner before election, and answered political must be it.
It wont sell and when you loose the PR war, you loose the war. And GWB lost almost everyone on Iraq(but not the surge) . So now we have Obama/Pelosi. If they reverse the progress, all the time and lives were for nothing. But maybe they wont.
You even lost McCain on this. He claimed the Rumsfield strategy was a failure. So maybe you are right and almost everyone else is wrong, so what? You lost the war at home with a hopeless message that could not be sold.
Furthermore, you have things exactly wrong on Rumsfeld, 06 and the politics of it. It was the politics of losing that election that cost Rumsfeld his position as SecDef (because no SecDef could do his job in front of a DEM Congress calling them into committee after committee). Therefor, for the best of our warriors down range GWB and Rumsfeld made the correct decision to have him replaced.
And now Here are some real realities regarding SecDef Rumsfeld. It was Rumsfeld who shoved, pushed and dragged the Big Green (Army) into modernization and I'm not talking simply Stryker's and new hats...
It was SecDef Rumsfeld who demanded an alternative Op plan for Stan (after Sept 11th) instead of the ridiculous Op plan demanded by Gen. Shinzeki and the Big Green. As they declared as the only way to be successful...Which called for 5 Divisions and a 6-8 month build up before we would be able to deal with removing the Taliban and al-Qeade from Stan...(and don't forget the 82nd's demand for bowling alley's before they wanted to play)...
It was SecDef Rumsfeld who demanded for all services to integrate and push the priority of CAS (which has saved thousands of U.S. lives to date...and killed thousands more of the enemy)..
It was also SecDef Rumsfeld who has turned our Shooters from SOCOM loose like never before...(an have routed AQ across the globe including Stand and Iraq) It was Rummy that allowed SOCOM to rid themselves of risk-adverse OGAs for their own Intel gathering.....It was SecDef Rumsfeld who got SOCOM authorized as its own war-fighting command.....(which of course hurt many feelings in the Big Green...as now they are often tasked as "support" for SOCOM...and not the other way around).
SecDef Rumsfeld supported a light footprint doctrine when it made sense. Both in Stan and for the original phase of OIF it made sense to go with the numbers we went with (and many conveniently leave out the fact that the 4th ID sat off shore because State couldn't pull its d*ck out of its own pants once again and make Turkey cooperate).
The reality of what was accomplished throughout this WOT over the last 7 years is historically amazing by any and all reasonable measures....We have not only killed or captured 3/4 + of AQ original Sr leadership, but we have killed tens of thousands of their mid-level foot soldiers (and that of their mimic organizations as well). We have removed two brutal regimes and planted the seeds for an atmosphere to spread allowing for a mass self-deportation away from radical Islam. These seeds of freedom and self-worth are our real true allies in this WOT.
The world is safer today (without question) because of the leadership and changes demanded by SecDef Rumsfeld.
I beg to differ. Schumer has proven to be an outstanding criminal.
agreed
RE :The world is safer today (without question) because of the leadership and changes demanded by SecDef Rumsfeld.
That may be true but that’s hard to sell if our selection for commander and chief (JMcC leader of party) says and runs on the opposite. If you cant get him, you have no one. I agree that Iraq was NOT the sole reason for 06+08losses. My original comment ,that you replied to, cited about 9, although Iraq is a big one. But maybe not as big as this latest mess.
I can tell you I find few republicans (moderates outside of FR) that claim Iraq was not a big black political mark on GWB and hurt republicans badly (mostly McCain supporters). They blame our current fiscal crisis on Iraq spending and believe we never should have got involved.
McCain is NOT a staunch Republican to begin with - But furthermore I don't accept your premise as it does not at all reflect those within the base that I speak with. Iraq was essential to the WOT from day one after Sept 11th - It is the heart of the ME, which had a brutal dictator that had started 3 wars, was a state sponsor of terrorism and had not abided by 17 resolutions putting a halt to Gulf War I.
McCain lost because he is a man that stands for nothing philosophy wise. He was never right on Iraq (tactically speaking) other than when he supported the "surge". He was right strategically on the need for victory. Which is why that alone should have put him into office instead of Obama.
This is the most intellectually dishonest and absurd notion I have seen / heard / read in quite some time - Whoever is touting our current spending on the WOT/Iraq as a reason for our current fiscal issues / banking is simply not willing to deal with reality (and looking to play politics).
Dealing directly with the threats of radical Islam (via both short-term as well as long-term solutions) is one of the best finanical investments our Nation can make. The world is simply too small any longer to think otherwise.
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