Nebraska Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson to retire in 2012: report (Mitch McConnell deeply excited...)

NY Post ^ | 12/27/11 | Newscore

[forgotten man]

Boxer was easily re-elected when she beat Fiorina. That excreble yenta has her Senate seat for life.

[Jacquerie]

If only my dirtbag Senator Bill Nelson (FL) was on the list.

[lodi90]

“I remember when Trent Lott was Senate GOP leader, freepers were jeering him and talking about what a heroic conservative fighter Mitch McConnell is during the McCain-Feingold battles and how he would be ideal to lead the Senate Republicans. Then a few years later, freepers get their wish. Now he’s a “RINO” “

You remember when Lott was Majority Leader but not McConnell’s antics last week? Interesting. McConnell hates the TEA Party and screwed us out of a conservative spot in the Senate GOP leadership a couple weeks ago. I guess you don’t remember that also. That and a million other reasons is why he is a RINO (no quotes).

[who knows what evil?]

Importantly, there is a rumor that Bernie Sanders is planning to retire!

Get out! Really?

[Graybeard58]

Nelson saw the writing on the wall after “The Great Nebraska Compromise” that even Nebraska democrats saw for what it was.

[Keith in Iowa]

>>>Better McConnell than Harry Weed.

That choice is like opposite sides of the same pile of used oats...

[BillyBoy]

>> McConnell hates the TEA Party <<

All Senate Republicans will say they love the TEA party. They're not stupid. It's one of those empty platitudes like "I'm a fiscal conservative"

>> screwed us out of a conservative spot in the Senate GOP leadership a couple weeks ago. I guess you don’t remember that also. <<

Funny, I seem to recall the ENTIRE Republican caucus got to vote on the leadership post, not Mitch McConnell unilaterally making the pick himself, and that Ron Johnson lost to Roy Blunt when Blunt won more GOP Senators. If your beef is with Johnson losing, you need to take it up with every Republican Senator who voted against him, not McConnell. My worthless RINO Senator (Mark Kirk) is one of the people who voted for Blunt and endorsed Romney for POTUS. I tried to warn freepers he was to the left of Arlen Specter but they just kept on gloating how it would be a "morale victory" to have a "Republican" in "Obama's" former Senate seat.

>> That and a million other reasons is why he is a RINO (no quotes). <<

Be careful what you ask for, you may get it. How much you wanna bet that if freepers got their wish again and Jim DeMint was elected Senate GOP leader tomorrow, they'd be calling him "RINO DeMint" within a week for not doing their bidding on every single issue?

[vette6387]

“And Mitch McConnell (RINO-KY) gets closer to becoming Senate majority leader...”

What a horrible thought! That said, Cornhusker Ben makes a total of EIGHT RAT SENATORS are going to “go be with their families.” They all know that it’s over for their majority this coming November and they don’t have the stomach for being in the minority. All these open seats are rated as Tossups or better for the R’s The two retiring Republicans are rated as SAFE R. Now it’s time to also go after the RINOS who are up for re-election starting with “Dick” Lugie and Urine Hatch. Thirty-six years is far too long, even for a RINO.

[RIghtwardHo]

Meh. The GOP was going to win this seat anyway.

[ilgipper]

In other words, Nelson can’t get elected in this cycle and the Democrat message is no stronger than it was in 2010.

[cookcounty]

Makes it an even more target-rich environment for the Senate in 2012:

4 Overview of races (33 seats)

Democrats/Independents retiring (7 seats)
Joe Lieberman of Connecticut (Independent)
Daniel Akaka of Hawaii
Ben Nelson of Nebraska
Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico
Kent Conrad of North Dakota
Jim Webb of Virginia
Herb Kohl of Wisconsin

Democrats/Independents seeking re-election (15 seats)
Tom Carper of Delaware
Bill Nelson of Florida
Ben Cardin of Maryland
Debbie Stabenow of Michigan
Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota
Claire McCaskill of Missouri
Jon Tester of Montana
Bob Menendez of New Jersey
Kirsten Gillibrand of New York
Sherrod Brown of Ohio
Bob Casey, Jr. of Pennsylvania
Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island
Bernie Sanders of Vermont (Independent)
Maria Cantwell of Washington
Joe Manchin of West Virginia

Republicans retiring (2 seats)
Jon Kyl of Arizona
Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas
Republicans seeking re-election (8 seats)
Richard Lugar of Indiana
Olympia Snowe of Maine
Scott Brown of Massachusetts
Roger Wicker of Mississippi
Dean Heller of Nevada
Bob Corker of Tennessee
Orrin Hatch of Utah
John Barrasso of Wyoming

[onyx]

TY for the list.

[kjo]

Yeah...like Barney Frank, he knew he was done.

[oust the louse]

Sherrod Brown a long standing liberal twerp here in OHIO is very vulnerable...I can’t wait to toss him in 2012.

[commish]

That list bodes quite well for Republican gains in the Senate.

I can see just at a glance 10-12 D seats that could be considered ‘vulnerable’ with a good 5-7 very flippable.

I only see maybe 2 R seats that would be truly ‘vulnerable’ and only one (Brown) that is likely to flip.

[Doogle]

....maybe he can find a pizza place where he’s not hated now....lotsa luck payoff boy

[Redmen4ever]

Current Senate Democrats who are retiring:

Akaka (HI) - possible replacement former Governor and moderate Republican Linda Lingle
Conrad (ND) - definitely will be replaced by a Republican
Bingaman (NM) - possible replacement former Governor and libertarian Republican Gary Johnson (yes, that’s right!)
Webb (VA) - probable replacement by the man he defeated former Senator and conservative Republican George Allen
Kohl (WI) - possible replacement former Governor and conservative Republican Tommy Thompson
Nelson (NE) - definitely will be replaced by a Republican
Lieberman (I)(CT) - possible replacement former Congressman and moderate Republican Chris Shays

In terms of Democrat incumbents, We have good chances in the following races:

Jon Tesler of Montana
Debbie Stabenow of Michigan
Claire McCaskell of Missouri
Bill Nelson of Florida
Bob Casey, Jr. of Pennsylvania
Sherrod Brown of Ohio
Amy Klobucher of Minnesota

The Republicans are losing two RINOs, John Kyl (AZ) and Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX) - I’d call these two conservatives, but their probable replacements are more to the right, in Arizona, libertarian Republican Congressman Jeff Flake and in Texas, it might be Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst or former Solicitor General Ted Cruz.

There are possibilities in Indiana and Utah to replace incumbent Republicans with more conservative brethren

Altogether, the size and composition of the Republican caucus can change dramatically!

[hinckley buzzard]

I remember jeering Trent 'Vacant' Lott, and we were right to do so. The McConnell part I don't recall. In any case, as long as we have these beltway republicans in leadership we will be hamstrung in the senate.

[cookcounty]

Reasonably possible shots:

Among the Democrat retirees:

Ben Nelson of Nebraska
Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico
Kent Conrad of North Dakota
Jim Webb of Virginia
Herb Kohl of Wisconsin

Among the vulnerable Dems seeking re-election:

Bill Nelson of Florida
Debbie Stabenow of Michigan
Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota
Claire McCaskill of Missouri
Jon Tester of Montana
Sherrod Brown of Ohio
Maria Cantwell of Washington

...and ...
Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who for the price of a chairmanship can possibly be persuaded to jump to the GOP.

Taking all of these would result in a 60-seat filibuster-proof Senate. Hard to do, yet not inconceivable.

Think BIG, work hard.

[cookcounty]

""If only my dirtbag Senator Bill Nelson (FL) was on the list."

Well, he's on the list of those who can be forcibly retired in 2012. Gives you something to work on, It's doable.