2008 Senatorial Primer

2008ussenatorialelections, originally uploaded by Randuwa.

Seems like a good thing to offer after my last post.

There are 33 seats up for election in the US Senate in 2008. Eleven belong to Democrats who all apparently plan to run (although there is some speculation about the seat of Joe Biden from Delaware). Twenty-one belong to Republicans who plan to run (although, again, a growing body of possible retirees are being speculated about and they include: Chuck Hagel of Nebraska--who may be up for a presidential run; Thad Cochran of Mississippi, Pat Robertson of Kansas; and Pete Deminici of New Mexico) And there is one seat open, Colorado which is presently Republican.

My early thoughts: This is gonna be a good year for Democrats. America is awake again and the pendulum is swinging toward the Big D. Democrats need to win 10 seats in the Senate to affect real and positive change. It's a rare event when any political party is given such a mandate, and there's no guarantee that this is an election cycle that will produce such a mandate. It usually comes after the party in power has totally fucked up governance and/or presided over a time a national crisis either blamed on them or over which they have clearly failed. (Like Hoover and the Great Depression.) Need I suggest more?

So here are three of my early thoughts:

Republicans are in trouble!

MINNESOTA: There are now 7 Democratic candidates in the race to unseat Republican incumbent Norm Coleman. He's in some real deep S#@%...err, Snow!

KANSAS: A known conservative (R) Representative was just unseated by a moderately (D) conservative (Nancy Boyda) in the state's 2nd congressional district. And known conservative (R) Senator Pat Robertson is about to be challenged by a moderately (D) conservative and safely supported mulit-term Governor Kathleen Sebelius, who is very much in the more moderately, pragmatic, Kansas traditions of Robert Dole and Nancy Kasselbaum.

Democrats weakest link:

SOUTH DAKOTA: By and large, Democrats are in high cotton as the saying goes. But life intervenes and in this case, it was as capricious as gracious. Senator Tim Johnson's sudden "Aneurysm?" of the brain was a wicked twist on the political scene that has thus far been met with courage and fortune. He's making amazing progress. He's not simple alive, but clearly determined to restore his physical and cognitive powers. Kudus to Senator Johnson! But let's be real. No one in his position should be expected to run for a national political office. Life has dealt him a regrettable blow and taken his political career and aspirations in a different direction. It's time to groom a replacement, and I am completely behind the state's sole U.S. Representative, Stephanie Herseth.

My pontification.....