Republicans Looking Forward To Senate And House Elections... In 2010

These 5 Democrats could make all the difference

Unlike delusional and barely rational GOP propaganda tool Hugh Hewitt, realistic Republican strategists are already structuring a world view around a President Obama and significantly strengthened Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress. The Democrats are back in the range of as many as 4 dozen House districts in every part of the country including deep red bastions (many gerrymandered to create safe Republican seats) in Idaho, Ohio, Texas, Arizona, and Alaska.

Take California, for example. The GOP jihad to take back "Dirty Dick" Pombo's old seat with a pathetic clone of the rejected and corrupt former congressman, has completely fizzled. This leaves the close-to-bankrupt California Republican Party playing defense in four red districts two in the north and two in the south, each considered "safe" until recently:

CA-03 (R+7)- Bill Durston vs Rep. Dan Lungren
CA-04 (R+11)- Charlie Brown vs Tom McClintock
CA-26 (R+4)- Russ Warner vs Rep. David Dreier
CA-46 (R+6)- Debbie Cook vs Rep. Dana Rohrabacher.

But for Republicans looking to contain the damage, even those who are writing off McCain as a hopeless case and factoring in dozens of GOP House seats, the real fear is the Senate, where Democrats are poised to win a filibuster-proof majority. Voting for any Senate Republican in November means voting for more obstruction, deadlock and tying Obama's hands when it comes to making the kinds of change that has so galvanized American voters. The first races the GOP gave up on were Republican open seats in Virginia and New Mexico. Colorado, another open red seat also appears lost to them. The two incumbents almost certain to lose are Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) and John Sununu (R-NH). That's halfway to the 10 they need. Polls have shown indicted and senile Ted Stevens losing in Alaska to Mark Begich and brand new polls are now showing Al Franken beating Norm Coleman in Minnesota, Jeff Merkley beating Gordon Smith in Oregon, and good shots for Democrats in Georgia and Kentucky. Georgia's Saxby Chambliss had finally put his rubber stamp support for Bush's-- and McCain's-- unpopular immigration amnesty behind him when he went and voted for the Wall Street bailout, which has local Republicans vowing to stay home and just skip this election season altogether. One of the two Mississippi seats (Roger Wicker's) is vulnerable and Rick Noriega, Andrew Rice and Tom Allen have been picking up steam in Texas, Oklahoma and Maine. If all that breaks for the Democrats, they could wind up with 65 seats-- 64 if they kick Lieberwhore out of the caucus.

65 is unlikely but 60... well, it looks more doable by the day.

Republicans have been bracing for big losses, but it wasn’t until the past few days that they have started to privately sound the alarms that the bottom could fall out on Election Day.

GOP Senate candidates are getting pounded by the same waves of public discontent over the economy and Bush that could sink McCain, and it shows in polls from coast to coast.

Republicans fully expect to lose Virginia and New Mexico. They think there is a pretty strong chance that they also lose Colorado, Alaska, New Hampshire, Oregon and North Carolina.

...Several Republican strategists close to the White House said there is increasing fear among party leaders about a bloodbath. But they added that they hope to keep losses to as few as five or six seats, rather than the nine that Democrats would need to gain to reach the magic number of 60 seats.

You want to see Senate Republicans reduced to the impotence they have earned? Visit the threshold to a filibuster proof majority.