Aside from the presidency, the most important prize is winning majority in both Houses of Congress. The party who controls the majority, gets to legislate.
Right now, Democrats control the Senate, 51-49. A bare majority (independents Bernie Sanders and Joe Lieberman caucus with the Democratic Party). This election season, Republicans have over twice as many seats to defend as Democrats. 21 of the 33 Senate seats that are contested this election year are Republican controlled. There are some predicting that the Republican Party stands to lose additional Senate seats:
Republican seats in Virginia, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Colorado, Alaska, Oregon, Minnesota and Maine are all in serious peril. On the other hand, the only Democratic seat in any kind of trouble appears to be Louisiana. A net gain of 5 for the Democrats is very possible, a net gain of 3 seems conservative, a net gain of 8 certainly not unlikely. We’re looking at a Senate that could be as bad as 59-41 Democratic.
Even if a Republican miraculously wins in November, that Republican President will therefore face a firm Democratic majority in the Senate. A liberal majority, indeed, that is approaching filibuster-proof strength.
And it’s been pointed out previously, just why 2008 is an important one for the GOP to win.
Over in the House, things look bleak there as well. In 2006, Democrats took 3o seats away from Republicans (and gained one independent seat), many of these situated in conservative states, thereby gaining majority in the House after 12 years of wallowing in minority status.
Beset by scandals, recruitment, retirement (about a dozen Republican Representatives are predicted to retire) and money woes, ‘08 could be a tough year for the GOP in reclaiming House seats, as well (this, in spite of the dismal approval ratings of the Nancy Pelosified 110th Congress).
No dark cloud is without its silver lining of hope, however. Enter: Iraqi Veterans for Congress.
Kevin McCullough writes:
Defeat George Soros, defeat Move-On.org…, defeat the terror syndicates that seek to influence the liberal progressives of our Government – give $25 to each of the twelve Iraq Vets for Congress. If 4000 people take that challenge, the Vets estimate that they can win all twelve seats. That’s only $48,000 for 12 seats in Congress.These Vets are all pro-victory, republican, and pro-U.S. – they’ve already served sacrificially on the battlefield and now they are giving of themselves to fight for freedom at home. In the halls of Congress where they are needed most!
Please help this go viral, e-mail it to your friends, tell your neighbors. Walk your street and ask for your friends to donate $25 to win the War On Terror. Make it happen today!
218 and 51 (or 50, if the GOP controls the presidency, leaving the VP able to cast his vote) are the magic numbers. Super majorities are even better, of course, because
Bigger margins allow for greater maneuverability because the party doesn’t then need every vote of its members to carry a vote on a particularly difficult bill, but 218 and 51 are the magic numbers
Go one seat below 218 or 51 and the body in question shifts to the control of the Democrats, and that brings chaos and bad policy.
Which is why you should always vote for the Republican ticket from top to bottom in a general election.-Hugh Hewitt, If It’s Not Close They Can’t Cheat, pg75
To regain majority status, Republicans need to take back 2 seats in the Senate (or, one seat plus the presidency); and regain 16 seats in the House. Supporting these dozen patriots is one place we can start, in repainting the map red.
Also blogging:
Bookworm
Democracy Project
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