three interesting senate contests

[trebblekicked]

lieberman leads by double digits (http://www.cnn.com/POLITICS/blogs/politicalticker/2006/11/lieberman-has-double-digit-lead-over_03.html)

bernie sanders is cruising to victory in VT (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermont_United_States_Senate_election,_2006#Polling)

santorum trails by double digits (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_United_States_Senate_election%2C_2006#Opinion_polling)

since lieberman plans to caucus as a dem, if these polls hold, that's a swing of 2 seats in favor of the dems on these three races, plus it brings one of the most vocal and active progressives in while one of the most vocal and active social conservative bows out. thoughts?

also, i think bernie sanders would make the perfect running mate for obama in '08.

[vniow]

Woah, two of them are independent! Is that pretty rare when running in a race like this?

[zimv20]

since lieberman plans to caucus as a dem
he does? that's good. i hadn't seen anything one way or the other.

still, i hope lamont wins. not much time for him to close that gap, though.

[clevin]

Unlike others, I don't think Lieberman is that bad, on iraq, he is totally wrong, but he is mostly a democrat.

again, unlike others, I think dem will have a majority, even the election give a 50/50. Im actually waiting for Arlen Spector to jump ship, he is way too liberal for current GOP. also Snow and collins, GOP is going further to the right, they are eventually move to dem, and everybody GOP is losing the future.

[miloblithe]

Unlike others, I don't think Lieberman is that bad, on iraq, he is totally wrong, but he is mostly a democrat.

again, unlike others, I think dem will have a majority, even the election give a 50/50. Im actually waiting for Arlen Spector to jump ship, he is way too liberal for current GOP. also Snow and collins, GOP is going further to the right, they are eventually move to dem, and everybody GOP is losing the future.

Excepting Iraq, hardline support of Israel, being in the pocket of pharmacutical companies, generally being socially "centrist", he's a verifiable left winger...

[trebblekicked]

he does? that's good. i hadn't seen anything one way or the other.

the wiki entry on lieberman references this article:
link (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/21/AR2006082101427.html), which states that he does plan to join the dem caucus.

[Thomas Veil]

That Lieberman is winning over Lamont is sad.

That Santorum is losing badly to Casey is to make happy.

That Vermont doesn't have a Democratic candidate is surprising.

[WildCowboy]

Woah, two of them are independent! Is that pretty rare when running in a race like this?

Sanders is fiercely independent, but sides with the Democrats. He won the Democratic party nomination, but he made it clear from the very beginning that he would run as an Independent.

[aquajet]

That Santorum is losing badly to Casey is to make happy.

Agreed.

I don't understand how Rick thinks he can win, especially with a name like Santorum. :eek:

[Thomas Veil]

Agreed.

I don't understand how Rick thinks he can win, especially with a name like Santorum. :eek::p :p :p Okay, I never knew there was anything "special" about his name until you prodded me to look it up. That's hilarious, if it's true!

If you have no idea what aquajet and I are talking about, folks, do a Google search for "Latin + Santorum".

[WildCowboy]

:p :p :p Okay, I never knew there was anything "special" about his name until you prodded me to look it up. That's hilarious, if it's true!

If you have no idea what aquajet and I are talking about, folks, do a Google search for "Latin + Santorum".

Columnist Dan Savage invented that definition for his name a couple of years ago. Unless you were referring to the simpler definition, which was invented by Bob Kerrey.

[it5five]

lieberman leads by double digits (http://www.cnn.com/POLITICS/blogs/politicalticker/2006/11/lieberman-has-double-digit-lead-over_03.html)

bernie sanders is cruising to victory in VT (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermont_United_States_Senate_election,_2006#Polling)

santorum trails by double digits (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_United_States_Senate_election%2C_2006#Opinion_polling)

since lieberman plans to caucus as a dem, if these polls hold, that's a swing of 2 seats in favor of the dems on these three races, plus it brings one of the most vocal and active progressives in while one of the most vocal and active social conservative bows out. thoughts?

also, i think bernie sanders would make the perfect running mate for obama in '08.

As much as I would like Sanders as a running mate in '08, theres no way this country would accept him since he has close ties to the Democratic Socialists of America. With Republicans already throwing the word socialist around at people like Hilary clinton ( :rolleyes: ) I don't want to imagine what they'd do to a real socialist.

[Sayhey]

All three of these races are likely to be won by Democrats (or people who will caucus with the Democrats.) As such, the critical races for the control of the Senate look to be the close contests in Missouri, Tennessee, Virginia, and the increasingly close race in Arizona. If the Dems get two of those four it will probably tip the balance in the Senate. If you see the GOP taking races in Pennsylvania or Ohio it is time to check the ballots for voter fraud. The Republicans really only look to have much of a chance to take away a seat in New Jersey (unlikely,) and a very outside chance in Maryland.

[thedude110]

still, i hope lamont wins. not much time for him to close that gap, though.

The Lieberman/Lamont numbers may be misleading.

Lieberman has his own space on the ballot and will be a difficult candidate to find -- may not be the biggest deal, but Lieberman is worried enough about it that he's actually running ads to teach voters how to vote for him.

I still believe that the Republican candidate, running alongside a very popular incumbent Republican governor (and literally alongside her on the ballot), will take a lot of votes away from Lieberman.

My guess is Lieberman will win, but by 5 percent or less.

[trebblekicked]

As much as I would like Sanders as a running mate in '08, theres no way this country would accept him since he has close ties to the Democratic Socialists of America. With Republicans already throwing the word socialist around at people like Hilary clinton ( :rolleyes: ) I don't want to imagine what they'd do to a real socialist.

call me crazy, but i think he'd be twelve steps ahead of them. he's at his best when he's calling BS on empty rhetoric (if his appearances on the thom hartman show are any indication).

[it5five]

I suppose you're right, he is very very outspoken.

[mischief]

Googling doth not equal translation.

Trust me, I'd like to take one of these (http://us.microplane.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=18) to him followed by a dousing in gasoline, gel Drano and magnesium flakes (spontanious combustion anyone?) just like anyone else.

But his name translates somewhat differently (http://lysy2.archives.nd.edu/cgi-bin/words.exe?santorum) than the above would indicate... enough so that I'd be curious if he was, in fact born with it or chose it after getting the syphillus politicus .

[yg17]

Lieberman can go ***** himself with all of the other republicans. Yes, he may sometimes vote with the Dems, but anyone who's as supportive of the war and this administration as him does not deserve to hold public office.

The MO race is worrying me a bit, way too close for comfort. If the minorities and poor in STL city can get out and vote without problems like minority areas seem to have every election, then McCaskill could easily take it. But if the GOP pulls its dirty tricks as usual, it will be tough. But spending most of my time in rural MO, I see that (no)Talent has a strong following, which is actually quite disturbing....how anyone can stand behind a jerkoff like him is beyond me.

And if George Allen wins in VA, then it proves that the state of Virgina has some serious issues and needs to wake up and realize that this is not the civil war, and displaying confederate flags and using the n-word is not acceptable anymore.

I also love the idea of Sanders being president, but he would never win. People are scared of socialism, and this guy's got ties to it. We need a good socialist president who actually gives a damn about the people he serves to help undo the past 8 years, but it won't happen :(

[Thomas Veil]

But his name translates somewhat differently (http://lysy2.archives.nd.edu/cgi-bin/words.exe?santorum) than the above would indicate... Well, they're technically translating sanctorum. Can that be considered the same thing?

It was the Kerrey definition I found on Google, though. I knew it was hoping for too much for that to be legitimate. :D Still funny, though.

[solvs]

Unlike others, I don't think Lieberman is that bad, on iraq, he is totally wrong, but he is mostly a democrat.
I didn't like him before the Iraq thing. That whole thing where he was blaming things like video games and rap for youth violence really soured me on him. One of the things I don't like Hillary for, as she does the same type of things. People call him a moderate, but he's actually a Republican lite in a lot of ways, and not in the good Goldwater way.

Thankfully, he seems to kind of bandwagon, so if the Dems make headway, he'll probably bend back to them a little bit.