WASHINGTON, Jan. 14, 2009
GOP Optimistic About 2010 Senate Chances
Sen. John Cornyn Says George Bush Being Out Of Office And Barack Obama Being Off The Ballot Presents "Opportunities" For GOP
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Senate Judiciary Committee member Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, uses a chart while questioning Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito during Alito's confirmation hearing before the committee on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2006. (AP)
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The new head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Tex., said today the landscape will be different for 2010's Senate races as compared to last November's elections because "George Bush will not be in office."
"Now, what's different about 2010 than 2008? Well, George Bush is one of them,” Cornyn told reporters at the NRSC headquarters in Washington. His point was that many of the attack ads run against Republican candidates in 2008 “involved references to their connection with George Bush ... taking advantage of his low poll numbers and trying to tie that candidate to the president.”
Cornyn also pointed out that President-elect Barack Obama won’t be on the ballot in 2010, which he thinks “presents an opportunity” for Republicans.
“There’s no denying the phenomenon that the Obama campaign was in American politics,” Cornyn said. “In a midterm election, a non-presidential election year, there won’t be the kind of turnout you would ordinarily expect in a presidential year, nor will there be, I believe, the kind of enthusiasm you saw on the Democrat side.”
The 2010 midterms are shaping up to be an uphill battle for Republicans; they’ll be defending 19 seats while the Democrats have 17 seats up. And four Republicans have already announced they will not be running for re-election: Sens. George Voinovich, R-Ohio; Kit Bond, R-Mo., and Mel Martinez, R-Fla. - all from toss-up states. The fourth retiree, Sen. Sam Brownback is from Kansas, where popular term-limited Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius may decide to run for Senate.
If that’s not enough stress, the pressure will be on for the Republicans not to lose any seats. Currently holding only 41 seats, if the GOP drops below that number, they hand the Democrats a filibuster-proof majority, losing their last institutional power as the minority party.
In fact, Cornyn is using says they plan to use that as part of their strategy in next year’s Senate races.
“I think there’s a natural aversion of the American people to put all their eggs in one political basket. And we’re going to be reminding them that that would happen if in fact the Democrats did get a filibuster-proof supermajority.”
Looking past the adversity, however, Cornyn sees opportunities, many of them created by Barack Obama himself.
“First he’s eliminated two key strong state office holders - [Agriculture Secretary nominee] Tom Vilsack and [Homeland Security Secretary nominee] Janet Napolitano - from running for Senate in 2010,” Cornyn pointed out. He mentioned the Delaware seat that will be vacated by Vice President-elect Joe Biden tomorrow (to be filled through the 2010 special election by Biden aide Ted Kaufman) as another “opportunity.”
In addition, Secretary of State nominee Hillary Clinton and Energy Secretary nominee Ken Salazar’s seats “provide us opportunities,” said Cornyn.
A virtual unknown statewide in Colorado, Denver Public Schools superintendent Michael Bennet took Salazar’s place and, Cornyn mocked, “the idea that Caroline Kennedy, having never run for office before, could be the next senator from New York” gives the Republicans “opportunities.”
He also thinks the way the appointment of Roland Burris to fill Mr. Obama’s vacant Senate seat was handled has given the Republicans a real shot in Illinois in 2010, something they never thought possible in the state where Republicans have had trouble getting elected statewide in recent years.
“As a result of the national embarrassment that has occurred here in Washington with regard to the Roland Burris affair, and the cloud that will invariably follow Mr. Burris as United States Senator, having been appointed by a soon to be indicted governor for corruption. That’s an opportunity, I think, for us,” said Cornyn.
It’s unclear whether the 71-year-old Burris, who will be sworn in Thursday, will run in 2010, but clearly Cornyn is salivating at the prospect.
“I don’t see how Mr. Burris can separate himself from the situation in which he was appointed.”
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See all 139 CommentsThe GOP will lose more seat next election in fact 4 Senators are leaving so that is 4 more extra seats they must defend. Not to metion that their are 19 seats up for reelection in the GOP next election.
Any one think that the GOP will gain seats.
LOL......
Republicans won''t have a chance unless Obama gets some Chicago mobsters to take care of the situation.
now theres one more Texas Slimeball Crook speaking in tongues (Lying) to the nation again.
Posted by Hakori at 08:00 AM : Jan 15, 2009
merlgrey, elections are not won based on land area. They are based on votes received. Your claim that "Democrat territory mostly encompassed those citizens living in government-owned tenements and living off various forms of government welfare", is typical rignt-wing racism. The democrats won this election by a landslide regardless of how you frame the election. Republicans lost for good reasons that you obviously aren''''t aware of, or you''''re such a mindless right-winger you can''''t see the obvious. You people tried to frame the 2000 election the same way. I remember a right-wing talking head talking about the land area won by Bush, eventhough Gore won more votes. Well, this time you lost so badly there was no question. GET OVER IT!
Posted by Hakori at 07:56 AM : Jan 15, 2009
hey hakori- ahhh- leap before you look.. i was debunking the claim....responding to an earlier post by someone forwarding a right wing mass email trying to look smart.
rowdie- shouldnt you be busy getting another online masters degree in dog grooming or something?
"DISCLAIMER: There is an e-mail floating around the internet dealing with the 2000 Bush/Gore election, remarks of a Scotish philosopher named Alexander Tyler, etc. Part of it is attributed to me. It is entirely BOGUS as to my authorship. I''ve been trying to kill it since December 2000."
Now what do you say Minge. BTW do you know what a minge is in England? Very similar to c*** in this country - very appropriate in your case I''d say.
Bush may not be on the ballot in 2010, but his ''legacy'' will still be strong.
Posted by truthMatter at 11:02 PM : Jan 14, 2009
Maybe not dead, but it''s been reduced to a voiceless fringe movement leaving it irrelevant....
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When leaders in your own party publicly admit that your being gone improves their chances of winning an election, that''s about as bad as it can get.
What Cronyn is not taking into account, however, is the fact that the remaining Repubs were all in lock step with Dubya in his stupidity.....a fact that won''t be forgotten by 2010.
election:Number of States won by: Democrats: 19 Republicans: 29 Square miles of land won by: Democrats: 580,000 Republicans: 2,427,000 Population of counties won by: Democrats: 127 million Republicans: 143 million
Murder rate per 100,000 residents in counties won by: Democrats: 13.2 Republicans: 2.1
Professor Olson adds: "In aggregate, the map of the territory Republican won by Republicans was mostly the land owned by the taxpaying citizens of the country. Democrat territory mostly encompassed those citizens living in government-owned tenements and living off various forms of government welfare.''
posted by RosieOdMinge at 09:59 PM : Jan 14, 2009
ha. you been had rosie.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/ballot/athenian.asp
California, 0.79. Connecticut, 0.66. New Jersey, 0.55. New York, 0.79. Rhode Island, 1.02. Massachusetts, 0.77
That''s how much each of these blue states gets in Federal Spending per tax dollar sent to the Feds.
from: http://www.taxfoundation.org/research/sh
ow/266.html
People in New Jersey are taxed two dollars for every dollar in Federal spending they get back.
West Virginia, 1.83. Mississippi, 1.77. Oklahoma, 1.48. Montana, 1.58. Tennessee, 1.30. Kansas, 1.12
Translation: Red staters have found a way get blue-staters to pay them for living. Strange place for conservatives to be!
Your ''professor Olson'' is all wet. Like your Party.
But, watch out. The kids that you are looking at at 2012 will be of voting age. Teach your children well.
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Bless their hearts. Well, where there is life there is hope and all of those other sweet little platitudes. Did three more Republican senators announce retirement this week. Well, gee, maybe 2012?
And all of the statistics mean NOTHING. See, Elections are on Electoral votes based on people voting per state. In a pure Democracy they would be popular vote and either way, Obama wins by a healthy margin.
The lakes and States and rivers and corn fields don''tvote, nor should they. Now take your interesting "facts" from the stuck up Law snoband stick ''em. Thanks.
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