Dr. King’s Dream
If any part of Dr. King's dream is to be truely realized in Barack Oabama, then Mr. Obama's position as the first black President should be nothing more than a historical footnote in his presidency.
People are different and our differences make America unique, but it must be our commonalities that bring us together. I do not agree with most of the policies of Mr. Obama (it's hard to say for sure because the word of the presidential candidate often did not reflect the past deeds of the Senator), but I sincerely hope he is successful. We need him to be successful.
Next Step – 2010 Elections
Now that the Republicans have suffered a second consecutive election beating, it is time to right the ship.
In 2010, there will be 34 Senate seats up for election. Republican Sam Brownback of Kansas has already stated that he will not seek reelection. There has not been a Democrat Senator from Kansas since 1932, but the Republicans will need to find a strong candidate beacuase Dem. Gov. Kathleen Sebelius will pobably run for Brownback's seat.
The other 33 seats:
- Blanch Lincoln (D) – Arkansas
- Barbara Boxer (D) – California
- Ken Salazar (D) – Colorado
- Chris Dodd (D) – Connecticut
- Daniel Inouye (D) – Hawaii
- Obama's Appointed Replacement (D) – Illinois
- Evan Bayh (D) – Indiana
- Barbara Mikulski (D) – Maryland
- Harry Reid (D) – Nevada
- Chuck Schumer (D) – New York
- Byron Dorgan (D) – North Dakota
- Ron Wyden (D) – Oregon
- Patrick Leahy (D) – Vermont
- Patty Murray (D) – Washington
- Russ Feingold (D) – Wisconsin
- Richard Shelby (R) – Alabama
- Lisa Murkowski (R) – Alaska
- John McCain (R) – Arizona
- Mel Martinez (R) – Florida
- Johnny Isakson (R) – Georgia
- Mike Crupo (R) – Idaho
- Chuck Grassley (R) – Iowa
- Jim Bunning (R) – Kentucky
- David Vitter (R) – Louisiana
- Kit Bond (R) – Missouri
- Judd Gregg (R) – New Hampshire
- Richard Burr (R) – North Carolina
- George Voinovich (R) – Ohio
- Tim Coburn (R) – Oklahoma
- Arlen Specter (R) – Pennsylvania
- Jim DeMint (R) – South Carolina
- John Thune (R) – South Dakota
- Bob Bennett (R) – Utah
There are also the issues of Alaska and Delware.
In Alaska it looks like Ted Stevens has been reelected, but he was also recently convicted of federal felonies for failing to report gifts on Senate disclosure forms. If his conviction is not overturned on appeal, he is most likely to be expelled by more than the required 2/3 vote in the Senate. That means that Gov. Palin would appoint a replacement and a special election held in 2010. Would Gov. Palin run for the seat?
In Deleware, Joe Biden was elected twice in one day: once as VP and once as Senator. Since he can't do both, he will have to resign his newly reelected Senate seat. Word is he is pushing hard for his son to be appointed to the seat. There would then be a special election in 2010 for the remaining four years of the term.
Plus, a lot can happen in two years to add to this list. I am going to try to thoroughly review each person on this list to see what it may look like in two years for the Repulicans.
Projection: 291-247
Unfortunately, I think the McCain – Palin ticket will come up short. Based on the latest state polls, I think 'The One' will take about 291 – 311 electoral votes with McCain – Palin in at 247 – 227 electoral votes. (The difference is Ohio.)
Let's hope I am wrong.
