Which GOP crumb-bums do you most want to see lose in November?
Also: if you didn’t get the chance yet, be sure to check out the SSP Cash Power Rankings for House and Senate challengers this year.
80 thoughts on “Weekly Open Thread: What Races Are You Interested In?”
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I want to see the one-issue, hate-mongering, heterosexist go down in flames… she’ll probably end up in flames anyway, the question is just when?
Of crumbums I’d like to get rid of:
1. Tom Feeney (FL-24) – I have a special interest in his demise being that he is my own rep. Kosmas is looking great, outraising him in the 2nd quarter and holds a big CoH advantage.
2. Ric Keller (FL-08) – Keller represents a nearby district. As far as I know the only accomplishment he’s produced is the “Cheeseburger Bill.”
3. Bill Sali (ID-01) and Jean Schmidt (OH-02) – for obvious reasons
4. He’s not an incumbent but Tom McClintock (CA-04) – Because the guy doesn’t live anywhere remotely close to the district and Charlie Brown deserves to win that race.
5. Tim Walberg (MI-07) – Because he’s a know-nothing Club for Growth robot representing a swing district.
6. Don Young (AK-AL) – Though I’m rooting for him to win the primary. If he does win the primary, which I doubt he will, we’ll have one of our easiest wins in the House this cycle.
7. Chris Shays (CT-04) – Because I’m sick of this guy winning every election with <53% of the vote. Also because should we win here it’s likely we’ll hold the seat for a very long time.
8. Hart (PA-04), Ryun (KS-02), Bradley (NH-01), Northup (KY-03), and Sodrel (IN-09) – Because they are sore lsoers and need to be defeated a second time. Well, make that a 3rd for Sodrel, that guy just won’t go away.
But that is not really keeping in the spirit of the site, is it??
I’d like to see Walberg lose, just because I think he lucked out the last time around. I’d also like to see Knollenberg lose in MI-09, just because I like Gary Peters.
In fact, I mainly want to see Republicans lose because it means that a lot of the good Democrats I saw last week will win…
🙂
It’s my old district, Culberson is a dud, Skelly seems like a good fit for the district, and it’s amazing to me that any Democrat could be competitive there.
Ted Stevens: he’s just too old
Don Young: let’s help make this happen by donating to Ethan Berkowitz AND Don Young (for his primary against Sean Parnell)
Jean Schmidt: no specific reason. I just heard she was a bitch.
Tom Tancredo…oh wait, he’s already leaving! One down.
Or how about, just every House and Senate member over 75? Those crum bums have been at the trough for too long and must go.
seem to be avoiding the RNC convention. Trying to distance themselves as much as possible from the GOP.
OK-Sen: Because Jim Inhofe is just NOT OK. I don’t think I need to explain this one further.
KY-Sen: Knocking off the minority leader is like knocking the teeth out of the shark. It’ll grow them back soon enough, but it’s useful for now.
WY-AL, ID-Sen, ID-01: To gain a solid foothold in these states with highly credible and deserving candidates, showing the people of Idaho and Wyoming that they have an alternative. And to crush Republican morale.
MS-Sen-special, MS-01, AL-02, AL-05, LA-04, LA-06, LA-07, LA-Sen: To show the Republicans, and the country, that not even the South is with them anymore.
IL-18: Because Congress does NOT need another stupid neocon line-tower.
TX-07, TX-10, TX-22, TX-Sen: To start regaining our ground against the Texas Republicans.
NC-08, WA-08, OH-02, OH-01, WY-AL, FL-13, and many other races: Because we came so close last time.
AK-Sen, AK-AL: To show them that Alaska’s not their pet anymore.
CA-04, NC-Sen: Because carpetbaggers with cheapo justifications do not deserve to represent those they do not truly represent.
LA-02: To remove, from our party, this source of corruption stench.
IN-03: To crush Republican morale even further by taking yet another R+ >=15 district.
MD-01: To thank the Club for Growth.
OH-02: Because it’s Mean Jean.
NV-02, NV-03, NM-01, NM-02, NJ-05, FL-18, FL-21, FL-24, FL-25, MN-02, MN-03, MN-06, MI-07, MI-09, CA-26, CA-46, CO-04, KY-01, KY-02, KY-04, PA-03, PA-05, PA-06, PA-15, SC-01, SC-02, VA-02, VA-05, VA-10, WV-02, and many other districts: Because this is as good of an opportunity as ever to knock off several more crappy congresscritters (or prevent them from getting there in the first place, in the case of open seats), and replace them with more respectable Representatives.
VA-05: Virgil Goode is a bigot and a idiot and I’d love to see him lose. He’s a 7 term incumbent and a member of the appropriations committee and yet our guy (Tom Perriello) has made it to the Top 25 of the SSP House Cash Power Rankings.
NE-Sen: He’s not a incumbent but it would be a shame for a former member of the Bush Administration to win this year. Luckily Scott Kleeb is running a strong campaign and despite the naysayers has made it to the top ten of the SSP Senate Cash Power Rankings. This is clearly a competitive race and is one I’m working hard on.
Mitch McConnell (KY) – the GOP’s Wizard of Oz.
Norm Coleman (MN) – Paul Wellstone was my favorite Senator and Coleman has no business holding this seat.
Saxby Chambliss (GA) – for his shameful ad campaign against Max Cleland.
James Inhofe (OK) – for his neanderthal views on the environment.
honorable mention:
Susan Collins (ME) – just can’t imagine listening to her for 6 more years.
4 in the House:
David Dreier (CA-26) – for being a phony moderate who carries the GOP’s water.
Mario Diaz Balart (FL-25) – sorry Debbie.
Lee Terry (NE-02) – saw him in a debate in 2006 and he was particularly ignorant and mean at the same time.
Thaddeus McCotter (MI-11) – probably won’t happen, but it should.
This is not a race to watch out for, but I wanted to make a note about the SD-AL campaign. Did you guys hear that Stephanie Herseth Sandlin is pregnant with her first child? I thought that was wonderful news. But she’ll win easily.
I met Herseth Sandlin a year ago when I interned on the Hill. She is very sweet, and one of the most genuine members of the entire House. A real peach, that’s for sure.
Ileana Ros Letein, Mean Jean Schmidt, Marilyn Musgrove, Shelley Moore Capito, now do not call me a sexist for these because they will all be replaced by REAL WOMEN!
Sununu, Collins and Stevens would all be sweet! and not again sexist because Shaeheen in NH would replace Collins in ME!
TX-22, because it’s my home district, and I don’t want to see Lampson lose because of a bunch of soccer moms that blindly vote Republican.
WY-AL because it would be so sweet to get Dick Cheney’s seat to flip.
OK-Sen, because I HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE Jim Inhofe and his views which would only be considered progressive were he in the medieval era.
MN-Sen, because I am in Minnesota at the moment and am getting bombarded by Coleman’s ridiculous tv ads.
On the issues, Dana Rohrabacher is a disaster:
NARAL-0
Planned Parenthood-0
Americans for the Arts-0
Business-Industry PAC-100
ACLU-17 (how did THAT happen?)
Club for Growth-86
NEA-F
League of Conservation Voters-10
Sierra Club-13
Gun Owners of America-100
So, I don’t really agree with him much. But that’s not really the issue. Congress has become a toxic waste dump and Dana Rohrabacher has been the leading contributor to the toxic discource there. There is nothing in him that suggests that an opposing point of view is worth considering. There is nothing resembling moderation. There is no sense that he wants to have a discussion with anyone (Republican or Democrat) with whom he disagrees.
He is completely unfit for public office–not because of his positions but because of his total disregard for the viewpoints of others.
NY-21 A great race with a surplus of good Democratic candidates and a bundle of enthusiasm.
NJ-5 Scott Garrett should not be representing Jersey. And we get a blind rabbi and psychologist as part of the bargain.
NC-10 Talk about crazy, McHenry is crazy and ambitious to a fault. Richard Nixon without the brains?
IA-5 Not gonna happen but I’d love to see Steve King out of the picture. Another nut job.
IL-18 Aaron Schock is the second coming of Patrick McHenry only dumber and crazier if at all possible.
NY-13 More fun than a ferry full of monkeys.
LA-2 What will happen to Dollar Bill?
AK-At Large Gotta say that Don Young is a fun old coot both when he’s being crossed and when he’s being cross.
IL-11 How far will Marty Ozinga’s cash take him?
TN-9 Go Steve Cohen, go.
WA-8 So Darcy gets to go to a new House, the House of Representatives. Sweet.
NJ-11 So we get wallopped. It is my home district.
NJ-1 Watch the disappearing act of Camille Andrews. See who magically appears in her place. This really sucks but what can you expect from George Norcross and Rob Andrews.
WV-2 Gotta love this battle of the dynasties: Byrd vs. Moore. If that is how it plays out, we will sneak a win out in WV-2.
VA-10 Just seems purer than the match in VA-11. No super money bags. Just (hopefully) the swan song of a man who didn’t change enough to reflect his district (Wolf).
One of the Hawaii seats had someone running who gave his name as God (actually I Am) but he did not make the primary ballot. He was a Republican but then again some people claim that at least a few Republicans have a problem confusing their legislative agenda for, ahem, a higher law. Now how would the Republicans explain the loss of God in their primary? How do they explain keeping I Am off the ballot?
Did anybody else catch the hoopla over the new Sarah Palin scandal? Apparently, “Ms. 90% Approval” ain’t as squeeky clean as we previously thought. According to sources, she recently fired Public Safety Commisioner Walt Monegan over his refusal to fire a state trooper who also happened to be her ex-brother-in-law. Isn’t that lovely? While she claims that the firing of Monegan wasn’t personally motivated due to his refusal, it’s led the Alaska Senate leader who’s a Republican to call for investigations into the matter. Also, there’s rumors that Sean Parnell is removing references to Palin in his radio ads.
Is this the saving grace that Young and Berkowitz were looking for? Even if it doesn’t help Young, merely by being tied to Palin, this could help Berkowitz.
But in the meantime let’s see how this develops. This could get fucking crazy.
I’m not impressed by either Baretta or Kanjorski
AL 03—–JOSH SEGALL IS A HUGE SLEEPER CANDIDATE
If those three lose, we have an all Democratic delegation from New Mexico. A True Blue New Mexico.
My “I was raised in” state, so I have a particular interest in these two races (as others on here have noted interest in these two as well).
In MI-09 where my parents live (at least for the next 20 days until they move to NC) I would love to see Gary Peters take out Knollenberg and make this district finally flip and make the richest district in Oakland County and Michigan BLUE!
In MI-07, people need to screw their heads on right and get Walberg the hell out of representing that district. This district sits right next to my alma mater (UofM) in Ann Arbor, so it may not be as progressive, but still, Walberg couldn’t get much more to the right.. Democratic state Sen. Mark Schauer is out fundraising Walberg and given the anti-GOP climate will have a good 50-50 shot at taking him out.
If the Democrats can win MI-07 and MI-09, the state delegation will shift from a 9-6 GOP advantage to 8-7 DEM advantage, enough for the State of Michigan to vote for Barack Obama should the Electoral College be in a 269-269 stalemate.
FL-12 is my district, and Adam Putnam is an absolute jackass. It’s obviously a long shot, but Doug Tudor is at least the first serious competition he has had in a while.
Doug has over 20 years experience in the Navy in this vet-heavy district. It also, surprisingly, has more registered Democrats than Republicans, but a Cook Index of R +5. Tudor needs to raise more money fast, though. He is new at politics, and doesn’t yet have the kind of connections to fundraise appropriately, it seems. I wish the netroots would pay more attention to this race and give him a boost. We’ve supported Jim Newberry against Roy Blunt, and we’ve supported Richard Morrison against Tom DeLay — both in far more Republican districts. Putnam is just as bad as these two, and he’s being opposed by a fighting Dem in a bluer district for which a little support would go a long way. The Obama grasroots movement is HUGE here, and could help spread the word like wildfire if Tudor could just muster up enough cash for TV and radio ads.
Not that Putnam doesn’t have money up the wazoo, but this is a poor district, and if people knew the kind of personal fortune he had compared to his horrendous voting record for the poor, this race would be extremely competitive.
I think the answer is obvious: Inhofe (OK-Sen). The most right-wing of the right wingers–so right-wing that when facts conflict with ideology, the facts get rejected. Global warming is a hoax; government should sponsor prayer in schools (and just about everywhere else, I suppose). Replacing him with Rice would be the biggest person-for-person political swing in the Senate, and perhaps in all of Congress.
Stevens (AK-Sen) would be a great gain by loss as well, since he mucks up so many Senate proceedings.
McConnell (KT-Sen), if only for his opposition to campaign finance reform.
On the House side, would love to see Sali (ID-01) and Garrett (NJ-05) head back to the private sector.