Posted by
arandomguy on Tuesday, November 07, 2006 11:20:17 PM
Republican prospects for maintaining control of the House and the Senate are definitely looking low. Fox is saying that the Democrats need only 1 house seat, and 3 Senate seats to be in the majority. I fear that this is not good for our country, and it will greatly jeopardize our ability to fight the war on terrorism.
However, not all the news is bad. Allen seems to be maintaining a lead in Virginia, as does Talent in Missouri. I'm not sure about the statistics out of Montana, but I predict Burns will be victorious at this point. Though these aren't necessarily gains for Republicans, it illustrates that the Republican cause isn't really dead. It's just what usually happens at midterms - average.
Additionally, Fox is being really weird about Maryland. They have been calling for Cardin for the last 2 or 3 hours, but Michael Steele remains ahead by 4 to 6 points in the polls. And he has been ahead all night. As an African American, he will be able to pick up much of the Maryland black vote, which may be able to put him in the lead and into congress. This would be an important win for Republicans, though I don't think it will be enough.
However, there are two seats in Georgia that are possibly shifting Republican, which will pick up two gains in the House. If these two races come through, Republicans will be in a slightly stronger position, though I suspect they will still lose at the end of the night.
Lieberman won out in Connecticut, but it is an extremely important victory for those that support the war. Furthermore, Lamont lost which is also an important victory for those of us that support the war.
I don't think this is a referendum on Bush, but merely the average movement of power in midterm elections for 2 term presidents.
However, we must keep in mind that Republicans are not likely to lose the Senate. They must win 3 of 5 seats, in Montana, Virginia, Tennessee, Arizona, and Missouri. Arizona was just called for the Republicans, and Corker has a stable lead in Tennessee, so the Democrats must win 3 of the 3 remaining seats in Virginia, Montana, and Missouri. At this point, Allen seems to be far enough ahead to win in Virginia, which would ensure that the Republicans keep their majority (if only slim) in the senate.