So, when you see your legislator using that "friend" language to address the right wingers in congress, give her or him a call and suggest that now is the time to get tough on these enablers of the Bush constitution and democracy destruction team, the Bush environmental and workplace deregulation team. Contact the Dem committee heads and encourage them to do what they can to use their powers to make the right wingers, particularly the targeted ones, want to retire.
It's enormously easier to beat a newcomer running for the first time than to beat an incumbent. The smartest thing the Democrats can do is to finesse the right wing strategists by cutting off their strongest source of power-- incumbency. It's going to be, or it should be a war, the next six months. It won't be pretty. It will be unpleasant. But this is the most powerful way imaginable to act, ahead of the primaries, to weaken the competition. If you don't think the backstabbers on the right haven't been nasty and unpleasant, just think of their former leaders-- Bill Frist, Tom DeLay-- not exactly warm, fuzzy and friendly.
If you know of legislators who fit the profile-- older, former committee chair or wielder of power, diminished, weakened home base, reduced campaign reserves, recent ethics "challenges," already showing signs of being tired of the game in D.C., frayed family ties, opportunities, based on past power, to grab high paying corporate jobs-- list them in comments below this article, contact the DSCC and the DCCC. Let them know they should be adding the candidate to a "retirement motivation" list. There are about six months left to make a program like this work.
Alaska's senior senator Ted Stevens (85 on election day 2008) and New Mexico's Pete Domenici (76 on election day 2008) are under the shadow of scandals. New Mexico is getting bluer and bluer. New Hampshire's John Sununu has a tough competitor who is getting great polling stats. Oklahoma's James Imhofe, an anti-global warming science goofus who has gotten even nuttier since losing his seat as head of the Senate Environmenal committee, will be nearly 74 on election day 2008. I'll bet there's a job at an oil company just waiting for him at four times his current pay, and he only has a 46% approval rating. Colorado's Wayne Allard is considered very vulnerable, with some strong Dem contenders already interested in the race. North Carolina's Elizabeth Dole,72, on election day, polling about 35 support for re-election, could have a tough race, if a strong contender enters. She may be ready to enjoy some golden years with Bob. Oregon's Gordon Smith faces a tough race, as Oregon gets bluer. Then there's one of Bush's strongest loyalist front men, Mitch McConnell, currently polling below 50% approval , in a state that is sick of Bush's Iraq war. They're all "ripe." It's time for the Dem leaders to start treating them in a way that motivates them to want bid adeiu to their stint in the senate
And keep in mind, even if the old dinosaurs in guaranteed red states are replaced by more moderate, lower ranked right wingers, that's still an improvement.
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