While we're busy looking at the presidential race, things are looking dire in the senate

[Xipe Totec]

Five senate seats are at risk:

WI, ND, NE, MT, CT.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/senate/2012_elections_senate_map_no_toss_ups.html

I am not a happy camper.

[abelenkpe]

1. You can donate to help dem candidates in other states. Nt

[dkf]

2. I cannot believe CT would go for McMahon.

[Jennicut]

10. It will be close, she has a lot of money to put ads on tv. But Chris Murphy is a good candidate.

He was my Representative and was pretty popular. He just needs to be able to sustain her attacks.

[dkf]

14. She had the money last time around and it didn't work then.

It's not a cakewalk but I am still putting it on the "inconceivable" list.

[johnlucas]

17. I'm a wrestling fan but no way in hell would I let Vince—I mean Linda get into a Senate seat

Longtime wrestling fan here.
NWA/WCW, WWF, ECW & much more since 1984.

But if I was in Massachusetts there would be no way in HELL I would let Vince—I mean Linda McMahon get into a Senate seat.
In the words of Stone Cold Steve Austin "Oh Hell No!!"
John Lucas

[a kennedy]

3. D*mn.....

gonna have to donate to them, what little I can......gotta keep the Senate.

[Xipe Totec]

4. I can't believe They're calling MA for Scott Brown!

[marlakay]

8. Feel the same way but..

he is charmer and easy liar and many people don't look below the surface. As much as I love Elizabeth she comes off as serious (which we need) and angry. He is all smiley and even saying he likes stuff Obama does…people who don't know the truth and just watch what he says like him...

[graywarrior]

11. And yet, close up he's a mean son of a bitch.

[catbyte]

28. I can't believe his vote for the Blunt Amendment didn't torpedo him

WTF are the women in MA thinking?!?

Diane
Anishinaabe in MI

[TeamPooka]

20. he's a really really good liar.

[unblock]

26. that's just in the "no toss-ups" map. it's still a toss-up race.

though i agree, i can't believe he's winning at all.

[we can do it]

5. Sherrod Brown needs help in Ohio, too

the big lie machine is hard at it here

[davidn3600]

6. And polls show Akin is closing the gap in Missouri

[fredamae]

7. Yes! This is their goal!

The last thing the GOP wants Us to notice is their Heavy, heavy campaigning in both house and senate seats in various states...

Most $$$ etc will be dumped in these races because they pretty much know PBO will be re-elected but If they don't get the Senate Maj and Keep the House they'll not be in position to continue Screwing the American People!
The crap they do doesn't actually "hurt" the President---but it Does Hurt Us!

They'll also, if they win the Senate-have all ways open to Impeach PBO---And Pick probably two SCOTUS!
So--yep---We'd better keep our eyes on All the balls, not just the POTUS race.

[CBHagman]

9. Has anyone got any on-the-ground reports re: state and local organizing?

I'm in a blue state but donate to individual candidates elsewhere and of course the DSCC. I have a friend who's active in Ohio (Cleveland area) but don't know how things are shaping up in MO, CT, MA, and elsewhere.

[former9thward]

12. I think a lot of people want to split their votes.

Voting for Obama for president and the republican for the senate.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

13. People doing so are nuts IMHO

Electing President Obama to a second term but then voting him a nice set of handcuffs in the form of a Republican Congress (when the last two years have been so horribly unproductive with just a Republican-controlled House and filibustered Senate) to go along with it isn't going to help things much.

[Kablooie]

15. If the GOP takes the Senate and House, Obama will become the president of NO.

I don't expect any negotiation at all coming from the right, just broad extreme decrees so Obama will have to veto everything.

It's not going to be a pleasant 8 years.

[Cosmocat]

16. It would make the last four years look good ...

They absolutely will go after him in every possible way.

[WallaceRitchie]

18. With GOP majorities in both chambers

They will try to find any pretense possible to start impeachment proceedings.

[Cosmocat]

19. Yep

no doubt it.

I am amazed the House had the self control to not do it this go around.

They will be complete assholes, and BO will not do every hair brained thing they want, and they will convince themselves the ends justifies the means to impeach him.

It is what they do.

[TeamPooka]

21. fuck those numbers we can win the House back, hold the WH and the senate.

we can do it
the momentum is on our side.

[Xipe Totec]

22. I certainly hope so, but it won't happen without our help. NT

[lastlib]

27. "Momentum" ain't shit without VOTES

We NEED to GET OUT and WORK, folks!! We're 23 seats behind in the House, and have a razor-thin majority in the Senate, where we're trying to defend way more seats thatn the Repugs--NO marging for error there!! If we don't win the Senate seats we're defending, we lose the Senate--period, end of discussion. The odds of doing that are STRONGLY AGAINST us. We gotta work like fury to beat those odds. The House is leaning Republican; it would take a virtual landslide to win it, and there's none showing up in the polls.

Bottom line: If we don't work our asses off for the down-ballot races, the GOPee will HAND us our asses. In a Sling. Gift-wrapped and bow-tied. Momentum is NOT with us in the Congressional races!! WE GOTTA BUILD IT!!! There are enough idiots out there in the electorate that a nitwit like Todd Akin is STILL not beaten despite having shit for brains. He could still win that one, and there are a lot more races nationwide that have electorates that can be seduced into voting against their own best interests. We got creamed in 2010 by a tidal wave of GOP/tea party idiots, and I don't see much sign that the electorate has gotten any smarter. If we let up and become complacent to "ride momentum," we're gonna get f*cked.

[flamingdem]

32. Thanks I was looking for the rum bottle reading this n/t

[TeamPooka]

33. arrrgh matey

[flamingdem]

34. 9/17/2012

International talk like a pirate day on the horizon arr

[TeamPooka]

35. thank you for the notice...hmm I have some meetings that day :) Fun nt

[Monk06]

23. It's the same voter base electing the President and the Senate I find that highly unintuitive. The

country is too polarized now for vote splitting and I think Independents are not influential enough on election day. A five to seven point lead will see to that.

[Dawson Leery]

24. GOTV.

[ejbr]

25. Maybe not so dire?

Although nothing to ignore

http://www.democraticunderground.com/125191599

[Iceberg Louie]

29. Where we're at in North Dakota...

Despite the state's storied history of being staunchly conservative, the outlook is not entirely grim. We have two things going for us on the whole:

1. the June ballots had two far right measures which seemed sure to pass in such a solid red state. The Religious Freedom Measure, ostensibly a Huckabee-esque response to the Obamacare birth control "debate", and a measure to repeal property tax entirely were both shot down by overwhelming majorities. The GOP was really banking on flaunting these conservative victories as further proof that their ideology represents the majority of Americans, but North Dakotans placed common sense above partisan hype this time around.

2. Guy Smiley life model Rick Berg's cowardly campaign has left a sour taste in the mouths of otherwise uninformed and disinterested constituents. His ads have consistently run one of two themes: his mom talking about what a good boy her son is, and Democratic opponent Heidi Heitkamp's support of President Obama and the ACA as a default attack point. Most of the latter are cookie-cutter Crossroads GPS fare, having little genuine impact, while the former have become a punchline among a broad swath of residents I have (informally) polled. After months of challenging him to a debate, Heitkamp finally got him on stage last week. Berg pretty much debated like he campaigned; barking partisan talking points, and offering nothing of substance. A lot of North Dakotans are seeing right through it.

So, I remain hopeful for this state at least.

[WI_DEM]

30. I'm stating here and now that we will win Wisconsin and Connecticut

and I think we have a good shot at North Dakota which was supposed to be a sure thing for the GOP. I think that Obama will pull Warren over the finish line in Massachusetts which would be a Dem pick up. I think that the independent former Governor of Maine (Angus King) will vote with the Dems when he gets elected to the senate which would represent another Dem pick up.

[Dawson Leery]

31. Why is Thompson polling so well?

If Obama is favored to win the state by at least 51% if nothing more, then why is Thompson outpolling Baldwin?
I'm in CT. Once the campaign gets underway Chris Murphy should pull ahead by a respectable margin. I do not see McSteroids winning with a Presidential election on the ballot.

[TroyD]

36. I think too many Democratic Senators retired this year

I don't get why Barack Obama & Harry Reid, not to mention some of the Senators themselves, didn't try to get some of them to stay. This is a pivotal time period, and I think folks like Kent Conrad should have been asked to stay on for one more term for the good of the Party.

ND wouldn't be at risk if Kent Conrad had stayed.

WI wouldn't be at risk if Herb Kohl had stayed. (in his case it is more understandable since he is older)

Connecticut should be okay in the end because the state will presumably vote for Obama in large numbers, even if it's not as high as 2008.

I think it's going to be tough for Baldwin to beat Thompson. He has lots of name recognition and experience, and is ahead in almost all the polls.

Montana appears to be Toss-Up, as does Nevada.

The MA situation is disappointing, but I've come to realize MA is just not as progressive a state as it likes to think it is. It voted for Romney for Governor and for Brown as Senator. Btw, someone recently reminded me of another factor that may be hurting Warren in MA - she's a woman. For whatever reason, MA has never elected a woman Governor or a woman Senator. Odd, considering that much more conservative states have done so, eg. Texas, Missouri etc.