Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Election Geekery

I come from a political family from way back. Maybe it's genetic. But I'm sitting here with my wine and my computer, getting cautiously optimistic (a feeling which in the political world has ALWAYS come around to bite me in the butt) about the possibility of the Democrats taking control of the House.

The three vulnerable Republican-held seats in Indiana look very much like they'll go to Democrats. It looks like only one of three vulnerable seats in Kentucky will swing Democratic. I was hoping we'd get all six, guaranteeing some early-election-night pants-wetting at the Republican National committee headquarters. But still, this is looking almost....dare I say it?.... good.

updated later.... I scarcely know what to do with myself. The House looks (whispering, in case the election gods are listening)certain to switch to Democratic control. We've got six more Democratic governors than we had this morning. And I swear to God, we might even get the Senate -but that's still a long shot.

still later...Local good news is that Dennis Hastert really might lose. I think this one is going to go late into the night, and even if he wins he'll have to get it now that he's vulnerable. And even if he wins -and assuming the House really does switch to Democratic leadership- he loses his slot as Speaker. I'm doing the Happy Dance tonight.

The fate of the Dirty Dozen (the 12 elected officials with the worse environmental records)
  • Sen. Conrad Burns (MT) -too close to call but the Democrat is ahead. Updated: The Democrat is further out ahead.
  • Sen. Rick Santorum (PA) -buh bye!
  • Sen. Jim Talent (MO) -mysteriously, he's ahead
  • Sen George Allen (VA) - he's neck and neck with his Democratic opponent. Updated: the Democrat is squeaking -and I do mean squeaking- ahead.
  • Rep. Dan Boren (OK) -won
  • Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH) -it looks like she'll win, too. Yep, she won.
  • Re. Henry Cuellar (TX) -he's going to win, too
  • Rep. Katherine Harris (FL) -she's history
  • Re. Richard Pombo (CA) -way too close to call; they're neck and neck and there aren't many returns available from California yet
  • Rep. Charles Taylor -he's looking for a new job (NC)
  • Rep. Heather Wilson (NM) -still too close to call
  • Rep. J.D. Hayworth (AZ) -it looks like he's going to lose


So, we're going to lose four of the worst environmental offenders, keep at least two and probably three, and we'll have to wait and see what happens to the rest of them. The ones I'd most like to see lose: George Allen and Deborah Pryce (Oh well). At 11:30, it looks like Conrad Burns is going to lose, too -so that's five environmental disasters we're going to lose.

OK... tempering my wild dancing here.... I don't think John Laesch can pull it off against Dennis Hastert. He's come closer than anybody in a really long time, but I think it's too late. I did notice that wikipedia already identifies Nancy Pelosi as Speaker, though ;)

It's way past my bedtime... but in the "give peace a vote" department, we have to think good thoughts for Illinois candidate Tammy Duckworth. That race is closer than I would have thought and WAY closer than I wanted. And in local peace-full news, the referendum to bring home the troops passed in DeKalb but failed in Sycamore.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thus far, we're up four seats in the House and three in the Senate. The only Senate seat we had to worry about was New Jersey, and they've called that for the Democratic incumbent, so barring any major surprises elsewhere, at the very least the Republican majority there is three smaller than it was when they recessed. (I assume, argumentis causa, that Joementum is going to keep his promise to caucus with the Democrats--and that they'll have him, the dirty traitor.)

Lisa :-] said...

Yes...at least the House is looking good, much as the Dems tried and tried NOT to take advantage of Republican vulnerability. Those freakin' Karl Rove clones lied up to the very last minute, saying the polls were wrong and that the GOP wasn't going to lose anything (everything?) this time around. I guess it was a last ditch effort to drag that "everybody loves to back a winner" mindset out for the fourth election in a row...

breadchick said...

Ok...you must be dancin' now! Not only did we get the house! and now at least will make every vote in the Senate painful...but we got that wanker Rummy out of there. Good day to be a Dem!

Andrea Rusin said...

OH my goodness! I've been in my little cave at work and hadn't heard that Rumsfeld resigned!!!! Woo Hoo!!!!