Chuck's wagon rollin' (Schumer identifies key '08 Senate targets)

[brooklynite]

...snip...

Schumer has also begun to assemble candidates for the 33 Senate seats that will be contested in 2008. It's seen as a year that favors Democrats, with 12 Democratic incumbents up for reelection compared with 21 Republicans.

His first goal is ensuring that no Democrat retires.

"We have now gotten 11 of the 12 Democrats to commit to running again. Tom Harkin is still making up his mind," Schumer said, going on to lavish praise on the 67-year-old Democrat. "He's a great senator. He does more in a couple of years than many senators have done in a lifetime."

Schumer said the three most vulnerable Republicans are Colorado Sen. Wayne Allard, New Hampshire's John Sununu and Minnesota's Norm Coleman - who went to high school with Schumer in Brooklyn. He said a Democrat, Rep. Mark Udall, had already stepped forward to challenge Allard, but that he hasn't yet recruited challengers for the other two seats.

http://www.nydailynews.com/01-08-2007/news/col/story/486634p-409728c.html

[SoFlaJet]

1. Did Al Franken

make HIS announcement for Coleman's seat up in Minnesota yet?

[DeeDeeNY]

2. I thought Al Franken was going to challenge Coleman

although I haven't heard anything recently.

[Deep13]

3. Not wasting any time, is he.

Schumer is emerging as a real power broker. I heard it was Schumer that urged Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) to run for Senate.

[lancdem]

5. Schumer did a phenomenal job

as head of the DSCC, and I'm thrilled he's staying on for the nexy cycle, when we have a great chance to add to our majority.

[Doctor_J]

4. I have to believe Voinovich is in big trouble too

The OH voting scams will be fixed by 2008, meaning that state will be blue for awhile.

[noonwitch]

9. I thought Voinovich was pretty well-liked?

My brother lives in Columbus, and although he is a solid dem, he said that Voinovich was a good guy "for a republican", and that he was liked by a majority of Ohioans.

[Doctor_J]

10. So is Gordo Smith (OR), but I don't think either will be able to put enough

distance between himself and *. OH is turning blue, and in fact I can't think of anyone who'll be campaigning for Voinovich. Maybe some pro athletes. Meanwhile popular Dems (Clinton, Clark, Sherrod, Strickland, etc.) will be here all summer stumping for whoever he's running against.

[cascadiance]

6. Should be going after Gordon Smith in Oregon too...

Oregon is now leaning blue, and probably will be even bluer by 2008. I know many other Dems that have moved there, and I'm considering moving there myself.

Also, since the Republican moderate was the target in last election that worked well (since the GOP is being pushed into being more extremist right wing party), Susan Collins of Maine should also be a target of either defeating or converting into a Democrat then.

[David__77]

7. A goal of a 55-45 majority is a good one.

Very reasonable for 2008. The house should be at least at 245-190 for there to be a good, progressive working coalition.

[Doctor_J]

11. Would that be something? From 45-55 to 55-45 in two cycles?

At least something good came from the Bush Years.

[Bucky]

12. "something good"

That's like saying, "Well, I may have cut my arm off with this chain saw, but at least there's that cute doctor at the hospital."

[Doctor_J]

14. I dunno. The permanent relegation of the GOP to the margin would

be more than a cute doctor. More like "I cut my arm off with the chain saw, but the resulting hoopla made Poulin come up with a 100% safer saw".

[hogwyld]

13. Would love it to go 80-20 solidly liberal Dem.

Filibuster proof majority in both houses, a solidly Dem president for at least a couple of generations so that we can fix all of the damage done by the "compassionate" ones.

[UTUSN]

8. SHUMER's been a ROCK for a long time

He was nearly the lone Dem drawing the battle lines over the judiciary wingnut nominations.