Who would you most like to see lose a Senate seat in 2012?

[OmahaBlueDog]

Poll question: Who would you most like to see lose a Senate seat in 2012?

Yesterday, I posed some questions to DUers in this thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8853604

I'd invite anyone to participate. I'm trying to take a look at what divides us and what unites us here at DU.

Two of the questions I posed involved members of Congress and the Senate who you'd a) you'd want to get rid of at all costs and b) who you'd like to retain at all costs.

Now, it's hard to draw any real conclusions on 16 votes, but in terms of who we like, a strong theme emerged: DU likes Alan Grayson, Dennis Kucinich, and Bernie Sanders. There were also also some votes for Franken, and Boxer and Pelosi were thrown into the mix, but those three names emerged as a kind of core support group.

Who we want to get rid of -- that's another subject. Several responders went with a variant of "too many to name." We had one "throw them all out." But one theme that emerged was that almost 20% of the responders named a Senator who (at least in theory) is a Democrat.

This leads to my first follow up question. For 2012, we have some interesting Senate races from a philosophical viewpoint.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate_elections,_2012

Who would you most like to see lose a Senate seat in 2012?

I've put this in poll form, but I'd invite and encourage written responses as to the reasoning behind your vote. I selected the picks based on my perceptions of the candidates ability to be beaten (I didn't pick Richard Lugar or Orrin Hatch, for example), and Democrats that I picked were ones whose name came up in my previous thread.

As before, I am not trying to entrap anyone or call them out or violate DU Rules or sell anyone a lovely timeshare on Maryland's Eastern Shore. The point is to examine what divides us as a community and what unites us.

[OrwellwasRight]

1. There are several I hate more, but you only included 2 Rs

James Inhofe; Tom Coburn; Crapo; Shelby; any of them. But of our idiots that I'd like to see replaced by real Ds? Lieberman, Baucus, and Ben Nelson are the worst. They DO NOT re[resent their constituencies.

[valerief]

27. Yeah, I was looking for Inhofe on the list, too. I'd like to see that

guy as the victim in a horror flick. (See? I didn't say I wanted to see him hacked to pieces in real life, just in the movie. That's acceptable, right?)

[HowHasItComeToThis]

39. TREASONOUS OPINION MONGERS MUST GO

Scott Brown of Massachusetts (5 votes, 6%) Vote
Olympia Snowe of Maine (2 votes, 2%) Vote
Jon Kyl of Arizona (3 votes, 4%) Vote
John Ensign of Nevada (4 votes, 5%) Vote
Joe Lieberman of Connecticut (41 votes, 49%) Vote
Ben Nelson of Nebraska (17 votes, 20%) Vote

[Obamanaut]

2. The one third up for reelection. All incumbents should go. nt

[Retrograde]

10. Replace Boxer with Fiorina?

*shudder* I sort of agree in principle that we need more turnover, but when I look at the challengers to entrenched Dems here the alternatives aren't very appealing.

[howaboutme]

26. That's the problem

We only get the same ole same ole when what we need is change, which is why I totally support term limits. The system does not allow the voters to get rid of them. For many years my policy was to vote against incumbents as a matter of principle. That is no longer the case but it tends to be my mindset.

[LostinVA]

3. I like Olympia Snowe alot more than many, many Dems in the Senate

NO WAY do I want her or Susan Collins to lose their seats,a nd I doubt very much they ever will. I lived in fear McCain would choose her as his running mate, because I knew he would have a VERY good chance of winning if that happened.

I also think that, if it wasn't for her family history, she would do a Jeffords.

And no, she is far from perfect, but she's a better Democratic Senator than alot of the actual Democratic Senators. Which is sad.

The Teabaggers and RW GOPers do NOT like her at all, btw.

[OmahaBlueDog]

15. I don't understand why Collins doesn't become independent and caucus with us

...but they don't. I agree - it's probably the family history in Snowe's case, but her party has left her.

I'll throw two things out. First, I think it's better than even money Snowe will get primaried by the baggers. Second, I think Maine is a state where we could replace a moderate (Snowe) with a progressive if we put our minds to it.

[LostinVA]

43. I am surprised Susie Collins doesn't

And, I don't think there would be much backlash against her if she did a Jeffords.

Maybe someday Snowe will realize that her Party has left her family history behind, too, and cross the aisle. Or, at least, stand in the middle.

Oh, they will definitely Teabag Snowe -- the Pre-Baggers already did a few years ago. Well, they put up a trial balloon, anyway, but it popped. I think Collins has a better chance of being replaced by a Progressive, for the reason that Snowe is such a "scion" of Maine.

[TK421]

44. "The Teabaggers and RW GOPers do NOT like her at all, btw."

and that makes her cool in my book

I agree, I wouldn't want her to lose her seat myself

[NorthCarolina]

4. If they are DLC/GOP, vote the rat bastards out. n/t

[Chan790]

5. Lieberman's probably a moot point...

he won his last race largely because there was functionally no credible nominee to the right of him and he carried an overwhelming proportion of CT GOPers. I'm pretty sure even he knows this is his last dance...as much as he claims to be independent and a moderate, I doubt he'd run if he knew he had no chance of winning and his running would hand his seat to the GOP.

He could throw his hat into either party's primary but I can't see him winning either primary. With her disqualification for Atty. Gen. of CT, I think the obvious front-runner for the Dem. nod would be current CT Sec. of State Susan Bysiewicz, a major power-broker at the state level without a position come November. On the GOP side, it'll be Simmons.

[FreakinDJ]

6. Only difference between Joe LIEberman and Dianne Feinstein

is Dianne prefers to stay under the radar

Which only makes her a "Sneaky Turncoat"

[jtrockville]

7. My top 3 who I wish to see go: Blanche Lincoln, Mary Landrieu, Ben Nelson.

[Kurovski]

8. Brown, so as to "refudiate" all the teabag horseshit. (nt)

[OmahaBlueDog]

16. I'm really surprised to see Brown getting so few votes

After all, he's sitting in Ted Kennedy's seat. You'd think that would be a seat we'd want to regain at all costs.

I understand the anger at Ben Nelson, but it's not like you'll defeat him and get a progressive in his place -- he'll be replaced with a Mike Johanns clone. I guess I don't see where that makes us better off.

[Kurovski]

20. My thoughts, and almost to the letter.

:D How'd you do that!??

EDIT: I'm guessing some have forgotten who Brown is, and where he sits. His name sounds like any 75 people in govt.

[Recursion]

36. The party's having some trouble in MA

A lot of statehouse-level ethics problem, and a statewide party that (as the Brown election fiasco shows) takes us all for granted (Brown probably would have lost if the D running had, oh, for example, campaigned for the seat). And we're probably about to lose the Governor's mansion because Patrick is unable to hand the insurance companies their own balls when they jack up rates 25% (and disturbingly, his run for Governor was the "test fire" for Obama's run for POTUS).

Brown ran as a teabagger to get media attention but he's voting like a New England Republican, so there are a lot of people I'd rather get out of the Senate than him.

[IndianaGreen]

9. Holy Joe of Likud

Off with his head!

[TheWraith]

11. All of the above?

Ensign, Lieberman, Feinstein, and Brown, most of all.

[Kalyke]

12. Bob Porker... um... Corker.

I would like the Tennessee Democratic Party, in the wake of the guaranteed losses they're going to have this year because they've failed to put forth any decent candidates in years, to finally wipe the sleep from their eyes and field a populist candidate who would kick Porker's butt back to Chattanooga.

[DAMANgoldberg]

52. U want Steve Cohen then...

TN-9. He is the only progressive that could win statewide, especially since Harold Ford couldn't. Bredessen is not a progressive, but could win.

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

13. I clicked the wrong one. Whoops!

[pscot]

14. I voted for DiFi with Lieberman a close second

While Ben Nelson is a despicable human being, we aren't likely to get a better Democrat, or any other Democrat at all, out of Nebraska. Feinstein, on the other hand, is a shitty senator from a liberal state. IMO we should be able to do a lot better with that seat.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

17. Why is Orrin Hatch out of that list????? EDIT: Ah, I see why. Wait, what's this "unbeatable" BS?

I don't think it's productive to consider a Senator "unbeatable".

At the very least, make them sweat for it.

[OmahaBlueDog]

18. Partly because I was running out of slots (I think I had one more)

If I added another choice, it would have been Corker (R-TN) or Wicker (R-MS). They are not likely to be beaten, BUT making these two sweat for it is a real possibility. Both states are changing somewhat.

Actually, Hatch is beatable -- by another Republican. There's a real shot he gets T-bagged.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

19. Hatch, teabagged? THAT would pleasure me to no end!

:bounce:

[OmahaBlueDog]

21. If it can happen to Bob Bennett, it can happen to Hatch

:evilgrin:

[NoPasaran]

22. KBH (or replacement R nominee) of Texas

There are a lot of hardline enemies who need to do before I'll turn on wishy-washy friends.

[OmahaBlueDog]

24. That's going to be an interesting election

She got no traction running for Governor. Perry is positioning himself as a modern-day Jeff Davis, and I'm betting will announce for the Presidency shortly after being re-elected. She's a prime candidate to be T-bagged in the primaries.

I have a theory that Michael Bloomberg is going to stage an independent run at the Presidency in 2012, ans I have two likely Veep candidates for this effort -- Charlie Crist and KBH.

[w8liftinglady]

28. It's funny that KBH's supporters are favoring the Dem Governor's candidate.

I would love to see a powerful Dem running for Senate in texas.

[Melissa G]

37. Which powerful Dem did you have in mind?

AFAICT, That is the problem in Texas... a dearth of powerful Dems.

I hope enough KBH supporters jump over to White's camp to kick Ricky Chicky to the curb.

[w8liftinglady]

41. here's a few..

Lloyd doggett
http://doggett.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=94&Itemid=88

Sheila Jackson Lee
http://www.jacksonlee.house.gov/Issues/

Silvestre Reyes
http://reyes.house.gov/Issues/

[Melissa G]

50. My memory may be fading, but I have worked almost all of Lloyd's campaigns

since I moved to Austin in 1979. My memory is that a US senate race was the only race Lloyd has ever lost. That was 1984 and sadly Phil Gramm cracker got into power. That was a bleak time.

[Motown_Johnny]

23. I would go with Traitor Joe but he isn't up for reelection until 2012

[OmahaBlueDog]

25. But, but, but....

The OP asked who you'd want out most in 2012. So you can answer with Traitor Joe without fear or embarrasment or a time share pitch.

[Jefferson23]

29. I wish I could have voted more than once, since many are deserving of

losing their seat. As I'm from Ct. I can't wait for Lieberman to go.

[Greyhound]

30. All of the above. n/t

[Jack Rabbit]

31. I'll go with Ben Nelson

Lieberman has been behaving himself for the most part lately.

If Nelson is replaced by a Republican, who will tell the difference?

For 2010, I'd like to see DeMint lose his seat.

[Donnachaidh]

32. can't we have multiple choices?

I cannot choose just ONE. There are several on the list, and a few more I'd like to add (like my two senators, Chambliss and Isakson) which I'd like to see kicked to the curb.

[Sebastian Doyle]

33. All of the above.

Plus Max Baucus, Mary Landrieu, Blanche WalMart, etc.

[old mark]

34. Joe Lieberman...it was him or Ben Nelson, but Joe won out in the end

for his absolute egotism and disregard of the common good.
Ensign was my third choice.


mark

[old mark]

35. dupe - delete

[TransitJohn]

38. Other: John Barrasso.

The guy is a surgeon who goes on TV and decries providing health care to Americans.

[Radical Activist]

40. I'd rather see a poll like this for 2010.

[OmahaBlueDog]

48. I understand, but there was a reason I picked 2012

This is part of an informal project that I'm undertaking to examine attitudes on DU. (see the link near the top of the OP on this thread). I took a survey asking who in Congress Democrats would like to see removed. 20% of the responses had a Democrat's name -- either Nelson or Feinstein. 2012 had a better array of candidates to examine attitudes.

That said, I will see what I can do to help you out.

[Unvanguard]

42. Rationally, whoever votes with the Democrats least. Emotionally, Scott Brown.

Out of pure spite, of course.

[mnhtnbb]

45. I have to go with Lieberman, although Ben Nelson is a close second.

[TheKentuckian]

46. arrgggh I hit Holy Joe for smarminess but Di-Fi is even more of a waste

[WorseBeforeBetter]

47. Richard Burr (R-NC)! (n/t)

[OmahaBlueDog]

49. Two years ago, I'd have said we had a real shot to knock him off

Now, not so much.

[lib2DaBone]

51. Scott Brown sure turned out to be a Wall Street Repuke...

Did you know he drives a Pickup Truck?