Say you get 4 sure-thing picks for the 111th Congress.

[saltpoint]

Your 4 could come from either the House or the Senate, or a combination of both.

I'd choose

:bluebox: El Tinklenberg over Michelle Bachman. (Minnesota / U.S. Congress / 6th District)

:bluebox: Victoria Wulsin over Mean Jean Schmidt. (Ohio / U.S. Congress / 2nd District)

:bluebox: Noriega over Cornyn (Texas / U.S. Senate)

:bluebox: Kay Hagan over Elizabeth Dole. (North Carolina / U.S. Senate)

There are dozens more I would love to see flip blue, but these 4 are "musts."

[Secret_Society]

1. I would love Staten Island (NY-13 - my home) to go blue

it should, btw

[saltpoint]

4. I'll be pulling for the deepest blue shade there is.

[MadBadger]

2. My Four are Tinklenberg, Lunsford (over McConnell), Franken, and Hagan

[saltpoint]

3. Hi, hnmnf. I almost chose McConnell's race against Lunsford, too.

God, it would be great to have a McConnell-free Senate!

[MadBadger]

6. I think it would be major symbolism, kind of like Daschle losing.

[saltpoint]

10. Agree. It would weaken the Repblicans one more wound

in legislative battles.

As little as I like McConnell, he is halfway good as a major irritant to reform legislation. I have no idea who would replace him as Minority Leader. Kyl?

[CoffeeCat]

5. LOL! I'm glad I'm not the only nutjob around here!

The other day, I thought, "Ok, you can pick ANY two states that would
DEFINITELY go to Obama. Which ones would you pick. No big deal...but
the election rests on your shoulders...and David Plouffe is awaiting
your answer."

:rofl:

"Sometimes I just think funny things." -Arthur Bach

[Bucky]

7. Joe Biden for president of the Senate--the 4th branch of government

[MadBadger]

8. So he can run things and make legislation?

:P

[NC_Nurse]

9. Martin over Chambliss.

[saltpoint]

12. That would be a very sweet thing for all us Max Cleland fans.

And there is reason to be encouraged. The polling shows Martin now within just a couple points or so. Within the margin of error.

Chambliss does not deserve to sit in that chair.

[iamjoy]

17. Oh Yes

I know nothing about Martin, but Chambliss deserves to lose for the nasty campaign that draft dodger ran against an American hero.

It's hard to say the others. I think it would be cool if Franken won in MN. Of course, I'm in Florida so I'd love to see Kosmas beat Tom Feeney and Grayson beat Ric Keller.

[Coexist]

11. Ginny Brown Waite needs to go, but I love your picks.

[saltpoint]

14. How is that race going down there in Florida? Any chance that

we could flip it?

I agree with you. The sooner she is out of there, the better.

[Coexist]

16. not a chance.

her challenger has tried and failed before. We need a really great candidate. Not that Russell is awful, but not charismatic.

[saltpoint]

21. Well, that's a shame. I'll root for an upset, then.

I'm a little angry at Jan Schneider down in that Sarasota/Manatee district. Christine Jennings is an impressive candidate and had a really good shot of defeating Buchanon, but Schneider is pulling too many votes, and it looks as if Vern will hold on.

Damn.

[SoonerPride]

13. Can I axe my own state's shame: Sen Inhofe? oh please oh please!

Then Tinklenberg, Hagan, and Franken

[saltpoint]

18. On Jim Inhofe, I can never really decide if he is more mean-spirited than

troglodytic, or more troglodytic than mean-spirited.

I may just have to phone the Senator's office in the morning and ask them!

Between Inhofe and Coburn, you must have nerves of steel to live in Oklahoma.

[SoonerPride]

19. I cringed and groaned openly during the screening of An Inconvenient Truth.

When Inhofe was on the screen I let out an audible groan and the others in the theater laughed.

He is our shame.

[saltpoint]

23. I wish Oklahoma could slip back into a Fred Harris state of mind.

Fred always made me grin and appreciate his good nature. Sometimes it masked how truly intelligent he was. He seemed to have just the right touch.

[Condem]

15. Rob Hubler over Steve King in Iowa, Crusoe.

Won't happen, but King's a fucking prick.

[saltpoint]

20. I'll pray to the elves and dragons for Hubler, and I

appreciate your there-on-the-ground perspective.

Hey there Condem. Good to run into you tonight on DU.

I started thinking of how many FP's there really are in the Congress, and then realized I only allowed for 4 picks.

I should have made it 40!

[Condem]

22. I think about eight days from now, at this exact moment, Crusoe....

...well, maybe earlier, we will be toasting. Can't fucking wait!

[saltpoint]

24. Yes. Yes and yes again.

"I see blue balloons..."

[chiefofclarinet]

25. Agreed

I hate having him represent IA-5. It makes Iowa look really bad, and he is a completely useless human being. I sent my vote in for Hubler, and am hoping the best...

[Feron]

26. I would love to see LA 01 turn blue.

Steve Scalise (R) losing to Jim Harlan.

But I would also love to see Tinklenberg and Hagan win as well.

[CrispyQ]

27. Betsy Markey over Marilyn Musgrave - CO, U.S. Congress, 4th district

Musgrave was Sarah Palin before Sarah Palin.

This is from Rolling Stone in 2006, but trust me, this hateful woman has not gotten any nicer.

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/12054520/the_10_worst_congressmen/10

Musgrave has made regulating the bedroom behavior of her fellow Americans the focus of her entire career. An evangelical Christian who married her Bible-camp sweetheart, Musgrave does not believe in the separation of church and state. She entered politics in 1990, running for her local school board on a crusade to end sex education as part of the curriculum. By the time her tenure was over, the schools taught "abstinence only" -- and offending passages in health textbooks had been blacked out. During her eight years in the Colorado legislature, Musgrave continued her moralizing, overcoming two vetoes by the governor to pass a state ban on gay marriage.

Once in Congress, Musgrave introduced a constitutional amendment to outlaw gay marriage -- which she calls "the most important issue that we face today" -- nearly a year before a Massachusetts court approved civil unions. "She doesn't like the idea of one gay person," says Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts. "So obviously the idea of two of us hanging out makes her very unhappy." For her opposition to gay marriage -- as well as her push to legalize concealed weapons -- Musgrave received an endorsement from the KKK in May.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi doesn't consider Musgrave's move to rewrite the nation's founding document a laughing matter. "She is trying to taint the Constitution," Pelosi says. "That is a violation of the oath of office." But Frank notes one thing he admires about Musgrave: "If you're going to have someone who's a hater, it's best that she's not very bright. I appeared with her in a couple of forums to debate her bill, but she's totally incapable of even explaining what it says."

[saltpoint]

28. Wow, she really is terrible.

Thanks for the birdseye view on this nutbag.

Separation of church and state is one of those basic imperatives. I'll hope for a strong blue tide to get Betsy Markey in there instead.