HOUSE REPUBLICANS EYE 2008

[question everything]

HOUSE REPUBLICANS EYE 2008 targets after Democratic sweep.

Campaign committee chief Tom Cole touts 60 seats held by Democrats in districts Bush carried twice. One aim: "Minimize retirements" among Republican members chafing at life in the minority.

"We'll be on offense," says Democratic counterpart Chris Van Hollen, noting that most of those 60 won with at least 55%. Democrats enjoy more favorable 2008 Senate terrain, defending 12 seats to Republicans' 21. Potential retirement of Colorado Republican Sen. Allard represents a pickup opportunity.

Warner of Virginia and Domenici of New Mexico, who will be 81 and 76 by Election Day, signal re-election bids.

From the WSJ

[babylonsister]

1. How close to 80 is McCain? Both parties have oldsters but

'minimizing retirements' as a campaign aim seems pretty funny to me. That's the best they've got?

[question everything]

2. They are looking at Democrats to see what works

Apparently this was the strategy of Schumer and Emanuel

[justice1]

3. I don't see them picking up many seats if they "stay the course".

Americans are just as angry today as they were in November. The only chance they have a retaining what they have and picking up even a moderate amount of seats, is if they ban together to get rid of Bush, Cheney and Rice. The odds of that happening is next to nil.

[Nite Owl]

4. Looking at seats held by dems

where * carried twice is supposed to mean exactly what? They carried these seats while he was far more popular and the repukes held some cards. Not any more, thet really didn't get the message of the past election which was all about them. People don't trust them anymore, not with their money or the lives of their kids, not with world affairs, not with social security etc, etc. The dems have yet to prove themselves but the repukes, they can't offer anything. The only way that they can win again is to dump their nutty base and make a sharp move to the left. Not likely.

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. Actually they staretd having

talks on the eighth on how to repair the problems

Don't sell them that short

I hate to say it, they got kicked in the balls, they wimpered for five minutes and now are looking for solutions

We got kicked in the balls and we are still trying to find our way out of it, in some ways, and acting like a battered house wife...