Ben Nelson (D-NE) was going to retire in a year whether he wanted to or not. His decision not to run for reelection merely means that he’s bowing to the inevitable.
In order to recapture the Senate in 2012, the GOP needs a net gain of four seats; and the numbers look much better now than they did in 2010. Out of the thirty-three incumbent Senators up for reelection next year, only ten are Republicans. The Democrats have more than twice as many seats to defend, and it’s going to be tough… Something of which the rats are no doubt aware, given the way they’re starting to abandon ship in droves.
- Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI), retiring.
- Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), retiring.
- Senator Kent Conrad (D-NC), retiring.
- Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI), retiring.
- Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT), retiring.
- Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE), retiring.
- Senator Jim Webb (D-VA), retiring.
Robomonkey's Blog 
1 January 2012 at 9:42 PM
Thing is, simply adding Republicans is no guarantee that our pressing problems are going to be addressed. In 2004, a Republican President was re-elected, and Republicans extended their majorities in both the House and the Senate–the first time that set of circumstances had occurred since the McKinley administration. And what happened? The public debt went up, up, and away, no different than if Jimmy Carter and Tip O’Neil had been in charge.
3 January 2012 at 7:32 AM
I’m fully aware that GOP control of Congress in and of itself won’t solve all (or necessarily any) of the current problems; but we can at least hope it will slow them down. If Obama does get reelected, he at least won’t have supermajorities in Congress supporting him like he did his first two years (when ObamaCare, the Stimulus, et al. got passed) — or even Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to kill anything passed by the GOP House (as in the last year). That won’t stop the bastard from using regulatory agencies and executive orders to push his agenda, but it will at least slow him down and make things a bit harder for him.
The secondary problem (after Obama and the far-left Democrats in Congress) is the establishment GOP who also are too willing to ignore their constituents and the Constitution in the interests of growing government (and their own power and bank accounts). This is why I support primarying and removing from power RINOs like McCain, and getting new GOP blood (which hasn’t been corrupted by power yet) into power. 2010 brought some genuine conservatives into the Congress; but, because of seniority rules (and the fact they the Tea Party newbies are still a minority of the GOP Congress as a whole), the reins of power are still being held by the older, less conservative, establishment GOP. That also needs to change — but the primary danger to our country right not remains vested in the Democratic Party.
24 January 2012 at 4:22 PM
It’s almost like someone sprayed Raid™…