From RedState


Time to Get Real and Save the Senate

The Presidential race is over. Let's save a filibuster capable senate
minority.

Posted by: Brad Smith

Thursday, October 16, 2008 at 08:37AM CDT

42 Comments

Let's be brutally honest. Barack Obama is going to win the presidential
election, and probably by a lot. We'll avoid recriminations and "I told
you so"s and second guessing here. Let's just face the reality. Obama is
trading at 84 on in-trade. Overnight quickie polls show the public
overwhelmingly thinks Obama won last night's debate - which probably has
less to do with any "objective" scoring and more to do with the fact
that folks have simply decided to vote for Obama. Obama has more cash
than McCain and independent groups are spending more in his support than
they are in favor of McCain. Obama's national lead is in double digits
in many polls, and per Real Clear Politics, Obama leads in every -
that's EVERY, as in all - battleground states. His leads in Michigan,
Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, even
Colorado, Virginia, and Florida, are all outside the margin of error.

So Barack Obama is the next president of the United States, and the
Democrats will gain seats in the House and the Senate. At this point, it
is imperative that the Republicans maintain a filibuster-capable Senate
minority. The Democrats now have about a one in three chance of picking
up the 60 or more Senate seats they would need to prevent filibusters.

It is not quite right to say that every nickle spent by the Republican
National Committee in support of Senator McCain is a waste, because
McCain's performance will still help downticket races. But the RNC - and
individual donors - need to concentrate remaining resources not on
Senator McCain's race for president, but on shoring up endangered Senate
Republicans. We need to help Norm Coleman in Minnesota, Elizabeth Dole
in North Carolina, Roger Wicker in Mississippi. Even Saxby Chambliss in
Georgia and Mitch McConnell in potentially in danger, and Chuck Schumer
is pouring money into Kentucky to try to take down the Minority Leader.
It may be too late to help John Sununu in New Hampshire, Gordon Smith in
Oregon, or Bob Schaeffer in Colorado, but they're all in much better
position than the McCain campaign. It's even worth trying to save Ted
Stevens in Alaska - we're going to need every vote. 41 Senate seats will
be the only meaningful check on Pelosi, Reid, and Obama for the next
four years.

I know it's tough for people to give up on the presidential. But there
is a point at which you have to seriously look at the evidence, and save
what can still be saved. The RNC needs to shift its focus to the Senate,
and the McCain campaign should likewise shift its focus to those states
where a stronger McCain effort can help some of these endangered
Republicans keep their seats.


http://www.redstate.com/diaries/brad...senate/#c57704

..
--
A Harry Krause truism:

"It's not a *baby* kicking, beautiful bride, it's just a fetus!"
[A Narcissistic Hypocrite]