partisan flankering on senate races

Eyeing the election conglomeration of 2014, in a World Where Mr. Gallup claims that there has been no time that a political party has been so unmoored from where the American public sits than the Republican Party right now, … well, things get interesting anyway.  Because the Senate map of 2012 came out well for the Democrats despite looking ugly, and the Senate map in 2014 looks as ugly starting out…

So we get some pretty amusing comedy in the comments section of stories about the retirement of Democratic Senator Tim Johnson.

Another Dem afraid to defend Obama Care….
I guess he passed the bill and found out what’s in it…
Democrats are reading the tea leaves.
Democrats will be swept out of office because Barack Obama and his policies are way out of step with mainstream America.
Democrats will be on the ash-heap of political relevance until Obamacare is repealed.|
The GOP will be in total control of Congress following the 2014 Mid-Terms, and Obama will be more an insignificant Lame Duck than he already is.
There’s hope for regaining OUR America, folks–patience.
I disagree. We have already exercised more patience than we (or this great country) can bear. We need to get out in front and press the vote!!
Don’t you just love how these Democrats create big, long lasting DAMAGE to the U.S. they high tail it out of town?
Look at both Dodd and Frank! They played a big hand in the financial melt down by protecting FANNIE & FREDDIE from needed reforms and now small banks and credit unions are suffering from DODD/FRANK – while TOO BIG TO FAIL are still up to dirty deeds.
Im not complaining. Now it is time to get a team of investigators on Johnson, and get him into Jail. Once he is found guilty on something the dems will throw him overboard.
We need to do this enough until they start taking each other out on their own.

The comedy here comes in with the “let’s investigate Tim Johnson and find something”.  Anything will do, I suppose.  A bit of a footnote: the Republican rank and file believes Tim Johnson won his seat in 2002 illegitimately — “last minute ballots” dredged up in the “bought and paid for” Indian reservations — how else do you explain Johnson’s win on a Republican night?  They also believe Al Franken won illegitimately — and when looking over comments of any story concering Senator Franken I run into “Trust me: it was stolen.  And don’t comment unless you were in Minnesota” — the Shadow Claimants.

I also note about Tim Johnson: his most famous moment was literally falling brain dead for a few moment on the Senate floor, thus being rushed into Hospital care for a few moments.  The man has Health issues.  You don’t need to go too much further than that in assessing reasons for retirement and the political calculus of spotting the tea leaves.

So, South Dakota will  either will have a Republican Primary as defacto General election, two parties clearing the race for a general election, or a Republican primary against a cleared General election.  We’ll … see.  I note that the NRA and paranoid claim of “using a tragedy for political aim of confiscated our guns” is always belied in cases like… South Dakota… where the gun issue becomes a headache of wedge issue.

Other “races” to watch… the big one… Kentucky… gets a write up in the American Conservative

If Ashley Judd decides to run for Senate next year, she will get more attention than perhaps any other Democratic candidate. But she’ll be far from the most likely Democrat to win.

The actress’s Twitter feed certainly lends credence to the idea that she’s running. Judd has been rooting for local Kentucky sports teams, talking about hymns she enjoys hearing in church, asking what Bible verses are on her followers’ minds, and offering innocuous political comments.

No, I don’t have a clue if she’s the Democrats’ best option — seems a “high risk, high reward” type dealing where they may be need one lest someone saunter to a predictable ten point drubbing trying to hew to a “Center” and lob an insult or two about the opponent’s college days as an “Aqua Buddha” or whatever –, or if the Clinton design of finding another candidate is necessary.  I will point out something about the ruse of “They elected Rand Paul — how can they elect Ashley Judd?” — some things go beyond “right / left dichotmey” — it’s a three dimensional world and we do have the “Outsider” or (yes indeed) “Entertainer” dimension that might better posit Judd than “Generic Centrist pulled in from Clinton”.   (Paul is tacking “left” — sort of — on Immigration, Drones, and Pot, after all…)

Beyond that… Massachusetts, where we note that Elizabeth Warren is hewing right on Marijuana in attacking the potential Republican candidate in the upcoming special election to replace John Kerry.  No, I don’t think this issue will pull through the next Scott Brown.

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