Rumor has it that a prominent Repub pol is going to change Party?

[kentuck]

Now, I'm not one to start a rumor but has anyone else heard anything about this? I haven't read anything about it but I hear it is in the grapevine? If that were true, that would be a blow to the tightship run by this White House? At this moment, however, it is just a rumor. :)

[Zenlitened]

Okay, place yer bets, people! Who's it gonna be?

:D

[ET Awful]

5. Zell Miller?

I mean he's a repub poll, and needs to change parties :)

[asthmaticeog]

1. Even rumors have sources.

Would you mind citing the source of this one?

[wtmusic]

2. Seconded. n/t

[unhappycamper]

3. Lieberman to become a Dem?

No. Really.

[still_one]

4. it won't matter unless it is part of the Senate

[Freddie Stubbs]

7. Even if it was the GOP would still have a comfortable majority

They would still have 54 seats.

[tx_dem41]

You have to win them back one seat at a time...

plus with N.E. Republicans sometimes crossing the aisle on a few issues, even one seat could make a difference.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

6. Rumors are just that. Rumors.

And rumors like that have a way of getting around with little in the way of facts to back them up.

I am pretty sure that any reasonable republican that is presently serving thinks that he or she is in a battle to save the soul of his or her party, thus being imbued with no end of Noble Cause.

Besides, the change of party by just one person, either congresscritter or senator, would have no net effect whatsoever. It would only inflame the frothers. The chants of "Treason most foul!" would drown out anything said, that was substantive, by said person.

[kentuck]

8. Very true, T_S..

:)

[KharmaTrain]

9. Why Change Now?

What advantage is there for even the meekest Repugnican from crossing the aisle? Especially anyone with senority? The timing just isn't right.

The Senate is about to go into shutdown (Hang tough, Harry...don't back down an inch!!) and who knows how the political and corporate media winds will blow this event as it transpires. Any Repugnican taking sides with Democrats right now risk blow back if the Democrats cave.

The DeLay sleeze in the House still isn't sticking that hard yet, and polls constantly show, while people will disapprove of the House, they approve of their specific Representative. That's a major reason it's so difficult to unseat an incumbent, and right now, with all that power and DeLay still very much in command, this isn't time to make waves.

I wouldn't worry about shifts unless the Democrats take control of the House...not the Senate, the House. This is when a lot of Repugnicans crossed over in '94 and I expect we'll see a few come our way if a similar event occurs next year.

[woodsprite]

10. Can there be a change in time for the vote for Bolton? n/t

[KharmaTrain]

12. Not With The Current Numbers

Be assured Voinovich "got a message" and Chaffee's gonna join Hagel and just get this thing out of committee, get it on the floor and vote it down there...safer, and I'm sure Frist, while he'll be pissed, would prefer it that way.

Once this comes out of committee, 51 is all they need and even without Hagel, Chaffee, Snow and Collins (and no guarantee any of those will vote down Bolton), there's also gonna be pressure on Democrats like both Nelsons to go the other way. They're both vulnerable and targeted in elections.

It'd be another story if there was a Democratic majority in the House as this would enbolden the Senate...as it did in the 80's...despite Repugnican majorities most of those years, the Democrats still pretty much controlled the legislative.

Now the shoe's on the other foot.

[carnie_sf]

11. I'm thinking

Olympia Snowe might be a possibility, given how unhappy the party establishment is with her just now.