DSCC Rant - Sorry for the huge delay!

Road to Victory: Economic Worries in Texas

Filling up the gas tank. Keeping their jobs. Making sure their kids get the health care they need.

These are the issues that keep real Texans up at night as they struggle to get by in today's economy. We know because we asked.

As part of our "Road to Victory" video series, we went to the Lone Star State to find out what Republican incumbent John Cornyn is doing to solve the real economic issues facing his state. Turns out, he's not doing much.

Click here to see exactly what real people think about Republican John Cornyn's response to our slumping economy. It's not pretty.

Cornyn voted against expanding the SCHIP, the Children's Health Insurance Program. He has been quoted as saying Americans need to "come to terms" with having their good-paying jobs shipped overseas. And do you think we can rely on him to lower gas prices when he's the 4th biggest recipient of campaign contributions from oil and gas companies?

Once again, we're seeing an overwhelming desire for change from real voters in key states. They are angry because, for too long, Republicans in Washington have ignored the issues they really care about.

If we were John Cornyn, we'd be awfully worried about our reelection prospects.

Yes Man

Admiral William Fallon, the Pentagon's top commander on the Middle East, had long been one of the few voices of sanity in the Bush administration opposing an invasion of Iran. The bad news is that he abruptly resigned earlier this week.

While many pundits are debating whether or not Fallon's resignation is a sign that military action against Iran is imminent, what is clear is that Bush has managed to silence one of the few dissenting voices left in his administration.

Admiral Fallon spoke truth to power and is now out of the military. What do you want to bet that the Bush administration finds a willing yes-man to replace him?

South Dakota: Kirby Won't Run

Another Republican challenger, whom the NRSC called an "absolute heavyweight," backed out of the race in South Dakota this week when multi-millionaire Steve Kirby declined to run against Democratic Senator Tim Johnson. Kirby could have potentially spent his vast fortune attacking Senator Johnson and trying to make it a close race. But when faced with Senator Johnson's sky-high approval ratings and strong campaign organization, Kirby made the smart choice and decided to sit this one out.

Senator Johnson could still face a tough race, but for now Republicans are scrambling to find anyone who resembles a legitimate challenger. Given Senator Johnson's strong record of working for South Dakota, the GOP is sure to have a tough time coming up with anyone.

Arkansas: Republicans Draw a Blank

In Arkansas the situation is even worse for Republicans - they failed to find a single candidate to oppose Democrat Mark Pryor. That's right, the filing deadline came and went this week and not one Republican in the entire state of Arkansas was willing to run against Senator Pryor. That's a huge victory in a red state like Arkansas.

The Republican's failure in Arkansas is an early indication that this year could be big for Democrats. The first step in expanding our majority in the Senate is to protect incumbent Democrats. When the GOP can't find a single recruit in Arkansas, that frees up valuable resources we can use to go on the offense against Republican incumbents in other states.

Minnesota: Franken Focused

One incumbent we aim to topple is Republican Norm Coleman in Minnesota. And with the news this week that Democrat Mike Ciresi has dropped out of the primary race, author and comedian Al Franken is poised to be the Democratic nominee.

The early polling shows Franken running neck and neck with Coleman. Since Franken has been out-fundraising and out-working the Republican incumbent, we should have a real advantage on the campaign trail.

The national Republicans have already named this race one of their top targets. You can be sure that Norm Coleman is running very, very scared.

Taking it to the Republicans

So why are Republicans having so much trouble finding candidates in traditionally red states? It's pretty simple - because of you. In 2007 Democrats out-raised, out-performed, and out-hustled the Republicans. Your support helped us to respond to Republican attacks, recruit amazing Democratic challengers, and build up a cash-on-hand advantage that's scaring the dickens out of potential Republican challengers.

Election Day will be here sooner than you think. We can't sit back and be content with just re-electing our Democrats - we need to take it to the Republicans while there's still time.

Help us keep the pressure on the GOP by making a contribution today.