Republican goal in 08: limit losses

Remember that Sesame Street song, one of these things is not like the others? The man leading the Republicans' Senate campaign effort didn't go as far as signing it today, but said something close when he gave his reasons why Democrats shouldn't count on Rep. Mark Udall winning Colorado's open U.S. Senate seat race.

“Mark Udall is not a Ken Salazar or a Ritter,’’ Sen. John Ensign of Nevada said, referring to Sen. Ken Salazar elected in 2004 and Gov. Bill Ritter elected in 2006. “Those guys are conservative Democrats, somewhat conservative Democrats.

"They’re pro-business, pro-gun, pro-death penalty,’’ Ensign added. “Mark Udall is a Boulder liberal. He is. I went to school (at) Colorado State so I understand, Boulder’s a different part of the state than the rest of Colorado.”

Udall lives in Eldorado Springs, in Boulder County.

Speaking with reporters at a Washington D.C. lunch, Ensign put the Colorado Senate race in the top 10 nationwide that Republicans are focusing on. Asked how Republicans will win the Colorado seat, Ensign said he believes it’s a much closer race than Democrats thought it would be a year ago. Udall faces Republican Bob Schaffer.

Ensign said Udall would have to defend his voting record, which he called “one of the most far left” in the U.S. House.

Udall spokeswoman Taylor West agreed that the race will be tough, but said Udall will prevail.

“The reason Mark Udall is going to win is that Mark is the independent Western Coloradan Democrat that folks are looking for in a year when they’re desperately looking for change in the ideas and leadership that have taken the country in such a wrong direction,’’ West said.

Ensign said Republicans are hoping to minimize their losses in November, and that holding Senate defeats to three or four seats “would be great night for us.”

“It’s probably the toughest election cycle … since 1974,’’ for Republicans,’’ Ensign said, citing the year President Richard Nixon resigned.

“I’ve told every Republican … if you have an R in front of your name this year, you’d better run scared,’’ Ensign added.

Losing four seats would mean Republicans would potentially have trouble using filibusters to block votes on legislation. With 100 senators present, it takes 41 votes to prevent legislation from moving forward. Currently there are 49 Republican senators. Ensign said because there are always a few Republicans who want an individual bill to advance, the party needs at least 45 to successfully block Democrats.

If Sen. Barack Obama is elected president, “Republicans really will be the firewall,’’ that makes Democrats moderate their positions, Ensign said.

The Senate races Republicans consider the most vulnerable are Maine, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Alaska, Oregon, Colorado, New Mexico, Louisiana, North Carolina and Virginia, Ensign said.

Republicans plan to use energy as a campaign issue, targeting Democrats as having blocked energy production that could lower prices, he said.

Democrats are arguing that Republicans cater to oil companies and that they have blocked significant investment in renewable energies. Sen. Salazar has repeatedly said there is no way “to drill to energy independence.’’

Ensign pointed to the debate over drilling for oil in oil shale, a majority of which is located in Colorado and Utah. He said as energy prices continue to rise, concern about drilling in environmentally sensitive areas will decline, adding, “we can do these things in an environmentally sensitive way now.”

Ensign, who has been named to lists of Capitol Hill's most attractive people, did not eat the salmon lunch or the chocolate souffle dessert. He did ask whether the dessert was as good as it looked.

"I just like to live vicariously,'' Ensign said.

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