Expect a Bunch of Dem Retirements

Courtesy of Mickey Kaus:

From Joe Trippi (former campaign manager for Howard Dean): Expect a big wave of Democratic retirements from Congress in the next couple of years, as veterans who've been holding on in hopes of regaining majority power give up. Many of these Democrats have been using their personal popularity (and powers of incumbency) to win in Republican areas. When they leave, their seats will flip. The GOPs could attain 60 votes in the Senate and maybe 30 more seats in the House.

Dems don't like being out of power, and some of the veterans are going to tire quickly of being in a shrinking minority. That's why I don't worry about guys like Arlen Specter or Lincoln Chaffee changing sides ala the idiot Senator Jeffords from Vermont that quit the Republican Party in 2001. When he quit, it gave the majority to the Dems and Tom Daschle. If Specter, Chaffee, or both quit today, they'd just be joining a slightly larger minority and would give up all the perks of being in the majority.