That’s right, the 2008 general election means a possible return of a Conservative majority in the Senate and perhaps the House as well if the GOP plays its cards right. Notice that I didn’t say Republican? I said Conservative.

The key to making this happen is an active search for Conservative candidates. Just because someone has a GOP membership card doesn’t necessarily mean that they will return fiscal restraint and limit social expansion of our government. I need no further example of the danger of RINOs than John McCain and George Voinovich. Two individuals whose Conservative credentials are less than those of Blue Dog Democrat Zell Miller.

That said, who is vulnerable on the left side of the aisle in the Senate? How about Mary Landrieu (D LA)? She’s up for re-election from a state that has been under the Democrat thumb for decades. A state in which corruption is the norm and where funds designated to maintain levies were irresponsibly spent on other projects that state legislators wanted instead of maintaining levies. Levies which ultimately failed after Katrina made landfall in Mississippi. Those levies failed because the much needed maintenance was never performed.

In spite of the failures of Katrina, citizens of New Orleans re-elected Ray Nagin as Mayor and William Jefferson, who is under a 16 count federal indictment for corruption and racketeering, as their US Representative. An indictment which was expected before the election but wasn’t handed down until last month. House GOP members are already calling for Jefferson’s head.

Now, in a complicated twist of fate, a Republican is mounting a serious run at becoming Governor and is expected to win. A Conservative Democrat, yes there are a few left, is considering switching parties and mounting a challenge to Landrieu. And the most shocking revelation is that his name is Kennedy.

According to Robert Novak from Townhall.com:

John N. Kennedy, Louisiana’s conservative Democratic state treasurer, is expected to change parties and run against Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu as a Republican at the urging of White House aide Karl Rove, despite harassment from the Democratic-controlled state legislature.

Kennedy long has considered changing parties, but wanted to wait until the current state legislative session ended. His switch was discussed on Mother’s Day in a private lunch attended by Kennedy, Rove and David Vitter, Louisiana’s Republican senator. When Vitter leaked Kennedy’s intentions, the legislature began machinations to obstruct operations of the state treasurer’s office.

A strong fiscal conservative, Kennedy is fighting maneuvers intended to chew up a state budget surplus, as a Republican, Rep. Bobby Jindal, is expected to be elected governor of Louisiana this year.

The key in the article by Novak is the statement, “A strong fiscal conservative, Kennedy is fighting maneuvers intended to chew up a state budget surplus…” The fact that he’s been courted by David Vitter isn’t a hindrance but Dems might make an issue of his friendship with Karl Rove. Personally I like Rove. He knows how to win.

Another seat that will be key is South Dakota’s seat currently held by the ailing Tim Johnson. Johnson is not likely to make a return to the Senate and South Dakotans are not being adequately represented. Johnson’s handlers are not allowing the Senator to retire on the grounds of his health in order to maintain the razor thin majority in the Senate. They know if they resign the seat on the grounds of retirement, Republican Governor Mike Rounds is likely to appoint a Republican state Senator to replace Johnson in the US Senate thereby eliminating the razor thin majority.

South Dakotans will likely remember their political sacrifice at the hands of the South Dakota Democratic Party come November 2008 so there is another seat that the GOP can pick up should a Conservative enough candidate be fielded.

I’m tired of hearing that the people want more centrists in Congress. People who will work together. I’m of the belief that the American people want the clear differences. Differences prevent errors like the recent immigration bill. It was Republicans acting like centrists that allowed that bill to be resurrected from its first death. And the American people did not like that idea.

The House is quickly being seen as the mass of incompetence that it is. Nancy’s crew is showing that they are incapable of governing and at this point, 8 of the 9 most vulnerable seats are likely to return to the GOP come November 2008. We are talking about 8 seats in districts strongly won by George W. Bush in 2004. Two of which were stolen through political trickery. Mark Foley’s old seat where the Florida Democratic Party successfully kept his replacement’s name off the ballot. And Tom Delay’s old seat where the Texas Democratic Party successfully did the same.

The lesson that should be learned as to what happens when you grant control of Congress to a group of people who run on the platform ‘we aren’t them’ but offer no agenda of their own.

The Democrats gained control of the 110th Congress in spite of the fact that they came into power with no agenda. Here we are 6 months into their majority and they have only gotten 1 of their projects passed. And that project had to be slipped into the War Supplemental as a rider - the increase in the federal minimum wage. Everything else they have attempted has failed enhancing the perception that the 110th Congress is the “Do Nothing Congress”.

I’m optimistic. I’m optimistic that the Dems in the House will drop the ball so badly that the people will likely not want another 2 years of their incompetence. There needs to be a 17 seat swing to the GOP and 8 of those seats are almost certain. It is up to the Conservative blogosphere and talk radio to keep this Congress’s failings in the public eye.