Timeline (2006: US Stays Red)

November 8th, 2006- Wednesday morning arrives and the results are in, the Republicans not only hold the House of Representatives and Senate, but gain 2 seats in the House. Joe Lieberman, fresh off his victory over primary challenger Ned Lamont, is secretly offered a key Committee Chairmanship by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and becomes a full-fledged Independent.

Meanwhile, Democrats try to pick up the pieces and analyze what happened. In other words, they turn on each other.

On the Left, bloggers and Howard Dean blame Rahm Emmanuel and the DCCC for "not working hard enough for to inspire the base". Emmanuel and the DLC Democrats blame Dean for his "50 state campaign" as wasteful and failing to concentrate on races that the Democrats could have won. Calls for Dean's resignation as Chairman of the Party are heard by pundits like James Carville, Leon Panetta, and even Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska.

November-December 2006- The Democrats appear to be in full "melt-down". Fighting between the blogs and the "Inside-the-Beltway" Dems reachs full bore when Arianna Huffington of the "Huffington Post" suggests that the DLC Democrats "sabotaged the 2006 midterms" to try to isolate the Party's liberal base and render them powerless.

More prominent centrist Democrats (but none with 2008 Presidential aspirations) come forward and say Howard Dean should resign as Party Chair. Emmanuel proposes making former US Senatorial candidate Harold Ford Jr. the new Party Chairman. This is seen as both an appeal to the African-American vote AND to the more centrist wing of the Party.

December 11th, 2006- Howard Dean resigns as Party Chairman. He says he doesn't wish to be the focus of inter-party fighting and that, though he still feels his "50 state strategy" is good for the long-term growth of the Party, that it can be better managed under "new leadership". Harold Ford Jr. of Tennessee becomes Chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

(Work in progress. Will need to determine several PODs BEFORE the election.  Failure of "Abramoff-gate" and "Foley-gate" to become national stories, plus Republican passage of some legislation to avoid the "Do Nothing" charge will play a part in it as well.)