Schumer reaches for 60

DENVER — Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) inched ever closer Wednesday to declaring a 60-seat Democratic majority in 2009 to be a distinct possibility.

Asked what the likelihood was that his party would pick up the required nine seats in November, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) chairman sought the right words for a moment before saying simply that it was more likely that they would not.

{mosads}“Things keep rolling in our direction, but it’s very, very hard to get 60 votes,” Schumer said. “It’s more likely than not that we don’t, but we have a chance.”

The Senate Democrats’ campaign chief has continually grown bolder in his speculation and suggestions about November’s election.

At a press conference in conjunction with the Democratic National Convention, he was even mentioning previously marginal races in Georgia and Oklahoma, citing polling that the committee has performed in those races showing them within single digits.

In an uphill race in Kentucky, Schumer predicted that Democrat Bruce Lunsford would defeat Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

Schumer is so confident that he was even willing to criticize Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), the former Democrat who keeps his Democratic colleagues in the majority by caucusing with them.

Lieberman, who has endorsed GOP candidate John McCain for president, will be speaking at the Republican National Convention next week.

While Democrats have long been frustrated with Lieberman’s support for the Republican position on the Iraq war, they have trodden lightly because of their slim majority.

“It’s my belief that we’re a broad-based party, and those are truly heartfelt [beliefs]; they’re not taken for any political reason,” Schumer said. “But he steps over the line when he goes to support Republicans. I think it’s a serious mistake, and I’ve told him that.”

Should Democrats pick up several seats this year, as many expect, Lieberman’s services might not be needed as much. Left-wing activists have already petitioned the Democratic leadership to remove him from his chairmanship of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in the next Congress.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) also referenced Lieberman at the briefing, saying his defection on the Iraq issue, combined with Sen. Tim Johnson’s (D-S.D.) recovery from brain surgery, gave Democrats the slimmest of majorities.

Reid and Schumer emphasized that they need a filibuster-proof majority or something close to it in order to effectively move legislation past obstructing Republicans.

The point of Wednesday’s press conference was to showcase some of the top Democratic candidates in the country who could help them reach that goal.

Oregon state House Speaker Jeff Merkley, who is running against Sen. Gordon Smith (R), said a 60-seat Democratic majority is the very reason he’s a candidate.

“We do not have a working majority that can get the 60 votes needed to move bills on the floor of the Senate,” Merkley said. “That’s why I’m running for the U.S. Senate, because we need that working majority.”

Rep. Tom Allen (D-Maine), who is challenging Sen. Susan Collins (R), sought to reassure that his race would be competitive, despite polling that continues to show him trailing by double digits.

“I started well behind because Susan Collins was so much better known than I am, but we’ve been on television now for two and a half weeks, and you can feel the excitement on the ground,” Allen said.

Former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner (D), fresh off his keynote address Tuesday night at the convention, has a much easier path to the Senate and currently holds leads of more than 20 points in almost all public polling on the race.

But he lightheartedly cautioned Schumer about marking the race over just yet.

“Sometimes Chuck, when he goes through these races, says that we’re doing really, really well in Virginia,” Warner said. “Virginia’s still going to be competitive, so I just want to make sure you don’t put [it] in too safe a category at this point.”

The other Senate candidates present were Reps. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) and Tom Udall (D-N.M.), who are cousins, and former New Hampshire Gov. Jeanne Shaheen (D).