This is one seat that the Dems probably won’t get back any time soon.

From LA Times:

Lincoln, who reluctantly voted for Obama’s healthcare insurance overhaul, carried the flag for Democrats but often disagreed with her more liberal colleagues. For example, she was one of the few Democrats to vote for the Bush administration tax cuts.

As a crucial vote in the Senate, she bargained for perks for her state before voting with the Democratic majority. She was disliked by some liberals and during the primary was targeted by unions, but she narrowly defeated Lt. Gov. Bill Halter in a June runoff.

This gives the Republicans a +3 for the night so far in the Senate.

The moment I heard Kent Conrad’s plan I knew it could pick up steam as a bipartisan solution…especially since it was designed to do just that.

Now another Blue Dog Dem is voicing support for the idea…

U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., says she prefers private insurance cooperatives to a government-run provider that would compete with the private sector in reforming the nation’s health care system.

“We want to keep what works in the private industry and make it better,” Lincoln told Arkansas reporters in a conference call today. “There’s a lot of discussion about what else we might need that we can’t get from the private sector.”

Lincoln sits on the Senate Finance Committee, which will have a central role in determining how to pay for a health care overhaul intended to control skyrocketing costs and provide health coverage for 47 million uninsured Americans. More than 500,000 Arkansans have no health insurance, 66,000 of which are children, according to the senator.

“A co-op would be the back up for the private industry,” Lincoln said.

Listen, when you have Dems talking like this, something is going on. Back channels are being worked and coalitions are being built. So don’t be surprised if you hear a lot more about this co-op idea in the coming days.

More as it develops…

What’s clear at this point is Obama will not get any sort of landslide.

Apparently the electorate isn’t THAT angry.

18 electoral votes to McCain.

Moving on…