What I fear will happen:
Yes, yes, however the process shakes out to replace putative senator Dean Heller in CD2, the larger Angle’s role, the better the chance for some Republican-lite Nevada-style Democrat to win that seat.
What I would like to see:
Mainstream Republicanism is now defined by the vote to kill Medicare. Greg Brower, Brian Krolicki, Mark Amodei and other assorted potential CD2 wannabes would have to discuss that cornerstone of contemporary Republicanism, even if Angle hogs the spotlight. Yet with Angle screeching about guns, god and other goofiness, the race would ultimately be about her.
The proposed elimination of Medicare gives Democrats something big to be against. That’s probably about as good as it’s going to get, agenda-wise, for customarily spineless Democrats, and a special election should be a fine opportunity to take it out for a spin in a ruby red district, open it up and see how it does.
Voters need a real choice. They need to see someone willing to take it to the Republicans, not another faded-out version of a Republican. Harry Truman was right.
The conventional wisdom is that a “real” Democrat/Liberal/Progressive doesn’t stand a chance in CD-2. I wouldn’t know. We’ve never had the opportunity to really hear from one.
