Last I saw it was 233 to 194 - convert 20, and the balance if power shifts. Identify the races where the establishment didn't help financially, and maybe, if it can be done "en mass" ....

Boehner is vulnerable - let us go for his proverbial throat!

We would need 10% successful conversion.

Carrot: full status/seniority under new party, pledge of support at election time (50 state strategy).

Stick: support for Tea Party Challenger during primary, then 50 state strategy to take them out now that we know their weakness.

We can make them a minority party for decades as long as we encourage the Tea Party folks to keep talking....

then you're not paying attention.

I don't think he's full-blown Tea Party. He's just trying to keep his job.

hold our economic recovery hostage for 5-6-7 years?

Given Rmoney was just crushed in OH.. and part of the reason for that is Obama assisting the auto industry (middle class jobs)-- I would think Boehner is smart enough to see that-- and to see even redistricting shenagigans may not guarantee his seat in Congress.

Only in 2006 did his tally dip below 70% and this past cycle he didn't even have an opponent. His only threat is from a Tea Party primary opponent.

the notion it's "good strategy" to simply give up on numerous congressional seats means the Dems are not going to regain control of the House anytime soon.

time is running out.

Boehner's seat isn't even close to being purple. Steve Chabot's seat in the 1st CD (despite his margin of victory this time), is a more attainable goal.

The teabaggers can squirm all they want but they will not succeed at destroying the country.

Maybe 1 or 2, but 10?

Don't know if the Reich Wing Party will allow any sane ones to run, tho.

We have to concentrate on winning 2014, the House, Senate, state legislatures, governorships, etc.

We need a 50 state, EVERY ELECTION COUNTS strategy. If Democrats had won the 2010 election we would have been far better off now.

That largely depends on Barack Obama keeping faith with the voters who supported him and the leadership in the Senate making it very painful and difficult to filibuster and put holds on nominees and bills. Anyone who wants to hold up the Senate should be made to do what the Great Bernie Sanders did in his great filibuster. He had the support of other Senators for that. I am sure there are maybe even a handful of Republicans who would like to do more than obstruct. It wouldn't take any of them though they might like to break the McConnell strategy that has led them to the defeat they suffered this time.

I'm more than willing to support leadership that leads to making progress, I'd quit my work and go more than full time for someone like that. But they've got to lead and they have to do it now.

Repubs won't be able to win the house.

Many independents and moderate republicans that I know are sincere in wanting bipartisanship, and they do not want the same party (either party) to have the WH and both houses of Congress. I would think that moderate R's could win in many districts if independents and Dems were supportive. It would go against the grain here on DU to support R's, but if the alternative is more batshit crazy, then we might hold our nose and vote R.

And it makes good sense to pursue it. Specifically, I expect Boehner and Mitch to have a lot of difficulty with "party discipline" as it is, they've been hit, clobbered, shellacked, shown to be impotent, so the fear factor is much reduced. So I expect individual Congresspersons, esp. Rs, to be looking to their own future interests, and we ought to welcome anybody willing to vote our way on board.

Yeah, that's going to happen

any outreach to Republicans will be seen by the TPers as meddling and subversion. It will energize their base more.

Still, it's a thought. I'd love to see some moderation on the Repub side for a change. The TP caucus did shrink this cycle IIRC.