NY 23 – The Aftermath
ByListening to the likes of Nancy Pelosi and Company, one would think the sky fell on American conservatives and the Republican Party last night. She and her ilk couldn’t be more wrong. Did Bill Owens win the election? Yes. (How much help he had from Acorn and the WFP may never be known.) But does the defeat of the previously unknown Doug Hoffman spell doom for conservatives? Absolutely not!
To begin with, two states that helped propel Obama to the White House just ousted Democratic leadership. How many years has it been since New Jersey elected a Republican governor? In Virginia the margin of victory for Republicans was historic. The Community Organizer in Chief was dealt a double whammy, espcially after going out on a limb for John Corzine in New Jersey. It was so bad he’s barely appeared on television at all today. That in itself is a record.
Dede Scozzafava going to Congress as a Republican would have done more harm to the GOP than Bill Owens will do. Another liberal RINO in Congress would only have angered the base even more than they already are. Let’s not forget, Bill Owens campaigned against the public option. He’s considered less liberal than Dede Scozzafava, so the election is hardly an endorsement of far left policies. Next year Republican voters in the district will have the opportunity to choose their candidate through the healthy process of a primary. That is how it should be.
Another positive outcome for conservatives is Senator John Cornyn’s pledge not to spend NRSC funds on Republican primaries. It looks like he got the message and made the wise decision not to antagonize his base. Now if we could only get Michael Steele on board. Maybe tomorrow’s House Call will do the trick.
Doug Hoffman is anything but a career politicial. He’s an ordinary citizen with a rags to riches story that’s quintessentially American. He recognized a problem in Washington and stepped up to the plate. He may not have won this one, but the fact that a third party candidate was able to garner 45% of the vote in a New York district is amazing. He was right when he said this was just one battle. Conservatives may be willing to hold their noses for socially moderate candidates, but those who will join the Democrats in bankrupting our nation and destroying our liberty will not be tolerated.
So please, let’s not read any more into this than is necessary. Unless, of course, your a top White House advisor.
Popularity: 2% [?]
I don’t mean to read too much into the results — BUT: According to the NY Board of Elections, as of November 1, 2009, the 23rd District had 57,791 registered Democrats; 68,108 registered Republicans; 9,189 registered independents; 2,045 registered Conservatives; and a smattering of others. Which seems to indicate that the only reason Hoffman lost is that Republicans didn’t turn out to vote for home. Like most voters, I suspect, they have been conditioned to vote only for one of the two major parties, and simply can’t pull the lever for a “third-party” candidate, even if the results are appalling.
That, and Scuzzy endorsed the democrat so her supporters probably switched parties and voted for Owens. Another 6,000 or so voted for her – either they had no idea what was going on or did it out of protest. Who knows.