Tea Party backlash in N.Y.
Why did voters reject Conservative Doug Hoffman—Sarah Palin’s candidate of choice—in NY-23?
Conservative Party congressional candidate Doug Hoffman leaves the voting booth.
(AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
In a surprising setback for the hard-right tea-party movement, Conservative Doug Hoffman—its cause célèbre candidate in New York's 23rd Congressional district—has turned out to be a lost cause. Voters in this district, a Republican lock since the Civil War, chose Democrat Bill Owens over the favored Hoffman despite efforts by tea-party icons Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck to throw their weight behind Hoffman and oust his other rival, moderate Republican Dede Scozzafava (who dropped out last weekend). What does Hoffman’s loss mean for conservative activists? (Watch an MSNBC panel discuss Bill Owens' defeat of conservative Doug Hoffman)
The hard right meddled in the wrong race: The Republican Party lost because "conservatives overreached," says Marc Ambinder on CBS News' website. NY-23 is strongly Republican, "but it’s not a terribly conservative district." So while Hoffman appealed to angry, well-funded national GOPers, "Dede Scozzafava was well-suited to represent the district." Will conservatives learn to pick their fights more shrewdly?
“What Doug Hoffman’s loss means to conservatives”
Actually, Hoffman’s loss was a 'huge win for conservatives': That may sound counterintuitive, says Erick Erickson in RedState, but the GOP was really focused on destroying Scozzafava—a Hoffman win "would just be gravy."
"In NY-23, conservatives win"
National-party pressure tactics can backfire with locals: Resist the urge to read too much into this, says Ben Smith in Politico. Knocking out Scozzafava was a show of strength by "the resurgent conservative movement," but the "central dynamic” of the race was "locals against outsiders, not liberal against conservative."
"Owens in the North Country"
Sarah Palin may be the real loser here: "This race was reality television at its best," says Andrea Tantaros in FOXNews.com, "and like many reality shows, after you’ve watched it you feel like you learned almost nothing." That said, one thing’s clear: Sarah Palin didn’t hurt Hoffman, but if she "has any hopes of winning a national office she can’t run around endorsing unwinnable candidates."
“Four Things We Learned From the NY 23 Race”
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257 Comments
Posted by sscl, Wednesday, November 4, 2009, 12:35 pm intresting spin the media is trying to pull on this one. The conservatives, based upon the media and the white house are out of mainstream politics, republicans are smaller, Dems have the house for years and now the presidency. But the conservatives kicked out the leftmoderate candidate. More importantly the other Rep wins show new blood, the independents who are tired of all the Dem BS. YOu can promise the world but there is a time to put up or shut up. Pelosi and Obama are the Pinto and Vega of politics. Hype, useless dangerous.
Posted by epm, Wednesday, November 4, 2009, 12:43 pm In response to Andrea Tantaro negative comment on Sarah Palin: eat your own words for the same can be said about Obama, if he has any hopes of winning another election he can't run around ednorsing unwinnable candidates, i.e. Jon Corzine.
Posted by Bob, Wednesday, November 4, 2009, 12:44 pm The prior post is garbage. Mainstream voters want nothing to do with the teabaggers their right wing nut cases like rush, beck, the palin whore.
Posted by William Elizalde, Wednesday, November 4, 2009, 12:48 pm So after all this time I have a question for the Head comunity organizer Barak where is the clarity, transparency, and consideration that where so much apart of your campaigne ???are the words of our ellected politicians just politics ???Poli meaning many , tics meaning blood suckers, SUPPORT our TROOPS !!!!! They dont lie they Die for us so you and I owe them that .
Posted by Ldr, Wednesday, November 4, 2009, 12:51 pm WHOA! When did it become necessary to express your counter political opinion by making slanderous and insulting remarks about a public figure?!? The Palin WHORE??? Who are you to judge?? She is a wife and mother, and doesn't fool around, and that's something that can't be said about many MEN who are in office. Keep this kind of language and remarks out of political discussions, where they have no place at all!
Posted by Joan, Wednesday, November 4, 2009, 12:52 pm We Republicans need to get it together. I'm glad a RINO is gone but damn it, you Christian Taliban are hurting the party.
Posted by Jerry Bernstein, Wednesday, November 4, 2009, 12:54 pm I'm a lifelong Republican, but the extreme right wing which does not represent me or my political philosophy does not represent the mainstream Republicans. Unless the party learns to compromise where necessary, I'm afraid the GOP will become a minority party and a new party will emerge. The GOP lost control of the Congress because it stop listening to the people.JLB
Posted by William Elizalde, Wednesday, November 4, 2009, 12:59 pm I sure hope the American poeple wake up faster this time , I served for this country over 20 years and over 13 of those years was IN one of the most prestegious units in the ARMED FOFCES, our MOTTO was THE BEST being conservative in nature i admit i was primarily a Republician, after being retired for 7 years , I come to realize that there isnt a single party that suits this COUNTRY, Politicians would rather keep its followers fighting thier oponents so they can accomplish what ever deed they deem fit to further thier agenda, than to unite
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