Posts Tagged ‘sarah palin’

NY 23 Final Roundup…

Posted: November 4, 2009 by datechguy in elections, opinion/news
Tags: , , , , , , ,

I expected a lot more crowing on MSNBC but I guess the gay Marriage defeat is such a shock they can’t manage to bring themselves up to joy.

I’ve already given my two cents on the subject so lets see what a few others have said:

Robert Stacy McCain:

If the Republican bosses think they’re going to pick another candidate in NY23 for 2010, they’d better think again. The grassroots conservatives — the Tea Party people, the pro-lifers, the Club for Growth, Fred and Jeri Thompson, Sarah Palin — who backed Doug Hoffman aren’t going to forget his courageous example.

His co-blogger Smitty:

Recall that, had nothing been done, an even more leftist candidate than Owens may have taken the one-year seat. Owens wins, but understands that, if he’s running in 2010, he can’t ignore the Hoffman voters, any more than Bill Clinton to ignore fiscal conservatives who voted Perot.

Dump Dede:

We won in NY23. This blog served it’s purpose. Dede Scozzafava was dumped. She was dumped by the demographic to which she fronted, and when no one brought her Victorian freakshow, she removed the mask and revealed herself, lest any doubters remained. We won when we forced the GOP to concede support. We won when we showed them that good political sense and sharp strategy is an instinct, not exclusive to the beltway elite. We won because we wrenched the reigns from their hands.

We the tea party have been leading since February. In order to survive, the GOP must finally cash the promise its collective mouth has been writing about “we the people” and all that jazz: it must relent and let the people lead. Asking politely is a formality: NY23 has shown that we have the power to take it when we want.

Red State:

So we have demonstrated to the GOP that it must not take conservatives for granted. The GOP spent $900,000.00 on a Republican who dropped out and endorsed the Democrat. Were we to combine Scozzafava and Hoffman’s votes, Hoffman would have won.

Secondly, and just as importantly, there has all of a sudden been a huge movement among some activists to go the third party route. We see in NY-23 that this is not possible as third parties are not viable.

Third parties lack funding and ability for a host of reasons. Conservatives are going to have to work from within the GOP. The GOP had better pay attention.

For all intents and purposes, NY-23 is a trial run for Florida. And in Florida, the conservative candidate is operating inside the GOP. If John Cornyn and the NRSC do not want to see Florida go the way of NY-23, they better stand down.

Gotta look at the other Side Andrew Sullivan:

Well, I had begun to assume a big Hoffman victory. Not so fast. Owens has a small but real lead, with over 60 percent of the votes in. More interesting, Palin just doesn’t poll very well in a district that is almost tailor-made for her:

TCOT says that endorsement of Scozzafava what huge:

Doug Hoffman, whose success forced her to withdraw on Saturday showed that her Sunday endorsement of Owens was the decisive factor in his victory.

Owens carried her three home counties that she represents in the New York State Assembly by a decisive 53% to 42% margin. This was an 11% margin increase from the 36% to 36% tie the Siena Poll released on Monday revealed. Scozzafava’s vote dropped from 9% in the Monday poll to 6% in the actual results. Meanwhile, the 19% undecided in the three county region broke hard for Owens. 13% of the undecided went to Owens during a 48 period, while only 6% went to Hoffman.

and he seems the only person who doesn’t support Hoffman:

Owens will face his next electoral challenge in November 2010. He is certain to face a strong Republican challenger. This time around, however, the candidate will not be chosen by the eleven county chairmen meeting in a pizza restaurant. A primary will be held on September 14, 2010.

Though he captured the country’s attention with his humble nature, Hoffman ran such a poor campaign it is unlikely he would emerge as the Republican nominee in a primary, should he choose to run.

Hell hath no fury like an (Italian) woman scorned. He covered this race very well and deserves Props for it.

I’ve been looking for a lefty blog to quote that doesn’t use vulgar sexual references for the tea party crowd. No blog that uses that term in their comment on that race is going to be quoted here. Took me some time but I found on at MyDD:

In the nation’s most watched race, the New York Twenty-Third Congressional, Democrat Bill Owens defeated Conservative Doug Hoffman who was endorsed by Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, the Club for Growth, Fred Thompson, Dick Armey, Tim Pawlenty and much of the GOP leadership albeit belatedly. But in their rush to purify the Republican party, they also succeeded in driving moderates away. In the end, they not only drove Dede Scozzafava, the local GOP candidate, from the race but into the arms of Bill Owens, whom she endorsed. And no doubt, to capture a House seat that had been held by the GOP since the Civil War era is historic.

The battle for the NY-23 had been billed as one for the GOP’s soul. Tea Party conservatives see themselves as the base of the GOP when really they are just a fringe, and a lunatic fringe at that. But what matters in this case is their own perception of the situation. They are, I think, only more embolden to take on the GOP establishment who is frankly spineless, cowering in fear and out of ideas anyway. I suspect that the battle of the GOP’s soul will continue. Still whoever wins that contest wins a shell of a prize. As an aside, the Crist versus Rubio contest down in Florida for the US Senate seat now looks it will provide much fodder for the press and entertainment for us.

So should this mean republicans and Sarah Palin are a losing combination? Lets go straight to the source:

The race for New York’s 23rd District is not over, just postponed until 2010. The issues of this election have always centered on the economy – on the need for fiscal restraint, smaller government, and policies that encourage jobs. In 2010, these issues will be even more crucial to the electorate. I commend Doug Hoffman and all the other under-dog candidates who have the courage to put themselves out there and run against the odds.

To the tireless grassroots patriots who worked so hard in that race and to future citizen-candidates like Doug, please remember Reagan’s words of encouragement after his defeat in 1976:

“The cause goes on. Don’t get cynical because look at yourselves and what you were willing to do, and recognize that there are millions and millions of Americans out there that want what you want, that want it to be that way, that want it to be a shining city on a hill.”

The cause goes on.

Hmmm what happened to that guy who lost in 1976 and was written off?

My take? We lost, spinning it as not a loss just makes us look silly. All politics are local. Doug Hoffman flubbed local issue questions and that cost him, the million that the NRCC spent against him and then followed up with ads supporting him that didn’t even use his name was really lame. Scozzafava’s withdrawal so close to the end of the election made a huge difference because it didn’t give time for the passions and anger of her supporters to cool enough to go for Hoffman the guy who brought her down. If he wants the seat he needs to spend the next 6 months brushing up on those issues. It will all come down to Owens. Voting with Pelosi isn’t going to get him re-elected, but serving the people of his district is. That’s what it will call come down to.

I’ve said that I’d prefer Owens to Dede the angry avenged and I still think we dodged a huge bullet but it’s still a slice of bread instead of a feast. I’ll take the slice but I’m not so blinded that I’m going to pretend that I’m not disappointed.

Biggest Loser? Tim Pawlenty. When the media decided to ignore the Palin endorsement when they thought Hoffman was going to win so they pushed Pawlenty forward, he gains none of the the benefit of leading and taking a shot and all of the rocks from the loss.

Biggest Winner? the Watertown Daily Times:

They never expected one of their stories to be the lede on Memeorandem. They will get the hits again on the rematch, but I’d still like to see where that last 12% goes.

Exit Question: Will the NRCC and Gingrich go all Frum over this or no? If they make that same mistake then it will make 2010 very interesting.

Who is responsible for NY-23?

Posted: November 3, 2009 by datechguy in elections, fun
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

There are several people who the results in NY-23 can be directly traced to. When the history of this election is written it is they who will be responsible.

1. Barack Obama and his political team:

They saw that he won NY-23 by 52% and saw a no lose situation. He appointed the Republican John McHugh to be Army Secretary. It was a no lose situation. If a democrat won, great another pickup for the party, but even better a liberal Acorn supporting, Card Check supporting republican. They don’t even have to PAY for this person the foolish NRCC will finance that campaign and once she wins presto all of those house votes are suddenly “bi-partisan”. The payoff for the Obama team was MUCH higher with a Scozzafava win than with an Owens one. Kos didn’t endorse that lady for nothing.

2. Doug Hoffman

It’s one thing to object to a RINO, it’s another thing to be willing to put yourself out there. He put himself out there and is poised to reap the rewards UPDATE: or even in defeat prevent the disaster of the “bi-partisan” house votes

3. The Tea Party Movement:

It is the Tea Party movement that provided the energy that made the difference , it kept the story of NY-23 alive and pushed it on the web and on blogs. Hoffman is their candidate and their willingness to highlight it drew the attention of bloggers and politicians to this race.

4. Sarah Palin

Her selection was considered a high risk/high reward move by McCain. She did the same. If Scozzafava had won the media would have trumpeted this as the defeat of Sarah Palin, if Owens wins they will still do that. But Palin got out in front of every other major republican and conservative and put it on the line forcing others (Hi Tim Pawlenty) to follow. The created a domino effect of money and attention eventually forcing the withdrawal of Dede the angry and the deployment of the Vice president turning a Doug Hoffman victory into a not only a win for the Tea Party/conservative movement but becomes a loss for the Administration. Update: And even a Owens win becomes small as it is simply one more democratic vote in a large majority, a vote that will have to be defended in one year. She will take the media hits but she did the party a huge favor.

When we look back at what begins after this election don’t forget that these were the people who made it happen.

Honorable Mention:

The bloggers:

Erik Erickson

Erik Erickson on Red State was the 1st to suggest 3rd party:

Conservatives and Republicans should rally around Dough Hoffman as a viable alternative to Dede Scozzafava. Hoffman has more in common with the people in NY-23 and is closer to the Republican Party on issues across the board.

We don’t need a third party in this country. And it is too hard to set one up anyway. But there is a viable third party in New York that conservatives can use to remind the GOP what happens when the local Republican Party rejects the Republican platform. Above all else, we must make sure Scozzafava is defeated.

Robert Stacy McCain:

From his first post on the subject on Oct 14th he has OWNED this story and not only has he owned it, he managed to get himself up to NY-23 twice and was on site for both the Palin Endorsement and the Scozzafava withdrawal. He has done this both on his blog and for the American Spectator. For example:

Ah, Election Day at last! In 24 hours, you’ll be reading my Wednesday article about what happened in the crucial upstate New York special congressional election. And tomorrow morning, God willing, I’ll be taking a shower, packing my bags, checking out of a hotel in Saranac Lake, N.Y., and heading back home to try to recover from the insanity of it all. Meanwhile, people way above my pay-grade will be on TV telling you What It Really Means.

Nice work, if you can get it.

McCain went all in and was one of the first prominent bloggers to call for a Palin endorsement.

Other than the wear and tear on his car McCain is one of the biggest winners in this whole event.

Dana Loesch:

The Dump Dede web site went online Oct 17th:

One of the biggest lies ever told is that the biggest threat to conservatism lies outside the invisible boundaries of the GOP. I disagree; the biggest threat to conservatism is an unchecked Republican party – just as I think the biggest threat to Christianity is a false prophet. There are some false prophets leading the GOP right now: the RNC has an incompetent leader; Newt Gingrich demonstrates that his “American Solution” is to push the GOP center left by backing an ACORN candidate in New York’s 23rd. There are false prophets leading and cowards following: aside from a few Republicans like Michelle Bachmann, few others have denounced the nomination of Dede Scozzafava or Gingrich’s ridiculous proclamation of a “new revolution.” Please. He apparently doesn’t recognize a new revolution when it marches by the millions on Washington.

I’m tired of consequential fear motivating my vote. Too many in the Republican party have used this as a tool with which to manipulate voters. The Democrats have the race card; the Republicans have the fear card. They know that voters will choose the lesser of two evils – sometimes that’s a decent strategy when the alternative is decent. I wouldn’t define the situation in New York’s 23rd as such and because this seems to be indicative of a trend in the GOP – and with Gingrich’s call to shift the party further away from its base – I say it’s time to reclaim the party, give some true conservatives within it time to redeem or prove themselves, or bury it altogether.

The site hit this meme over that last 3 weeks, she was right in front and pressed this race. When Scozzafava dropped out Dump Dede became a blog that served it’s purpose.

If you want a little more history All American Blogger has an updated timeline and Accuracy in media give credit for what has happened.

There is no greater high for a history guy like me to watch it happen.

Update: Welcome Big Government Readers and thanks Dana for the link. Take a peek around. Discover if Sarah Palin is damaged goods and what the religion of Peace has been up to while we were voting. Learn the dangers of public wi-fi, the first rule of Republican Victory and how my father knew Al Capone’s cousin. And watch me explain why Dr. Who is a lot more conservative than Wired Mag thinks.

Morning Joe: Tim Pawlenty… Update Haley Barbour

Posted: November 3, 2009 by datechguy in elections, opinion/news
Tags: , , , , ,

is being questioned on what a good republican is.

They seem to ask him why he bucked the party to support Hoffman, but nobody will mention that is was because…Sarah Palin did it first and he didn’t want to be left behind.

They are making him look pretty bad, they are pounding him on what is a proper republican and he seems to be squirming over does Olympia Snowe belong in the republican party.

And people actually want this guy for President? HA!

Update: Haley Barbour shows how it’s done.

Update: The Star Tribune makes a declaration:

Big tent GOPer Gov. Tim Pawlenty perhaps became a former big tent GOPer this morning during an on MSNBC . He said the former GOP candidate for New York’s special congressional race didn’t “minimum standard” for a Republican candidate but added Minnesota U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen and former U.S. Rep. Jim Ramstad are moderates who may be acceptable.

“There’s a range of behavior and issue behavior that you can take,” Pawlenty said. (Last week, the governor backed the Conservative Party candidate in that New York election over the Republican candidate. Over the weekend, the Republican dropped out and endorsed her former Democratic rival.)

Republican U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, of Maine, might have more problems meeting the standard, Pawlenty suggested.

Granted it is the Star Tribune but I saw it and they are right, he made a fool out of himself.

Q: How is Sarah Palin more effective than Joe Biden?

Posted: November 2, 2009 by datechguy in elections, internet/free speech
Tags: , , , , , ,

A: Biden speaks to a “whopping crowd” of media but can’t draw a crowd. Palin is able to answer him via facebook to millions from her keyboard.

The vice president’s extreme opposition to domestic energy development goes all the way back to 1973 when he opposed the Alaska pipeline bill. As Ann Coulter pointed out, “Biden cast one of only five votes against the pipeline that has produced more than 15 billion barrels of oil, supplied nearly 20 percent of this nation’s oil, created tens of thousands of jobs, added hundreds of billions of dollars to the U.S. economy and reduced money transfers to the nation’s enemies by about the same amount.”

This nonsensical opposition to American domestic energy development continues to this day. Apparently the Obama-Biden administration only approves of offshore drilling in Brazil, where it will provide security and jobs for Brazilians. This election is about American security and American jobs.

There’s one way to tell Vice President Biden that we’re tired of folks in Washington distorting our message and hampering our nation’s progress: Hoffman, Baby, Hoffman!

I like it. Hoffman Baby Hoffman!

Update: The story is at the Hill here. Gateway Pundit comments:

It’s important to remember that the Obama-Biden energy plan is a non-energy plan. It consists of cutting off domestic production of oil and coal causing prices to skyrocket and implementing costly solar and wind programs that absolutely will not meet America’s energy demands.

The Obama Administration approved funding for the Soros-linked Brazilian oil drilling project this year but banned oil and nuclear energy development in the United States.

With unemployment near 10% this is not a winning way to go.

Update 2: Hotair Headline It’s on.

Older Entries
Newer Entries