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In NY-23, Conservatives Win (Erick Erickson of Red State)
RedState.com ^ | Wednesday, November 4th at 12:04AM EST | Erick Erickson

Posted on 11/03/2009 10:24:33 PM PST by nutmeg

The race has now been called for Democrat Bill Owens.

This is a huge win for conservatives.

“Whaaaa. . . ?” you say.

There are two big victories at work in New York’s 23rd Congressional District.

First, the GOP now must recognize it will either lose without conservatives or will win with conservatives. In 2008, many conservatives sat home instead of voting for John McCain. Now, in NY-23, conservatives rallied and destroyed the Republican candidate the establishment chose.

I have said all along that the goal of activists must be to defeat Scozzafava. Doug Hoffman winning would just be gravy. A Hoffman win is not in the cards, but we did exactly what we set out to do — crush the establishment backed GOP candidate.

And make no mistake, despite the Beltway spin, we know for certain based on statements from the local Republican parties, that they chose Scozzafava based on advice from the Washington crowd.

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.


TOPICS: Government; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: conservativevote; hoffman; ny2009; ny23; owens; scozzafava; scuzzafava; scuzzy
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To: perfect_rovian_storm

Please explain why you believe the RINO won.

With 2 weeks to go she’s $900k up, with the full weight of the party behind her and the conservative is unknown with maybe 15% of the vote?

With 2 days to go she’s out of the race and endorsing the democrat to prevent a conservative win in the final tally.

How does that equate to a RINO win? She had the party, the money, the poll position, and ended up being only the spoiler because she was revealed for what she is.


81 posted on 11/04/2009 6:51:22 PM PST by MortMan (Stubbing one's toes is a valid (if painful) way of locating furniture in the dark.)
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To: Sasquatch the Original
A Democrat won a seat for the first time in 100 years giving them another vote in the House.

Because we all know that scozzafava, despite encouraging others to vote FOR the democrat candidate, would have fought tooth and nail against the House democrats.

82 posted on 11/04/2009 6:58:32 PM PST by new cruelty (Shoot your TV. Torch your newspaper.)
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To: MortMan

Because we are playing a precarious game here. There are forces in our party that won’t respond to anything but an out and out repudiation of their conventional ‘wisdom’.

You hear it all the time. A conservative candidate ‘can’t win’, so we have to nominate a loser who has no core values whatsoever. Said loser then gets into office and discredits our entire cause. We get told these lies all the time and far too many rank and file Republicans buy into them. It would have been far better for our cause to have won this outright.

Of course, if Doug Hoffman really lost for any reason, it was because he didn’t really start to get used to public speaking until the last 48 hours of the campaign. I hope he does a lot of practicing for 2010.

It’s not the end of the world, but it’s an uphill battle within our party now that would have been better to nip in the bud. I feel better about it now that the final numbers are in, but it still stings.


83 posted on 11/04/2009 6:58:41 PM PST by perfect_rovian_storm (The worst is behind us. Unfortunately it is really well endowed.)
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To: perfect_rovian_storm

I’m enjoying the win here in NJ. I’m glad to see Hoffman did as well as he did. It’s a shame he lost. Still, the NJ and NY elections gave me a much needed boost.


84 posted on 11/04/2009 7:05:03 PM PST by new cruelty (Shoot your TV. Torch your newspaper.)
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To: perfect_rovian_storm

It will be an uphill battle no matter what happens - those in power like to stay in power. Repudiating the “conventional wisdom” will likely be just as difficult as convincing large numbers of American blacks that Obama is beneath them.

But in the RINO v. Conservative contest, this was a slightly ambiguous win for conservatives. We need to straighten out the ambiguity, but it’s a step toward that goal.

Just as a side note - I find it quite satisfying to see that Firefox does not recognize either “Barack” or “Obama” as legitimate words! ;-P


85 posted on 11/04/2009 7:05:59 PM PST by MortMan (Stubbing one's toes is a valid (if painful) way of locating furniture in the dark.)
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To: nutmeg

Thanks for the ping!


86 posted on 11/04/2009 9:01:47 PM PST by Alamo-Girl
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To: PapaBear3625

You are correct.They need time to travel through the mail. Here in New York, absentee ballots must be postmarked by midnight the day before election day, or delivered in person to the County Board of Elections on election day. For military ballots, the delivery deadline is somewhat murky (ie longer), But the general public’s absentee ballots must be given a week or so to travel through the mail. Absentee ballots are counted in the voting totals, however emergency paper ballots are not unless the number of votes needed to determine the margin of victory in the race have been cast on those paper ballots.


87 posted on 11/04/2009 11:09:12 PM PST by gimmebackmyconstitution
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To: CharlesWayneCT

I both agree and dis agree.

3rd party seems to be becoming more of a necessity in order for the (R) party to consolidate/or break into a (Conservative) party, as opposed to the ongoing slide into middle of the road, semi-liberal party it has been going to (most likely in order to gain votes?).

As you correctly said, minor revolts are necessary, but they don’t seem to have been affective.

Briefly and anecdotally, I’d use the nomination of McCain for POTUS (for whom I believe most voted for as a vote against 0bama — not to start a fight if that was not your opinion), and the recent nomination of Dede S by the NY (R).

It’s been said that her nomination was by those in the area and those not in the area should not have involved themselves in local politics. Of course, we know that Dede was not a (R), but apparently was considered such by the local (R) party.

I don’t believe that lockstep ideology is required, but her views (and those of the local (R)) don’t seem to be those of who consider themselves Republicans... or are we Conservatives? (or Constitutionalists? — spell check doesn’t like that word?)


88 posted on 11/05/2009 12:35:11 AM PST by This_far (Mandatory insurance! I thought it was about health care?)
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To: This_far
We need to take back the Republican Party at Primary time.

We need an independent organization to find real conservatives willing to run, back them in the primary (potentially in the teeth of opposition from the party bosses), and support them in the general election when the RNC can't be bothered. We also need people willing to run for party organization office (which gets voted on at primary time) and take over the party from within.

This would be a more effective use of time than trying to form a third party.

89 posted on 11/05/2009 6:32:24 AM PST by PapaBear3625 (Public healthcare looks like it will work as well as public housing did.)
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To: RobRoy
You and your ilk are Totally wrong.
The Truth, facts are that: All Republican CONGRESSMEN AND SENATORS oppose with every fiber in their beings, government run healthcare, the public option in the Democrats’ Health-care Bill ,as all Republicans in congress also oppose the Democrats’ socialist Cap and Trade bill etc..

While in direct contrast, All Democrat Congressmen and Senators support government run Healthcare, the public option in their Healthcare bill.And all democrats in Congress support cap and trade and many other socialist policies and bills.

So as these now very important battles in Congress prove the 2 parties could not be more different.

You, Michael Savage and the mainstream liberal media cherry pick what some democrat who calls himself or herself a Republican does and then use those actions that this liberal/Marxist perpetrates to unfairly represent what the whole Republican party and all Republicans are and what they stand for. You do this so that Conservatives will drop support for the Republican party. Once Republicans have less conservatives supporting them, then the the Republicans will be weak and out of the way so that the way is cleared for Democrats to turn the U.S.A into a socialist state.

This government health-care bill will turn the U.S. into a socialist state . Do you disagree? All democrats in Congress and in the media and elsewhere of course support the public option and government healthcare cause democrats are Marxists.All democrats/communists in Congress will vote for this bill to become Law in Congress. However All Republicans in congress , all the congressmen and Republican Senators will not vote for the public option or government healthcare.

So the parties could not be more different. But yet you and Savage et al, say that there is no difference between Republicans and Democrats. Give me a break. you couldn't be more wrong .And by you not actively opposing the real Threat which is Democrats and the mainstream media you are helping Democrats/Marxists advance socialism. Socialism will destroy America, Freedom, liberty ,human rights, destroy our civilization, revert us back to the stone age, and cause everyone to starve as socialism destroyed Cuba, The Soviet Union, Cambodia, North Korea. Do you agree that socialism will do this to any country? READ History.

Tell me what is is that you want to see Republicans who are actually in the Congress do that they aren't doing already? all Republicans in Congress already oppose the current socialist monstrous bills including the Public option in healhtcare and the cap and trade bill .

I believe that you are either a democrat operative or just a brainwashed individual. Michael Savage probably brainwashed you into hating the GOP. You somehow think they betrayed you. Well get this straight no one said life was perfect. Nor did anyone say life was even fair. People are no good. The Exception does not disprove the rule.

You want everyone who ever called himself a Republican to act perfectly the way you want to or else you will publicly condemn the whole Republican party and all Republicans while in the real world ALL Republican Congressmen now are on the right side opposing socialism/slavery/evil and fighting for freedom in the MOST IMPORTANT battle ever in which Democrats are trying to pass government run healhtcare (the public option).These actions of yours are totally unfair and only help democrats. Why aren't you campaigning against this Marxist vermin who call themselves the Democrat party or Democrats? You are all worried about what Gingrich is doing in some relatively unimportant race while all Republicans in Congress are now battling in the important battle, opposing socialism in the guise of government healthcare or the public option. Don't sweat the small stuff ( NY 23rd, Newt) and keep things in perspective , look at what IS important the government healthcare bill, realize everyone will not act perfectly the way you want them to all the time and stop whining and do the right thing and fight for freedom which means fight against Democrats/Marxists not freedom loving Republicans.

Ok, you say that Democrats and Republicans are the same? Well democrats are Marxists/socialists/communists. So you are saying all or most Republicans are Marxists? you are so wrong or just a liberal/Democrat/Operative.

So realize that the only way you can get people to act exactly and perfectly the way you want them to is to hold a gun to their head. Like I said what would you have the Republicans in congress now do that they aren't doing? They are ALL, all the Republican congressmen and Senators opposing the Democrats Healthcare bill and the pulic option in the Bill that is being voted on NOW , TODAy and that is the most dangerous in the History of the U.S. So you concentrate and spin about this relatively insignificant by comparison race in New York 23rd when you should be noticing that the Republicans in Congress now are all opposing the really important bill the public option which is government run healthcare.

You are giving the democrats/Marxists the power to hold all of US at gunpoint and make us slaves so that we will all be starving slaves;

Newt is one person. Is he even in the Congress anymore? The fact that you have to resort to talking about something that won't change our country ( the vote in the 23rd) and ignore the important current vote about government healtcare that ALL Republicans who are in Congress are now, today opposing, shows that you are totally wrong . This government health-care bill will turn the U.S. into a socialist state . do you disagree? All democrats in Congress and in the media and elsewhere of course support the public option and government healthcare because democrats are Marxists. However All Republicans in congress , all the congressmen and Republican Senators will not vote for the public option or government healthcare. You by bringing up a single individual that is not even in the Congress, Gingrich, to condemn the GOP overall, shows that you have no real argument at all to back up your smear campaign of the Republican party.

90 posted on 11/05/2009 1:41:00 PM PST by rurgan (Sarah Palin:"Big government is the problem, not the solution" Me:socialism doesn't work)
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To: rurgan

Once a frog gets out of the water,it is more easy to see, as he sticks his toe in from time to time, just how hot the water is getting.

Republicans today are like what I used to call “socialist”. At least their rhetoric is. The fact that they are even considering a health care plan of their own is a classic example.


91 posted on 11/05/2009 3:01:58 PM PST by RobRoy (The US today: Revelation 18:4)
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To: RobRoy
Republicans are not socialist but Democrats are .

Republicans in the Congress won't vote for the Dems government run Healthcare . If Republicans were socialists/Marxists then they would vote for that bill.

You don't know what's in the GOP bill. I heard one thing is that the GOP bill removes the regulations already in place that forbid people from getting health insurance across state lines. This was put in by democrats no doubt to make healthcare more expensive and restrictive so that people would clamor for the government to do something. So this is a good thing the GOP is doing in their bill.

I don't know if you are a democrat operative or what. But democrats and people like you are causing the U.S. to move farther to the left which is destroying our economy.

92 posted on 11/05/2009 3:15:49 PM PST by rurgan (Sarah Palin:"Big government is the problem, not the solution" Me:socialism doesn't work)
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To: rurgan

>>You don’t know what’s in the GOP bill. I heard one thing is that the GOP bill removes the regulations already in place that forbid people from getting health insurance across state lines.<<

You are right. I could be wrong about that.

Meanwhile, I was slow to leave the republican party as Reagan was slow to leave the democrats. But I am at the same place I was politically 30 years ago. The republicans have moved so far left since then that they have utterly lost my support. It was already too late, but the party’s response to Sarah just proved what I already knew.


93 posted on 11/05/2009 3:19:56 PM PST by RobRoy (The US today: Revelation 18:4)
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To: rurgan

>>I don’t know if you are a democrat operative or what. But democrats and people like you are causing the U.S. to move farther to the left which is destroying our economy.<<

No, I am NOT an operative. :)

My problem is that I strongly think that sometimes things have to get worse before they get better and that evil must be exposed for what it really is before it should be squashed. And my tag line might add some clarity, especially within the context of this:

“America is at that awkward stage. It’s too late to work within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards.” —opening lines of 101 Things To Do’Til The Revolution by Claire Wolfe

It may help to understand why I bought my 13 acres and house in central Kentucky.


94 posted on 11/05/2009 3:24:08 PM PST by RobRoy (The US today: Revelation 18:4)
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To: Lazamataz

How’s your drug habit? Did you finally find a place to live besides the backseat of your car?


95 posted on 11/07/2009 10:18:43 AM PST by unsycophant
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To: Lazamataz
oh yeah: Whatever happened to your ex-wife, you know, the one whose photo you passed around, as "proof" you could grift someone who wasn't a lesbian?
96 posted on 11/07/2009 10:21:49 AM PST by unsycophant
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To: unsycophant
How’s your drug habit? Did you finally find a place to live besides the backseat of your car? oh yeah: Whatever happened to your ex-wife, you know, the one whose photo you passed around, as "proof" you could grift someone who wasn't a lesbian?

All I will say, darling, is that I am living very well today. :)

And the amount of venom that it took to write what you did, tells me that you are not. :(

Sorry about your luck. I will pray for better things for you!

97 posted on 11/07/2009 3:31:51 PM PST by Lazamataz (DEFINITION: rac-ist (rA'sis't) 1. Anyone who disagrees with a liberal about any topic.)
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To: RobRoy

Are you and your ilk happy now ? Pelosi and The Democrats just passed Government Healthcare in the House.

So all your propagandizing for Democrats paid off huh?

Now do we see how evil and a threat Democrats are? On a Saturday
Night , behind the American people’s back They satanically,
stealthily , slid this bill/knife into the American people’s back
to destroy our freedom and ability to make a living.

This Bill Passed ONLY because the Democrats have such a large
majority in the House.

This bill would have NEVER passed the House in the Republican
controlled House. So those “conservatives” who bashed Republicans
and depressed Republican voter turnout can now be happy?

I guess this crowd is still not happy. In the not too distant
future these “conservatives” will still be bashing , a lone
remaining Republican in the House. But they will do it by ranting
on the corner because we will all be homeless and starving as
Pelosi’s and the Democrats’ Socialism will have destroyed the
economy.


98 posted on 11/07/2009 10:37:56 PM PST by rurgan (Sarah Palin:"Big government is the problem, not the solution" Me:socialism doesn't work)
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To: rurgan

>>Now do we see how evil and a threat Democrats are?<<

Why do you think I bought the rural property, the guns, etc. I’ve lived through lots of this stuff and this is the ONLY time I really thought we were at risk of losing it all.

>>Are you and your ilk happy now ?<<

Me and my ilk? I have no Idea what you are talking about. I do know that John Galt was right and Dagney Taggart was wrong. I do know that voting in this country is a complete and utter waste of time.


99 posted on 11/08/2009 8:43:07 AM PST by RobRoy (The US today: Revelation 18:4)
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