I do fear for the republic because your "analysis" of not stylish enough is an old chestnut that gets trotted out on FR with frequency. I find it so frustrating that some FReepers (not you) will agree that a candidate is conservative enough... but, unfortunately, not stylish enough to capture their vote.
If the tea parties lead to ordinary people running, then the electorate is going to have to lose their "Hollywood" vision of the perfect candidate and vote for the politician, regardless of the glibness quotient, that agrees with them.
Why did Hoffman lose? My opinion - because the NY23 is a left leaning district at heart. That is why the local GOP party picked a left leaning candidate. When she dropped out, the voters who were truly left leaning voted for the Democrat.
I would love nothing more than 435 members of the House of Representatives to be true conservatives. That is not going to happen. Sometimes (gasp), some districts may need a moderate or left-leaning Republican to run in order to win.
But then again, I'm of the opinion that a Repubican can be a conservative, or a moderate, or more liberal. A conservative and Republican do not equal the same.
“But then again, I’m of the opinion that a Repubican can be a conservative, or a moderate, or more liberal. A conservative and Republican do not equal the same.”
I with you there. I call myself a conservative independent.
A republican has held that seat (23rd NY district)since 1867. I can’t imagine why Hoffman lost....other than what I said. He did get a fairly good amount of votes, it wasn’t an embarassment.