Posted on 11/03/2009 9:58:12 PM PST by rabscuttle385
America has changed, and you have helped. Although we did not succeed in winning this election, we have succeeded in making sure political parties and special interests no longer take the people for granted. I believe we have sent a powerful message and laid the groundwork for future conservative campaigns.
I congratulate Bill Owens on a hard won victory. In our tradition of free elections, our country continues. And although Bill Owens has won, I believe America is turning the page to a new dawn.
The ideas of freedom, sound fiscal management and citizen government have sprung back into our consciousness. Our founding fathers would be proud of New York 23. It was here that our principles, those that have been the foundation of our nation, came back to life with a vengeance. And it was here that the people rose up against the political bosses who tried to impose their will. It was here that people reached out to control their own destinies again.
Despite the election results, I am optimistic for our future, because now I know that I am not alone in wanting to repair our great nation. Throughout this campaign I have been inspired by the outpouring of support and the intensity of that support.
I’ve met many different people in this campaign, from many walks of life and many professions; each with a different personal story to share. Yet we are all united in the belief that by participating in democracy, we could inspire change.
I urge that no one feel defeated, for this was only one of many elections. We came close, we put our agenda in front of the nation and the nation took notice. The worse thing we could do now, is not continue forward. Next year there are other elections and other candidates who have drawn inspiration from our efforts.
I would like to thank all of you who placed your faith in me, who worked tirelessly and shared your enthusiasm with those around you. You are all patriots, you have all stood up for your country and I am honored to stand among you.
Thank you,
“We lost bigtime tonight. The other races were meaningless compared to this one.”
I agree. This loss nullifies the wins in Virginia and New Jersey. The donks are saying the loss in Virginia is no big deal because thats generally a Republican state anyway. And they`re saying New Jersey just reverted to historical standrds,,,donk in the White House - Republican Governor in NJ.
I agree - Hoffman came within 4% in only 30 days with no prior name recognition and no money, against professional political opponents backed by a million dollars each from their National parties and a full election cycle of campaigning - which STILL wasn't enough to defeat him, so his own Party opponent had to plot with the Democratic White House and suspend her campaign instead of quit in order to stay on the ballot and confuse voters, AND (for the first time in political history) endorse the OTHER Party's candidate - and that only a day before the election.
Which means, of course, that under even remotely normal election conditions the conservative, principled, Tea party candidate Hoffman would have won in a landslide.
I used to call myself a conservative Republican...now I'm just a Republican. I want to defeat rats...something conservatives seem opposed to.
Another 6%er heard from.
because it’s never happened that someone loses a close race one cycle and wins it the next. Maybe Hoffman can’t win, but it doesn’t mean that no conservative can win ever. Things change.
51% of the district voted for someone against Obamacare. For someone against cap and trade. My principles weren’t rejected at all.
It’s like saying in 2004, a dem is unelectable in VA, IN, NC, CO, FL, OH, etc... look at Kerry. Obama won VA and he’s more liberal than Kerry. The dems didn’t go moderate, they doubled down on an even bigger liberal. And won. You’d have said a pro-life Republican is unelectable in NJ. You’d be wrong. You’d have said a conservative Republican with ties to the religious right is unelectable in VA and in NOVA and we need moderates. You’d be wrong.
The SCOTUS, GM and Budget all happened way before this election. Hoffman had nothing to do with any of that. The House has nothing to do with the SC anyway. Rush Limbaugh himself could have won tonight and it still wouldn’t stop Obama from appointing another liberal to the Court. The GOP candidate Scozzafava supported the stimulus and the Obama budget. Her winning wouldn’t have stopped it, and again it ALREADY happened. The future was already cost. My principles didn’t affect it one iota.
The losses in NJ and VA dealt a much bigger blow to Obamacare and Cap and Trade than any win by the GOP in NY would have. The Senate is where the action is. And they pay attention to the state races.
Again, one vote in the house isn’t the difference between passing and not passing anything. Obama already has 260 votes in the House. He doesn’t have some narrow majority. It’s not like if Palin and the Tea Party people had stayed out of this and DeDe had won that all of a sudden we’d be saying “Thank God, Obamacare is dead”. It would have the same chance of passage it has now.
DeDe Scozzafava was not the difference maker on heath care or cap and trade. She was not the fulcrum on the future of Obama. She was at best one of a 170 member minority caucus. Nothing more.
FWIW btw, obamacare and capandtrade are at their lowest levels on intrade that theyve ever been at. cheer up.
This was a victory of sorts for the Conservative movement since the RINO was unmasked for what she was, and the GOP wine sippers, especially Newt, were spanked hard for trying to push her on us. Maybe someone in the GOP leadership will think twice before they try to do that again next year, when it really will count.
This was a gerrymandered GOP district. One of only 3 out of 31 in NY. RINO McHugh got 145k in 2008 and Hoffman got 62k.
Republicans won elections (and I am grateful for that), the spoiler conservative candidate Hoffman in NY-23 lost. The GOP could have won the NY seat but Rush, Palin, and out of state conservatives wanted to prove they could defeat a RINO. God help this country if RINOs decide to let conservatives send a message in 2010...a message which is "conservative would rather elect rats than compromise their principles in a liberal state that rejects conservatism...the GOP must pick unelectable conservatives despite the futility of their candidacy."
The question unasked tonight is how many Republicans held their noses and voted for Hoffman( a man who didn't even live in the district), despite their anger over out of state interference, and out of fear of giving 0 and Pelosi another GOP seat. The answer is...not enough to win.
You’re right on!
I’m worried about that too. Splitting up the right of center vote is one hell of a way to make absolutely sure the democrats have total control.
Of course there is some disappointment since our candidate didn’t win, but check out the silver lining in #30.
This race was the beginning of the party re-alignment that is going to occur in the GOP if it is going to survive.
Amen to that.
"Maybe someone in the GOP leadership will think twice before they try to do that again next year, when it really will count."
Gee, I dunno.
That, remains to be seen. LOL
Let them. The unthinkable is here. We have a nearly unapologetic Marxist in the Whitehouse surrounding himself with open communists and Mao lovers. They have ALL clear as day said they wish to rebuild the country. There is no more slowing this down. We are already there. Let them take full ownership.
Or not. The lines in the sand must be drawn.
God Bless Doug—I pray that he has opened some eyes.
All right, let me concede a couple things. Dede sucks as a Republican. A more conservative candidate could win in NY-23 if they run a better campaign and the GOP can rightfully be happy with the success we had yesterday. Conservatives are the base of the GOP and they need to be satisfied with the GOP candidates to win.
That being said a win in NY-23 would have been a more crushing and sweet defeat to me if Hoffman or Scuzzy had won. The extraordinary support from conservatives from around the US was a turn-off for moderate GOP voters and independents in NY-23. The turnout proves this. The GOP can't win without RINO support in liberal states. I don't like endorsing RINOs. I also don't like some of my neighbors, but I have to live with them. They are better allies than enemies.
Let me be clear...I am disappointed that conservatives will have less influence because of this failure in NY-23. So please try to understand that I think Palin would be an awesome President...but if she can't reach-out to moderates she might as well be content to be a "principled" out-of-work stay-at-home mom. Nothing wrong with that, but it's not a position of power in which to thwart rats.
Now, that said, it also shows that (perhaps) had Hoffman had the full support and funds of the GOP early it might have been different, or had he been a better candidate personally (the guy was d-u-l-l), it might have been different. And who knows what his organization was like? But it's NOT a clear sign that "conservatives always win," as some of us hoped it would be. It means ALL races will be close and---the MESSAGE is a given---you also need a) good candidates, with b) lots of money (and that means no third-parties) and c) they have to have good organizations. The message alone isn't enough.
I hear your frustration, but all the stuff you’re mad about, the budget, the stimulus, the spending, the debt, etc... it ALL happened while the GOP held the seat and while McHugh was in office. All of that happened with the GOP playing the moderate game and winning the seat. It would still happen even if we retained it tonight.
All those things passed easily even with McHugh voting against them. The GOP holding the seat made no difference to Pelosi and the house dems. It didn’t affect one piece of legislation.
Unfortunately that’s what happens when you lose 2 straight midterms and get spanked. The other side gets 260 votes and you’re pretty much out of options.
It’s like your team losing a football game 38-0 and worrying about the fg tacked on at the end for the last 3 pts.
The seat is irrelevant to Pelosi’s agenda. It doesn’t really matter. It doesn’t make her any more powerful than she already was. Health care is no more or less likely to pass with Owens than it would have been if the GOP had won the seat.
The way to stop O is not to have a liberal hold the seat, or even really a conservative for that matter. It’s to take back the house and Senate and beat Obama with conservatives who will oppose him. Taking back the house and senate with Snowes and Specters and Scozzafavas who will roll over won’t stop him.
History shows the GOP wins when it is a strong conservative party, not when it courts moderates. As we saw in NJ and VA, moderates will vote for conservatives, even pro life ones, even ones who worked for Bush, and yes, even ones endorsed by Sarah Palin for that matter.
If the GOP won tonight in NY not one aspect of the Obama agenda would have been impacted in the least. I don’t see why your so torn up over this.
Hoffman got 62K in 2009.
Under the multiple-sabotaged conditions I described.
While McHugh ran a normal campaign with GOP support, last year under pre-Tea Party conditions, whereas RINO Scuzzbucket had to drop out this year.
(I know you forgot to mention those things, so I thought I'd help out.)
No, the other races are not meaningless. Every race is very important. For example, one of the states, NJ, which was thought lost as a blue state, now have a GOPer who was just elected. I still see 2010 as a very meaningful year. This is just a start.
I wish he didn’t concede at least until all the votes were counted, for the sake of the military.
I also wonder what impact ACORN/voter fraud had in this race.
While McHugh ran a normal campaign with GOP support, last year under pre-Tea Party conditions, whereas RINO Scuzzbucket had to drop out this year.
(I know you forgot to mention those things, so I thought I'd help out.)
Thanks for pointing out that McHugh rode Obama's coattails to a 145,000 victory in 2008 while Hoffman eked out a 62,000 loss at the height(so far) of anti-obama/rat and intense Tea-Party/conservative support in 2009.
I did forget to point out Hoffman's pathetic showing is in proper context. Bully for your honesty...even if it is unintended.
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