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NY-23 2009: America has changed [Hoffman concedes defeat to Owens]
Doug Hoffman for Congress ^ | 2009-11-04

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,



TOPICS: Politics/Elections; US: New York
KEYWORDS: hoffman; ny2009; ny23; owens; scuzzafava; scuzzy
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To: ThomasSawyer

Okay, I guess I”ll spin the result of this race, so the RINOs don’t spin it their way. That’ll work out great, right? :)


81 posted on 11/03/2009 10:31:31 PM PST by perfect_rovian_storm (The worst is behind us. Unfortunately it is really well endowed.)
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To: snarkybob

How is Christie a moderate? He’s pro life, worked for W in the DOJ, is pro vouchers, fiscally conservative. He may not be Jesse Helms, but he’s not Arlen Specter either.

McDonnell is conservative.

Hoffman was not exactly the best candidate. He was a guy no one in the district had heard of or known about until a few weeks ago. Owens and Scozzofava had much greater identification and reputations. He basically came from nowehre and got 46%.

When the dems already have 270 seats, 1 more won’t amount to a hill of beans. It’s more about the symbolism and the importance of fiscal conservatism.

Scozzofava was always going to lose anyway.

But the conservative wing is stronger now. You don’t win overnight. It takes time. you have to build. You have to start somewhere.

As Churchill said, “this is the end of the beginning”.


82 posted on 11/03/2009 10:31:38 PM PST by jeltz25
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To: rabscuttle385
"I congratulate Bill Owens on a hard won victory."

He couldn't have done it without you, Doug.

83 posted on 11/03/2009 10:32:25 PM PST by Mojave (Ignorant and stoned - Obama's natural constituency.)
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To: grey_whiskers

You are 100% right...Doug almost pulled off the election of the decade........He did good and so did everyone that supported him.....the Establishiment Repub. screwed the pooch not us or Hoffman..


84 posted on 11/03/2009 10:34:12 PM PST by goat granny
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To: perfect_rovian_storm

Good Lord...please stop the sniveling.

FR needs to man up.


85 posted on 11/03/2009 10:34:18 PM PST by roses of sharon (Call the NFL and welcome their new Commissioner, Al Sharpton.)
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To: kevao

RNC blew $900K on Scazzofava to throw her votes to the letter D. WHY NOT a few more bucks the guy that held the base together and got more votes than she did?


86 posted on 11/03/2009 10:34:25 PM PST by BradyLS (DO NOT FEED THE BEARS!)
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To: perfect_rovian_storm

“Not that I’m looking for company in misery, but thank you for seeing what I’m saying here. We lost a HUGE battle here tonight. I had high hopes for this race and I’m devastated that it will now be used against us.”

Well. I see it the same way you seem to. I’m not trying to be a defeatist, it’s just that winning back a solid red state is hardly a major coup. The top ranking conservatives in the country came out for Hoffman in a district that is solidly GOP and still he lost. Now the conventional wisdom will say we need to be more moderate.
This seems to me to be a bit like Santa Annas “victory” at the Alamo (any Texas history buffs will know what I mean).


87 posted on 11/03/2009 10:35:22 PM PST by snarkybob (')
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To: April Lexington

I agree that maybe he should have waited until tomorrow or Thursday for more absentees to be counted, but remember that he doesn’t have the resources of a Party behind him to help fund a recount or legal fight.


88 posted on 11/03/2009 10:35:44 PM PST by RocketMan1
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To: rabscuttle385

If he concedes but possibly wins with absentee votes, does he still win?

I know it’s a long shot, but I”m just curious how the process works. Can you concede and still win?


89 posted on 11/03/2009 10:35:46 PM PST by Cedar
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To: perfect_rovian_storm

It won’t be used against us if we keep on fighting.


90 posted on 11/03/2009 10:36:02 PM PST by Jeb21 (www.jewsagainstobama.com)
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To: roses of sharon

Get bent. You’re the one spinning a loss as some kind of cryptic win and I’m the one that needs to ‘man up’? Wake up and smell what you’re shoveling.


91 posted on 11/03/2009 10:37:06 PM PST by perfect_rovian_storm (The worst is behind us. Unfortunately it is really well endowed.)
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To: Mojave
He couldn't have done it without you, Doug.

LOL. So every vote that Hoffman won, was a vote for Owens?

So then, I guess Christie won NJ because of all the votes cast for Corzine.

Just how stupid are you, anyway?

92 posted on 11/03/2009 10:37:30 PM PST by kevao (I am Joe Wilson!)
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To: Texas4ever

rOVIAN...IS NOT ONE OF US!!!


I am not going to say that. I think his expectations are too high. I think it will look better to him in the morning.

New Jersey was a huge humiliation of Obama personally - an utter rejection by many, many people who voted FOR him less than a year ago.

Virginia is staggering. A nearly 2:1 vote ratio is about as close to ground zero devestation as one can achieve in a large election.

Rovian is correct that we lost a couple of frigates. He is so focused on this that he is missing the fact that the enemy lost several ships of the line.

We need patience for this fight. Fortitude.

It will all look better in the morning.


93 posted on 11/03/2009 10:38:38 PM PST by Psalm 144 (FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY ADULT LIFE, I AM PROUD OF NEW JERSEY!)
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To: Mojave
He couldn't have done it without you, Doug.

Maybe. But now the debacles in the US House will be on his head and not some bi-partisan fiasco with Dede's help.

94 posted on 11/03/2009 10:38:38 PM PST by BradyLS (DO NOT FEED THE BEARS!)
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To: perfect_rovian_storm
oh shush up......this was a iffy thing at best in 23.....a third party candidate running against the two parties with the pub still taking votes and then endorsing the rat...

what this shows though is that the rats will stoop to anything to win....buying off candidates, acorn, union thugs...whatever...

personally, I don't know why Hoffman conceded....theres still votes out there..

is conceding a legal procedure?....if the votes turn around, can he still win....or does the counting just stop....???

95 posted on 11/03/2009 10:38:40 PM PST by cherry
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To: perfect_rovian_storm

Rubio has nothing to do with this. He’s in an actual primary. If he wins he’ll have proven himself in the state to the voters over a sitting Governor. He was house speaker.

To compare him to a guy like Hoffman with zero political experience who no one heard of 3 weeks ago is lunacy.

Rubio will have a primary and months of a general to campaign. Not a week or so.

It helps conservatives by rallying them nationwide which is far more important than one district in an already overwhlemingly dem house. It’s just the begining and there will be a whole year till 2010 and not some crash operation over a few days.

It’s like when that dem lost in OH in that special election a few yrs back. In the short term, we won the seat. But in the long term it was a signal of an engaged dem and liberal base.

It hurts because the polls showed him with a big lead but the polls were apparently totally off. He went from 23% to 46% in 10 days.

We won big in NJ and VA. Celebrate that.


96 posted on 11/03/2009 10:39:14 PM PST by jeltz25
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To: perfect_rovian_storm

Rubio’s situation is completely different. Rubio will be in a primary with Crist next year. Hoffman faced off a Republican AND a Democrat in a special election with no primary and without RNC money.


97 posted on 11/03/2009 10:39:19 PM PST by Jeb21 (www.jewsagainstobama.com)
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To: BradyLS
RNC blew $900K on Scazzofava to throw her votes to the letter D. WHY NOT a few more bucks the guy that held the base together and got more votes than she did?

Because -- and consider this carefully -- the absolutely worst result for the RNC tonight, would have been a Hoffman victory.

Get it?

98 posted on 11/03/2009 10:40:10 PM PST by kevao (I am Joe Wilson!)
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To: snarkybob

Exactly. It’s a victory for conventional wisdom and the beltway elite GOPers. That means that any meaningful attempt to take this country back is going to be ten times harder to attain, because we’re going to be fighting the idiots on ‘our side’ the whole time as well. This win would have given us an instant STFU pill for RINOs. Instead, they get to use it against us...


99 posted on 11/03/2009 10:40:25 PM PST by perfect_rovian_storm (The worst is behind us. Unfortunately it is really well endowed.)
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To: snarkybob

how solidly GOP can it be if Obama won it with 52% last yr and even Scozzofava was in the high 20s as of the middle of the month?

The top ranking dem and liberal in the country personally went to the mat for Jon Corzine in a state that he won by 15 pts and that Corzine won by 11 pts for yrs ago. In a state do dem had been below 50% since 1997.

What does that say?


100 posted on 11/03/2009 10:41:30 PM PST by jeltz25
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