Posted on 11/09/2009 7:01:39 AM PST by Wolf13
Doug Hoffman’s narrow defeat in New York’s 23rd Congressional District special election was one of few blemishes in a nearly flawless Election Day for Republicans. But Hoffman’s strong showing — coupled with the successful uprising against Republican nominee Dede Scozzafava’s candidacy — will embolden some conservatives to consider abandoning the GOP and initiating a broader third-party movement.
As a staunch conservative Republican whose political action committee invested much in Hoffman’s campaign, I believe nothing would hurt the conservative movement, or the GOP, more. National Democrats would love nothing more than for conservatives to start looking for third-party candidates all across the country, because third-party candidates almost always lose.
Third-party talk has become a perennial post-election pastime among some conservatives. Republicans faced a similar scenario during the 2008 campaign, when many values conservatives were dissatisfied with the field of Republican candidates and threatened to leave the party and vote for a third-party candidate. Today, Hoffman’s success and the deep sense of political alienation felt by many Americans might make it seem like the right time for another third-party revolt.
At the national level, while third-party candidacies can be an important way to draw attention to issues that the two major parties are ignoring, they always fail. In 1992, Reform Party presidential candidate Ross Perot focused his campaign on the out-of-control federal deficit. And within a few years, the budget was balanced. But no third-party presidential candidate has won a plurality or a majority of the popular vote in a single state since 1968.
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
No. Your turn jerk.
Temper, temper. Once you get into high school you’ll learn more about how government works and you won’t sound so infantile. It takes time. Don’t be discouraged.
I answer your question, you refuse to answer mine. Consistent with the behavior of a jerk.
I agree but Hoffman's candidacy was a perfect example of when it's time to Go Rouge.
When a Republican candidate is more liberal than the Democrat it's time to Go Rogue.
When a Republican drops out then endorses a Democrat it's time to Go Rogue.
Also, not listening is the hallmark of a jerk.
though i am a bit rusty with political history this nation was still relatively young - political parties had not really congealed into anything remotely like we have today until Andrew Jackson’s Dems. We can quibble all we want and though i understand the frustration you feel particularly in a blue state such as IL do you honestly think a true blue conservative can win there? like MA only Rs who can get elected are either Moderate or all out liberal (at least socially) which is one reason i left there. the candidates who are most likely to be successful going forward are people like McDonell in VA who is as far as i can tell Conservative but campaigned on bread and butter economic/middle class issues and downplayed his social conservatism. Same went for Christie in NJ. Fiscally conservative folks who downplay social issues will win. its a sorry state of affairs but people who are stereotyped as “conservative neanderthals” will most likely lose in most statewide or “moderate” areas of this nation. Third parties who shriek and moan will not win, split the right or right leaning or anti-incumbency vote and allow the full fledged commies to continue their reign.
The Whig Party was the second party in opposition to the Democrats and Andrew Jackson. The fissure that split them (and consequently brought into existance the Republican Party) was over the expansion of slavery into the territories. Too many Whigs were happy to vote with their Democrat allies over this issue (sound familiar?).
What I'm reading here is a lot of speculation, condemnation (over the idea of third party effectiveness) and irresolution. I see little constructive thought about what can be achieved. As I said previously, if a viable third party candidate is on the ticket, they will get my vote over some RINO. If that splits the ticket then so-be-it. Oh, I know I'll be blamed (instead the GOP which caused the problem in the first place). But that's you're problem, not mine. I vote my conscience. And will never acquiesce that opportunity or the rightness of it.
“But if they continue to ballot RINOs and Democrat style candidates, then how does voting party line ‘reform’ them?”
....if we’re going to get the party back to Reagan Republicanism then we’re gonna all have to pitch in and get active....speaking for myself, I’ve been very complacent...oh I’ll write a check to the GOP alright...but I’ve done nothing to help my county GOP organization...and that’s where it all starts....face it, we’ve let the party drift into RINO hood....me bitching about it of Free Republic is not the answer...getting active is.
I agree. OTOH, I have been active locally. I've attended meetings, I've stopped writing checks. I know my state reps, I've made my feelings known. And I will not support any GOP candidate who isn't conservative on the issues; candidates like Andy McKenna.
So, that's what I'm doing on the local level (except for the writing checks part...). On the national level, I'm expressing my dissatisfaction and frustration through letters, calls, emails (and the writing checks part). But I will not jump on some bandwagon that discounts (and disses) third party movements; especially when I think a third party candidate has a chance.
No, not all third party politics is alike. And en masse jumping to some vague or irrational third party movement is not the answer. But on local levels, or national levels where candidates can offer viable alternatives to GOP RINO candidates, then I'm all for it.
The scope of my comments below is limited to economics.
For me it is not the GOP or even Sarah Palin that will save us. It is Jesus alone. This country, and the world in general, has jumped off a cliff. The problem is too big for any government to solve without actions that would be impossible. This is gonna end very badly no matter who is in charge. And the responsibility lies with both parties, 60/40.
My goal is to just be around when it’s time to pick up what is left of this mess. Our politicians can not fix this.
“But that’s you’re problem, not mine”
oh i would say it is everyones problem to be honest. Again the key word here is VIABLE. if there were a viable Conservative who i thought could win a race i would vote for him or her as well. i give you Hoffman as an example i thought that he would win and had i lived in NY23 i would have voted for him. that being said for the most part you have your Daggett, Perot, Cahill in MA that will serve as nothing but SPOILERS or attempting spoilers.
only third party successes i can think of fairly recently are Angus King in ME and Jesse Ventura in MINN. not exactly paragons of leadership that is for sure. you want to vote to keep your consceince clear do so in the primary. following that vote for whoever agrees with you the most maybe not 100% but say more than 75% than you will get at least that much. i am painting a broad stroke hear i just take things on a case by case basis. if there is a VIABLE 3rd then by all means vote that way but if this 3rd is nothing but a spoiler then you are just enabling PElosi, Reid and BO
Uh, the GOP ended up backing Doug Hoffman.
Agreed. This should be painfully evident after NY-23. It should have been evident after Ross Perot.
I respectfully disagree. Hoffman ran on a third party ticket. If he had run under the Republican one, he may very well have won.
No argument from me. Conservatives need to work within the GOP to ever have any chance at regaining power. If conservatives had done so in NY-23, Hoffman would have received the nomination and GOP support from the beginning.
Sarah going third party would regulate both her and the conservative movement to the political wilderness. Let’s take back the GOP.
In what ways could they stop a mass conservative grass roots effort to take over the GOP?
“In what ways could they stop a mass conservative grass roots effort to take over the GOP?”
They are much better organized, and they control the committee positions. We would have to boot a majority of the committee members. In PA, the county party chair can appoint committee members to fill vacant positions, and the previous York County chairman routinely filled them with friendly faces whenever there was a challenger for his position.
“Uh, the GOP ended up backing Doug Hoffman.”
But they appointed Scozzawhatserface to run, she would have lost, and the third party candidate lost because some Republicans voted for Scozza, just enough for the Dem to win.
The answers are not with either Democrats or Republicans.
Vote for either one of them continues the rigged and corrupt two-party system in this country.
We need to break this system and fix it with a fair system that will let anyone run for office.
Look at how the two-party system has screwed us over and over again.
The Republicans are the ones responsible for enabling the Democrats to destroy this country. They both work together for the same goal - bigger government, less freedom, higher spending - ALL AN EQUATION FOR OUR DOWNFALL.
Look at the recent healthcare bill...if the idiot Republicans didn’t put the abortion amendment in the bill it would have NEVER pass - once AGAIN Republicans were the enabler for the Democrats.
Time for ALL Americans to take a stand and bring forward people that will represent Americans and not some tired washed out political party.
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