Interview with the President: NY-23 Special Election is “Important Signal” for Democrats

ABCNews.com/Political Punch ^ | 11/09/09 | Jake Tapper & Sunlen Miller

[OldDeckHand]

Obama said the main message he took from last week’s election results – with Republicans winning gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia – was that Americans are “nervous, and they’re worried and they’re anxious.”

“I don't think there's any denying the fact that people are worried out there,” he said in an interview with ABC’s Jake Tapper today.

Obama said Democrat Bill Owens victory in the special election in New York’s 23rd congressional district, the one bright spot for the president’s party last Tuesday, “sent an important signal.”

[OldDeckHand]

Keep telling yourself Barry, you might just convince yourself it's true.

[SolidWood]

What signal? That you need Gingrich and the RINO gang’s endorsement to get a narrow victory against a third party candidate who was endorsed by that “irrelevant quitter”?

[Frantzie]

Yup. NY-23 sent the Dems a hopeful signal thanks to fat Dede, fat Newt and the corrupt NY-23 GOP RINO party hacks in the district.

[Lakeshark]

The signal to lie about your positions. Pretend to be conservative, get elected, then vote lib!

Worked for the dem in NY 23......

[ConservativeMind]

Newt should just jump off a cliff. It would be more honorable than staying alive, wasting oxygen and tons of cold cuts.

[colorado tanker]

Spinning like a top, I see.

Fact is the Dem faced a severely divided Republican Party, the Republican candidate quit the race and endorsed him, left only to face an unfunded third party candidate with poor campaign skills and he still only managed to get 49% of the vote. And that's the only "good" news for the Dems from last week.

[Iron Munro]

Democrats secret weapons:

[Frantzie]

Newt is Pelosi’s TV pal and a real POS.

[Political Junkie Too]

The signal to Democrats is to not pay attention to the statewide elections, and the small mountan district by the Canadian is the more important race.

-PJ

[Kenny]

Here’s the signal to Democrats, campaign as a conservative then sell out every voter who trusted you within one hour of taking office and show your true liberal colors.

[GregH]

The lesson from NY23 is third party candidates are losers.

All politics is local which many of the national conservative leaders failed to grasp.

Democrats have a potent strategy in 2010 and 2012, divide and conquer.

[SeattleBruce]

Here’s the signal to Democrats, campaign as a conservative then sell out every voter who trusted you within one hour of taking office and show your true liberal colors.
+++++++++++++

Right. Lesson: Make sure to have a confused story in the district involving three parties, have the dim lie (no news there), have the R drop out ‘cause they’re more liberal than the lying D, and you just maybe, maybe can win.

Yeah, clear lessons - almost a mandate there barry.

[SeattleBruce]

The lesson from NY23 is third party candidates are losers.

All politics is local which many of the national conservative leaders failed to grasp.
+++++++++++++++++++

While I generally agree with you about 3rd parties, NY has a long tradition of the Conservative Party there. Hoffman lost by just 4 points. What if Scozzafava had dropped out sooner, or hadn’t been run by the GOP? A stronger Conservative party candidate would have won, or a fairly conservative R would have won.

At the end of the day, hard fought primaries and yes, this race in NY 23, will force the national and state GOPs to the embrace their conservatives - the BASE of the party - rather than disregard them.

That is VERY important.

[BAW]

the important signal NY23 sent was to the Repub Party. It told the GOP that the conservative base will no longer be taken for granted. Don’t tread on us - we want a full voice.