Posted on 11/03/2010 10:41:10 AM PDT by WebFocus
Off the top of my (very groggy) head, I cannot think of too many cases where a Democrat lost a winnable race because of too many left-of-center votes drifting to a liberal third party, other than Ralph Naders role in the 2000 presidential election.
Last night, a withdrawn third-party bid ended up costing Republicans at least one key victory. Im starting to think the New York 23rd district is cursed. Doug Hoffman, Conservative-party candidate, inspiring figure of 2009′s special election, made a remarkably mature decision to drop his Conservative bid this year and back the Republican, Matt Doheny. Last night, 6 percent of the district voted for Hoffman, even though he had withdrawn. Democrat Bill Owens is ahead by 2.4 percent.
In Oregon, Republican Chris Dudley is hanging on in the governors race; his 1.1 percent lead is less than the share of the vote that went to the Constitution-party candidate (1.4 percent) and the Libertarian-party candidate (1.3 percent).
Harry Reid will win reelection with 50.2 percent of the vote, but Sharron Angle only won 44.6 percent.
Tim Cahill cost Charlie Baker his shot at the Massachusetts governorship.
In Indiana, one of the cycles promising Republicans, Jackie Walorski, has fallen short by 1.4 percent while the Libertarian candidate took 5 percent.
Massachusetts Republicans are bummed this morning. In the 10th district, Democrat Bill Keating is going to win with a mere 46.9 percent of the vote.
In Rhode Islands 1st district, a lot of Democrats worried about their man David Ciciline; he won 50.6 percent of the vote but is six points ahead of John Loughlin.
In Colorados governors race, we saw a strange reversal: the surprising 11 percent who backed Republican Dan Maes probably cost conservative independent Tom Tancredo a victory, or at least a chance to take Democrat John Hickenlooper down to the wire.
Late in this cycle, we saw desperate Democrats doing everything they could to promote little-known third-party options. Sometimes it didnt work (Alan Grayson, Tom Perriello). But clearly the Democrats will go back to this option, time and again, until right-of-center voters realize that if you want to throw out an entrenched liberal Democrat incumbent, there is only one real option. Every vote has to be earned, but sometimes you have to be willing to take someone less than ideal if you want to throw a bum out.
You won the "Dumbest thing I've read on FR today" award.
OK.
And your counter argument is...?
Tom Tancredo would have probably had another 11 to 15 points if Don Maes had not gone third party! ;-)
The GOP did not want to slide into non-major party status here.
they have ruined the chances of Jesse Kelly and Ruth McClung....I am sure there are others....
to call yourself a "constitutionalist" or a "libertarian" is to suggest that you want the constitution to be followed and you want less govt.....
yet they draw just enough pitiful support to actually hand the race to a big government civil rights killer democrat...
but they'll come on FR with their sleeze....
we know now don't we that the third party is just a rat operation....
as far as Hoffman goes, he falls in the arrogant AND stupid category...could get enough of his 15"..
or maybe its just what your agenda calls for....
the "Conservative" party should be disbanded in NYS...
GOP this is indeed you last chance to prove you can lead this nation and stand solid against Liberal Dems and not be a part of or enablers too them. Lead or be replaced it is in fact that simple. I hope they lead I honestly do. If not I will support third party again.
I voted third party in Tennessee governor yesterday because the GOP choice was a pathetic proved on record see-saw Dailey-Bloomberg gun control supporting RINO. The good news was Conservative GOP has solid control of both houses in our state. IOW they can stop him.
NO PARTY has a RIGHT to election ownership. The DEM's and GOP do not have exclusive rights to being the only two parties. Nor was our government and election process establisshed so they could.
no....hadn't heard that one.....*sigh*
and this is a perfect example of the third party thinking...
Get used to third parties if the GOP does not put the Rinos down during this term. People are not going with the GOP blindly. This may be their last chance to do something useful - like repeal deathcare and shrink the scope of government.
the hope is that they would vote correctly, with intention, with a clear winner in mind...
and if you call yourself a believer in the "constitutionalist" party or "libertarian" party than you should naturally NOT want to ensure big govt statist winning elections which is what you do when you vote third party...
dopey...just dopey...
The effect of Ross Perot:
Of the Presidents elected to office (discounts LBJ, Truman and Ford)
George H.W. Bush was the first Republican President since Herbert Hoover to not win two elections (Hoover was the third Republican President in a row).
Bill Clinton was the first Democrat President since FDR to win two elections.
That and that alone is the real hard core reason as to why Poppy Bush lost. He did exactly from day one just as you said and our nation paid dearly for it. Clinton on platform and in speeches ran to the right of Liberal Poppy in 1992. Clinton didn't govern as such as POTUS but that's beside the point. He did it again in 1996 when Bob Dole ran Liberal.
The GOP Congress in 1994 ran on Reagan's Conservative platform and won big. Then before a year in power had abandoned it. They got voted out of power for doing so. GOP needs to stop blaming Independents for your own dismal pathetic pandering to the Democratic Party and concentrate on delivering Consistent Conservative Constitutional Leadership. Do that much and like Reagan you'll win many more elections than you loose to DEMs by trying to pander. The choice is your to do so as the choice is mine to vote for or replace you. NEVER take my vote for granted because of party name.
a pact?....you're kidding right?
here in Eastern Washington the Ron Paul crowd took over the county Republican committee and then decided not to fund any political signs or buttons, etc for McCain and Sarah Palin...cooperation and a "pact"....sure....
there is no need to make a pact with them...some of them are incorrigible....giddy with their 5% vote gathering...
expose them and their hypocrisy.....
Perot gave us Clinton but Bush gave us Perot. It’s going to happen again until someone hears the job sucking sound made by bad trade deals.
you’re full of it....Jesse Kelly and Ruth McClung were outstanding intelligent and conservative candidates...YOUR people defeated them......
Then, you weren't paying attention to the 1992 campaign.
and this is a perfect example of the third party thinking...
Says the one who knows nothing about the 1992 Presidential election...
As near as I can tell, all of the ills facing this country are a result of something a 'pub or a rat' did in the past that a current 'pub or a rat' hasn't undone.
So, when the Republipukes or DemoCraps decide they're for me, then I'll vote for them.
wrong....
The Repubs expected that they could count on people voting (R) no matter what and what did it get them?
The way to keep the party honest is to not vote for them when they don’t root our the corruption and stick to the script that the voters want.
Nope. I voted pubbie against UOx42. Remember Bob Dull Dole? George H. W. Bush? They were the RINO, not conservative. I voted for Jerry Ford, a RINO, instead of Carter. I daresay if a conservative had been running we may have won those.
Your type of propaganda got us to the point where republicans are basically liberal-lite. They’re still going over a cliff like the RATS, just slightly slower.
So, for the first time in my life, and my first vote was for Richard Nixon, I did NOT vote for republicans. I didn’t vote for a rat but I’m not voting for a rino.
Therefore, tell your handlers,
IF REPUBLICANS WANT MY VOTE, THEY BETTER RUN A CONSERVATIVE.
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