[LS]

Yes, but . . . the unaddressed issue here is "could Hoffman, with or without the GOP money, have brought over that 5-6% that Scuzzy won?" That's the key question. We know that RINOs won't win without conservatives. Is the reverse true? So far, Santorum, Talent, and now Hoffman suggest you need to have a lot going for you besides "pure conservatism" to win. You need organization, you need $ (though after Palinizing the race, I seriously doubt Hoffman lacked for cash), and you need an attractive candidate. Was Hoffman too dull for his own message? From what I saw of him, he could have been better.

So, I don't think there is as clear a message from NY-23 as many here want to think.

[grey_whiskers]

WTF? You do recall the following, don't you? 1) There was no primary to allow people's true positions to be aired -- party officials in consultation with DC RINOs chose Scuzzy. 2) A month ago Hoffmann was mired in last place. 3) Sarah Palin spoke up, but did not campaign in person. A couple of Tweets and/or Facebook postings. (Contrast this, by the way, to the multiple PERSONAL appearances that Obama(+) put in for Corzine and Deeds. FAIL.) 4) Hoffmann surged. 5) The RINOs did a double-pronged attack. The GOP hierarchy and heavy hitters -- including GOP chair Steele and RINO-turncoat-Newt -- publicly endorsed Scuzzy. 6) The GOP also spent $900,000 on Scuzzy. 7) At the last minute, Scuzzy dropped out. This had the effect of negating all of the GOP-cast absentee ballots, now guaranteed to be wasted for purposes of defeating the DEM. 8) To make the stab in the back DOUBLY sure, Scuzzy officially, and in public, endorsed the DEM. (WTF???) 9) Hoffman still came within 3% as a Third Party candidate, after coming from nowhere to remove the hand-picked GOP RINO quisling. 10) But all you can do is say "we lost, boo hoo." I beg to differ. Cheers!

Full disclosure: the ONLY thing Hoffmann did wrong that I could see was look like a world-class DORK in his photos.

[John.Galt2012]

I agree. Malkin makes some good points but I am not convinced that the RNC didn’t get exactly what they wanted in the end. Now they can intimidate the weak of heart in the future races to not “throw your vote away” like the NY-23. I can hear the words coming out of Gingrich’s mouth already. Basically this just means we have a much longer road ahead of us to take back our party. If Hoffman had won, that journey would have been shortened significantly. In any event, it sent a message so don’t loose heart. Stay the course.

[Conservativegreatgrandma]

We know that RINOs won't win without conservatives. Is the reverse true? So far, Santorum, Talent, and now Hoffman suggest you need to have a lot going for you besides "pure conservatism" to win.

Absolutely, the reverse is true. There is no question about it.

Yesterday Michael Medved laid it out. He said that even though most people claim to be conservatives there is not one single state in the whole US that can win an election with only conservative votes.

This does not mean conservatives have to move to the left to win elections. They must show moderates how it is to their advantage to vote for the conservative.

It's nice to say that we want no more RINOs but that will only work if you're willing to concede all future elections to Democrats.

Sorry, folks, these are facts. It's time for rational thought and analysis.

[This_far]

So, I don't think there is as clear a message from NY-23 as many here want to think.

Where'd you go? Enlighten us.

[Jabba the Nutt]

Hoffman isn’t the issue. The issue is that the GOP needs to attract and back conservative candidates. Hoffman himself wasn’t the greatest candidate, he was the vehicle to fight RINOism. And he succeeded and deserves our thanks.

[WalterSkinner]

..I can't prove it but it appears the two establishment parties were working together behind the scenes to torpedo Hoffman's candidacy--despite the late lip service.

This one will be kicked around by political scientists for a long time. It was a weird dynamic which makes it difficult to draw any clear conclusions IMHO. But I do agree that a more appealing candidate would have made some difference.

If Newt, Steele and the party establishment would have shut up in the beginning, Hoffman might have pulled it off ...

[EBH]

I think the bigger unaddressed issue here is who paid off the NY23 GOP to put up Dede? A left of liberal leftist as a republican? Masqueraded her around as a “moderate?”

C’mon...I want to know who threw the election and can they go to jail for it.

[Carry_Okie]

So, I don't think there is as clear a message from NY-23 as many here want to think.

The clearer message is that when you run as a third party conservative at the last minute and the GOP spends buckets of money against you, it's tough to win. That Hoffman came this close is borderline miraculous. Still, we wanted this one badly and didn't get it.

The message conservatives should take from this battle is that we have to take over the GOP apparatus. It's the long war we've got to win.