Deconstructing NY-23
It was a narrow victory for Owens when Conservative Doug Hoffman conceded victory last night in New York’s 23rd congressional district. Pundits and spin doctors are lining up to tell the voters what Owens’ victory means on both a local and a national level. personally, I’m not listening. If it’s anything like the pre-election spin, it’s going to be almost uniformly wrong.
The fact is, ‘Republican” candidate Scozzafava was the spoiler, as labeled by conservative pundits from as lowly as yours truly to AmSpec to Limbaugh. If not in a traditional sense. Certainly, if everyone who voted for Dede had voted for Doug instead, he may have pulled it out. It wouldn’t have happened that way though. Dede’s monkey wrench, aside from her being selected as the GOP candidate, was her late endorsement of Owens.
To believe her opinion wouldn’t carry any weight in this race is to not understand the folks in the North Country. Her list of accomplishments might well be overblown, but she’s one of “ours” — which is to say, she’s somebody’s neighbor. Right or wrong, that does mean something up here.
And yes, “up here” is indeed part of the problem. Doug Hoffman had a huge handicap, being from outside the district. As he told a group of pro-life voters in a phone conference (of which I was part), he was part of the district, until his area was gerrymandered out in 2002. That explanation may well have helped his cause had he made it more public.
I blame nobody for this except our own RINO turncoat Dede Scozzafava. She purposely withdrew at the last minute when her name could not be removed from the ballot. Her vote count was the margin of victory for Owens. That said, Dems better not be to smug about winning NY-23; considering the margins Obama got in 2008 in that district Owens (or the other liberal Dede) should have won by a landslide.
They didn't.
Scozzafava is beneath contempt. I would NEVER trust her after what she did, which, among other things, means she has absolutely no class.
Scuzzafava (not a mistake in spelling in my opinion) does not care what that you don't trust her, asombra, it's not like she has a political career left to speak of.
As for the analysis it makes no sense. You mean that we jumped up and down and went all bonkers for a candidate we knew couldn't win. Why would we then all get worked up and emotionally involved in a candidate we KNEW was going to lose. No one thought the Scuzz would drop out, so assuming she would have stayed Hoffman still would have lost. We are also being a tad hypocritical don't you think? We backed a third party candidate to knock of a Republican and then cry that she betrayed Republicans? That's rich.
The Scuzzf.... fiasco may have torpedoed the election somewhat, but I give all the credit to Hoffman, who had all kinds of strikes against him and still made a very decent run with a commendable margin. And this morning, I heard the news he plans to run again in 2010.
"We are also being a tad hypocritical don't you think?"
Card, you appear to thoroughly enjoy your stint in the GOP circular firing squad. Don't know why you use the pronoung "we" -- but enjoy it while you can. The triumph of the wicked is short.
It's a moot point, but I personally did not back anybody nor am I crying. I'm simply stating the obvious: the woman is political scum, regardless of whether she stays in politics or not. I see a place for her with Arlen Specter, though.