Close Only Counts In ...

While a small victory,indeed it is appearing as if the RNC leadership STILL don't get why their azses have been handed to them the last 2 cycles.
I do wonder had the RNC BACKED Hoffman what the outcome would have been. Message to the GOP braintrust. I know you don't want to hear,see or acknowledge conservatives,but the smart money would be going after them. The mushy moderate stance you have taken is a sure-fire loser.

what's to come.

Conservatism is anything but dead...

what's to come.

Conservatism is anything but dead...

in slow dancing.

It's a shame that Hoffman didn't win. If he had, though, those "Rezombiecans" would claim victory. As it is, they claim victory. I hope they learn, but I fear they won't.
Personally, I think that Skozzie was talked into dropping out, after it was clear that she'd come in third to avoid a direct confrontation between the liberal "Rep" and the Conservative.

It also shows what a mess the NY Republican Party is. She co-opted them from the get-go. Her positions were easy to see the minute she dropped in, but she still got the nod from the party. The state party should be wiped clean. They’ve been co-opted. They let Bloomberg continue to run as a Republican. They nominated her. This is war, and when you’ve been infiltrated, you wipe the place out and start over.

As for Newt, via your previous post, he’s just a Party Animal. He’d back anyone they put up. He would have backed Hoffman for the Party. I like him, but he’s become Party first. But let’s face it; the Party is where he gets his Name.

Good coverage of the NY23 race, by the way. I should have been by here before! I’ll definitely make it back by more often, now that I know what you’re up to, although I’m not around much anymore, anyway.

CLOSE counts in slow dancing....

I agree. I wish Hoffman could have won, but I'm wondering what the election would have been if liberal lite Scozzafava hadn't endorsed Owens. The liberal republicans should all get out of the GOP. The conservatives have spoken and we're tired of our values being attacked from both sides.

real weird issues with the physical ballots, too, something having to do with prior runs by some of the candidates, etc. Scuzzyfava was double listed, as was the Dem, and Hoffman only on there once, or something like that. I only caught snippets on the radio, but it sounded like it was enough to really screw things up.

LMAO, "close in hand grenades and horse shoes", that's a good oldie!

How about, "slips don't count in a bear fight", heehee.

BTW, that's a good report and I think the RINOs are shaking in their boots.

Linseed GrahamNesty is a slitherin little worm and I think he sees the writing on the wall but won't admit it.
He knows his time is coming too.

Good analysis and I agree, NY 23 was a WIN for us.

Nicely put.

"Well, the Dems can also use it to bash Palin over the head with."

Not just dems, wait until you read Medved's piece on the front page. Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't he endorse Hoffman?

Well, you wouldn't know it from what he has up today. As for Pelosi, I'm sure that she desperately needed that 80th vote to get anything done. A 79 vote majority is too weak and puny.

What an idiot!

Clyde, Yeah, basically it started with a local GOP chair throwing the nomination to the Scozz even though a conservative was more popular (not Hoffman). When no one did anything about it, Hoffman stepped up to the plate. It's funny because the RNC basically says that mistakes were made, this is a unique scenario, the wrong person was picked, but we (conservatives) still shouldn't have backed a third party (even though that party aligns itself with Republicans). Of course they weren't admitting this was a mistake before Hoffman left the Scozz in his dust.

VD, yeah, you can tell RINOs are worried because they are issuing all kinds of warnings against pulling a NY23 anywhere else. This ignores the fact that NY23 was a warning to them.

Red, I think you're right. Her drop-out was a strategic move to help the Dem, and it kind of avoids her going into the loss column. Technically. Even the wording suggests that. She didn't drop out, she "suspended her campaign." As for NY23 R's, it looks like one GOP chair went against everyone's wishes and threw it to Scozz. What would be nice to see is this person losing her chair, but I wouldn't count on it. As for Newt, I think he was actually shocked when Scozz endorsed the Dem. Glad you dropped by; I haven't been as active on TH myself in a while. Oddly, I was probably most active back when Heritage ran it, there were no blogs, and comments on the columns were nested.

Eric, I don't mind the odd thorn in our side coming from a "moderate" R when they come from a place where the populace is left leaning. My main problem is when the RNC just picks RINOs regardless of what the popluation of that district/state looks like. Having said that, when someone consistently stabs you in the back, at some point you should get tired of it and kick them to the curb.

I'll have to look into that. From what I've heard, if Hoffman had even just a week between Scozz dropping out and the election, he would have been able to pull it off. Anyway, next election for NY23 is a short year away, and apparently Hoffman is planning on running. Which would be good. Kind of lost in this election is that this guy would be a mythical "citizen legislator."

Tazz,
"Linseed GrahamNesty is a slitherin little worm and I think he sees the writing on the wall but won't admit it." Oh, yeah, given the comments I've seen from RINO types, they are definitely scared, but I'm thinking they're just whistling past the graveyard.

Gunny,
Thanks, and definitely a win. Next task: taking down Crist. The difference between Crist and Rubio is stark. In polls, Rubio beats the Dem by a wider margin than Crist. So who does the RNC back? Sigh.

Sarge,
I read a piece by Medved last night and it was on not dismissing Palin because of her academic background. And not just Palin. He was saying that people were dismissive of Palin, Rush, Beck, etc. because of their academic background and yet that has no bearing on anything. Not sure if that's the same essay or not that you saw. Nope. Just went and read it. Medved draws the wrong conclusions again. And, yeah, sadder than Dems trashing Palin are R's trashing her. Odd. They want the big tent but don't mind bashing Palin, and, consequently, all the people who like her.

classic Michael Ramirez toon on conservatives' message to the RNC:

http://hotair.com/archives/2009/11/05/ramirez-the-morning-a fter/

Did you catch how Medved implies that talk radio is irrelevant, when in his own article SUPPORTING Hoffman, he says he hyped him on his own show. Now, that is logic worthy of a liberal republican!

I think we're patient enough to wait for that to happen in a year's time. If it doesn't, I will put up cash (Canadian dollars, not that funny money you keep printing by the hundred billion ;) ) that it will be due to the efforts of the Republican party (state and/or national) and not the Dems/ACORN.

Still getting a RINO out of a race is great, wonderful, although watching the Irredeemably Stupid Party draw all of the wrong conclusions is frustrating, if unsurprising. Now, if this can start to happen during the actual primaries, 2010 might become interesting, and 2012 moreso.

Liked the articles you linked to, this was my favourite:

"Meanwhile, the Republicans keep running “moderates” who prove to be very useful to the Democrats… which keeps the growth of the State bubbling along at Bush levels. "

Which would also have applied to Mac. No matter how bad Obama is, McCain would've been the Bush who spend more than the Dems. Given our track record, if they could replace Steele with any member of the SCDS the Rep's strategery would be improved tenfold.

A new short one at my place.

yeah, I think Medved has his uses, but that's a great example of lefty logic if ever I saw it. In three essays he wrote within a couple days he's all over the map. Sadly, I think it's all based on who the winner is rather than any thoughts he himself might have on the matter. He's all for Hoffman until he was against him (which, interestingly enough was right after Hoffman lost).

"Given our track record, if they could replace Steele with any member of the SCDS the Rep's strategery would be improved tenfold."

I would love to see that, but I don't see it happening. Lol, after he gives his spiel about being about winning elections (complaining about Hoffman supporters), he then warns RINOs that he'll go after them if they step out of line. Huh? I would love to see someone who knew what they were doing in that position.

I came, I saw, I commented.

That's it exactly! I think of that as the "Super Bowl" mentality. I can drive around my area for a decade and never see a Jets fan sticker, but you let them win a Super Bowl and I will see them every day.

Confronted, the answer is always, "I've always been a fan". Yeah, right!