It's true that there's more to this than meets the eye. In Jersey, budget deficits forced Democratic governor Jon Corzine reneged on a campaign pledge to reduce one of the nation's highest property tax rates. Virginia Democrats split their primary votes between two liberals and wound up nominating a conservative Democrat who did little to rally the party base. Moreover, Democrats had held the State House for eight years; Virginia voters arguably went for change.
Of greater interest to me is the NY-23 special election to fill a congressional vacancy created when President Obama nominated Republican congressman John McHugh to be Secretary of the Army. When 23rd District Republicans selected a moderate candidate to run for the seat, conservatives reacted by getting behind an ultraconservative (and comically ignorant) third-party candidate. This candidate gained support from mainstream Republican politicians and, shortly before the election, effectively forced the moderate from the race. The moderate endorsed Democrat Bill Owens, who won the election with 49% of the vote.
So what does it mean? While the 23rd went heavily for Barack Obama, it has also been traditionally represented by a Republican. It's one more loss for Republicans in a region of the country that trends inexorably blue. It also illustrates the dilemma posed by wingnut conservatism: In many parts of the country, it will be strong enough to push the party even further into extremism while simultaneously creating the conditions for defeat in the general election. Suits me...
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7 comments:
You wrote: "When 23rd District Republicans selected a moderate candidate to run for the seat, conservatives reacted by getting behind an ultraconservative (and comically ignorant) third-party candidate"
Sarah Palin again????
Personally, I think these election results are further evidence of the impending death of the GOP. I'm willing to bet that Virginians on both sides of the aisle are gonna regret Bob McDonnell's election by this time next year. He got elected running on a fiscal conservative platform and strongly denying his Regent University past, calling it the usual folly of youth. But that Regent/Liberty ideology is what he's gonna try to impose on the state, and I think a lot of Virginians, including the traditional Republicans, are going to balk at that.
And Doug Hoffman's defeat is icing on the cake, putting the split in the party under the spotlight. And the extremists don't care; they want what they want, and party unity be damned. They're hanging themselves.
Ima: They do have a knack!
Roy: McDonnell does seem out of step with Northern Virginia, which has become the population center of the state. I suspect that he will be a divisive figure as governor.
Exactly. These were my thoughts as well and I was happy to see you articulate them so clearly. When I first saw the headlines, I was flabbergasted...the big news was the defeat of the fascists in NY but I had to search for that news story. Some people are definitely out of step when it comes to priorities in the news and I don't think it's you.
Thanks, Steven! Evidently the conservative line re NY-23 is that Hoffman would have won had the Republicans nominated him in the first place. There's no real reason to believe that, of course, but it lets them blame something other than right-wing ideology.
In New Jersey the levels of corruption, with the latest scandal that included huge numbers of appointed and elected officials in collaboration with a cabel of rabbis, played a very big role in their election outcome.
Not that Christy is going to do any better with either corruption or property taxes or fix education. The problems are too structually endemic.
Here in NYC the mayoral election was cheering despite bloomberg, that political crook's re-election, because he spent over 100 million dollars of his own fortune, and campaigned with everything slick and well-oiled as well as well organized since January. He increased not a single percentage point of approval, while Thompson with NO money and starting much, much later gained points.
That by fiat overturn of the two referendums on mayoral term limits, spending all that money, all his dictatorial behaviors -- while all the construction scandals and corruption among all the developers he loves -- not to mention selling out low income housing to realators who didn't keep up the payments while illegally increasing rents, etc. -- he got nowhere with anyone who isn't rich and powerful.
I think this with what happened up state, since so many of us this election were able to vote for the candidates we wanted on a straight Working Families ticket -- means that maybe the essential new party organization -- neither dems or rethugs -- is getting closer.
But Obama's been deeply disappointing. One of the problems as we're seeing it from over here is that neither of the Obamas know any history, outside of Civil Rights history. This has been revealed slowly, but now we can tell. He's flailing, not really understanding what's going on, which has gone on many times in this nation before, which if he knew history, he'd understand. Just as if he really knew history he'd have understood that Kearns' description of what went on with Lincoln's cabinet wasn't accurate -- and in many ways was a disaster, particularly after he was killed.
Love, C.
The history that I hope he verses himself in is Afghanistan's. If he does, he'll appreciate that increasing military involvement there will be counterproductive. It always has been and there's nothing to suggest that escalation of American troop levels will be any different just because they are American.
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