New York congressional race heats up
I have been out of the news loop for most of the weekend, due to having other obligations and it appears that I have missed a lot. Mike has already written about the struggle between the conservative and moderate factions of the Republican Party and how this struggle is playing out in the race for the congressional seat in upstate New York. The seat has been in Republican hands for a long time, yet conservatives were unhappy with the candidate the Republican Party establishment chose to run against Democrat Bill Owens. Dede Scozzafava is a moderate who has very liberal views on a lot of social issues and conservatives chose to support Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman.
More than one big name Republican jumped on Hoffman’s bandwagon, including Sarah Palin and Tim Pawlenty. The GOP establishment was joined in their support of Scozzafava by Newt Gingrich, who said he saw the importance of including moderates in the Republican Party. The battle between the two factions came to a head over the weekend, with Scozzafava dropping out of a race she clearly had no chance of winning and throwing her support to her Democratic opponent, Bill Owens. That move has shocked some of her supporters and even a former campaign aide. It has also earned her the unfortunate label of RINO.
Some of the discussion on Mike’s earlier article dealt with the way political forces outside of the New York congressional district were trying to shape the election and make it about conservatism versus liberalism. That discussion is very relevant because whoever wins the congressional seat should be representative of the people in the district. I think that much we can agree on. It is odd that Scozzafava found herself at such a disadvantage, even after being chosen by the Republican Party to represent them in the race. I want to include a quote from Mike’s article here.
People in the northeast are more liberal than people elsewhere in this country. Democrats are more liberal and Republicans are less conservative. There is considerably more tolerance for liberal social positions including abortion and gay marriage. The NY GOP chairmen understood that and selected a candidate they felt had the best chance of defeating a Democratic opponent.
I have found that statement to be true, as well as finding that Democrats here in Oklahoma and the surrounding states are usually less liberal and Republicans are usually more conservative than other parts of the country. This makes it seem even more odd that a moderate Republican could find herself at such a disadvantage against a candidate from the Conservative Party.
In the discussion I have heard on NPR and read on other news outlets, the theme seems to be one of questioning if the Republican Party is in trouble. The White House has even weighed in on the subject with Valerie Jarrett saying,
It’s rather telling when the Republican Party forces out a moderate Republican and it says, I think, a great deal about where the Republican Party is right now.
They clearly are trying to portray the Republican Party as being out of touch with the American people, that they are entirely too conservative. For some reason, conservatives get a bad rap when they attempt to bring the Republican Party back to what they feel is their roots. However, when liberals attempt to bring the party back to the left, it seems to be okay because they are being “inclusive”.
Right now, it looks like a very close race in New York and instead of being billed as Republican versus Democrat, it is conservative versus liberal. If Doug Hoffman wins this election, I wonder what kind of message that will be seen as sending to Washington and to the Republican Party? Could it be that the voters in New York and across the country are more conservative than meets the eye? I will be watching the results Tuesday night, as they could be the forbearer of good news for conservatives in America.
I think a Hoffman victory (which is more likely than Owens) sends a message to incumbents in general (another “change”, anti-establishment election cycle) and the GOP to get back to our conservative roots.
Whatever happens, not only in NY-23 but also NJ and VA, this next election cycle will be very interesting.
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True that seat in upstate NY has been in Republican hands since the civil war, however Obama did carry that district in 2008 by 5 points, no little matter for such a district.. True conservatives in NY may not be as conservative as those in the deep south or west, that said certain conservative principals cross state and regional boundries and that should not be over-looked. The election in NY could set the tone for the 2010 off-year elections. It will be interesting to watch how things progress.
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