Hoffman Out, Owens Wins in NY-23
Doug Hoffman, the Conservative candidate in NY's 23rd congressional district race, just conceded the election to his opponent Democrat Bill Owens, according to the Watertown Daily Times. Hoffman's come from behind, Tea Party-supported grassroots campaign, which forced establishment Republican Dede Scozzafava out of the race over the weekend, had been hailed as a referendum on the future of the GOP. The state assemblywoman, who was pro-choice, pro-union and pro-gay marriage rights, had been chosen by local GOP officials to run for the seat left open when Republican John McHugh resigned to serve as President Obama's Secretary of the Army. After leaving the race, Scozzafava bucked her party and endorsed Democrat Owens, even as GOP leaders inside and outside the state shifted their support to Hoffman.
Despite thousands of absentee ballots reportedly still uncounted, Hoffman declared defeat just after midnight when he was behind by some 4,000 votes. According to the Associated Press, Hoffman conceded with 88 % of precincts reporting, at which point he had 46 % of the vote to Owens's 49 %.
UPDATE: In a concession speech, Hoffman said, "I will be glad to work with [Owens] to help rebuild the economy of the North Country…I will try to work with him so we can help the North Country together."
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1
Even in New York City, Bloomberg (I) a former (cough) Republican is barely hanging on. Bloomberg is to New York as Arlen Specter is to Pennsylvania. The saving life vest for Bloomberg, he had the sense to go from Republican to Independent.
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I think what is showing clearly are two things.
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A clear rejection of the direction Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are taking this country.
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The other is a total rejection of incumbents or the party who last held the office. Voters do not want anything to do with the status quo of politics. Incumbents are dead in 2010..
rustyreturns
November 3, 2009
at 11:13 pm-
1.1
When quoting someone Cliffy, you should do so in full context, but I suppose who else will liberals continue their distortions to the public at large...
.14Hate to break a soon to be non-issue called Healthcare, but....
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McDonnell (R) Virginia - 59%!!! Deeds (D)41%
Obama 0%. A full press slam and dunk of Obama policies, right down the 'ol $hitter.
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A complete rout of the liberal Democrats in Virginia.
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Christie (R) 50%!!! Corsine 44% Obama 0%
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A closer race, but in a very DEEP BLUE State that Obama carried by 18% over McCain.
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Even in New York City, Bloomberg (I) a former (cough) Republican is barely hanging on. Bloomberg is to New York as Arlen Specter is to Pennsylvania. The saving life vest for Bloomberg, he had the sense to go from Republican to Independent.
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I think what is showing clearly are two things.
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A clear rejection of the direction Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are taking this country.
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The other is a total rejection of incumbents or the party who last held the office. Voters do not want anything to do with the status quo of politics. Incumbents are dead in 2010.
rustyreturns
November 3, 2009
at 11:13 pm.
Perhaps lessons learned about Rev Jeremiah Wright and how you nearly had a spasm fit and frothed at the mouth now escapes your memory.
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GOD DAMN AMERICA!!! Said by Rev Jerimiah Wright, 2008 Obama Election. (Just for you Cliffy)
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2
Kate Pickert:
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If Dede Scozzafava had dropped out of the race earlier, would Hoffman had a shot at enough of her 6,000 votes to put him over Owens?
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Was Dede Scozzafava --the Republican-- effectively the spoiler in this race?-
2.1
All else being equal (like Hoffman being as big an a$$h0le and Glenn Beck acolyte -- but I repeat myself) I think Dede leaving earlier (and also then endorsing Owens) would have resulted in a larger margin for Owens. In many ways, Scozzafava is more liberal than Owens is.
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2.2
More time would have also allowed more of those voters to hear about Scozzafava's endorsement of Owens.
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2.3
"If Dede Scozzafava had dropped out of the race earlier, would Hoffman had a shot at enough of her 6,000 votes to put him over Owens?
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Was Dede Scozzafava --the Republican-- effectively the spoiler in this race?".
Sometimes a simple "YES is all that is needed. -
2.4
I think RINO is a more apt term. The cleansing has begun.
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3
"Hoffman declared defeat just after midnight when he was behind by some 4,000 votes."
Now that's a declaration I can get behind.
"The state assemblywoman, who was pro-choice, pro-union and pro-gay marriage rights"
You forgot NRA endorsed but kudos for following the script.
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4
Thanks, Kate. With the broken machines in St. Lawrence county, are those votes insufficient to swing the results? (I think Owens was leading in that county anyway, yes?) Do you think Dede's endorsement was the clear tipping point or did Hoffman / Palin simply fail to impress folks? Thoughts?
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4.1
...hmm, comments #2 and #4 ask KP the same question (about Dede) at the same time (literally). One gets several replies; the other feeds crickets.
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5
You forgot NRA endorsed but kudos for following the script.
Is that supposed to make her kosher for Republicans?
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5.1
The implication of Pickert's statement for Paul NNTO is that the media actually considers Scozzafava to be a liberal.
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Paul NNTO brings the NRA endorsement up as a reminder that there were reasons she was considered to be a Republican. -
5.2
Sorry, it's not the slam dunk he apparently thought it was.
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6
"Democrats are dooooooomed!"
Oops - I meant to post that to the McDonnell/Christie thread.
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7
Amy called the district moderate but from now till eternity as far as Rusty and Spob are concerned they are all Communists.
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8
From the wires...
Hoffman to head Tea Party ark building project on St. Lawrence River
(PA - WATERTOWN, NY) Defeated U.S. House candidate, Doug Hoffman, announced tonight that he would be leading an effort to craft an ark for local Tea Party members, in accordance with the wishes of de facto Tea Party leader, Glenn Beck.
"Glenn has asked me to prepare for the inevitable destruction of our nation by taking two of each of God's creatures local creatures aboard an ark we'll be constructing on the river," Hoffman announced, claiming that the messages he was receiving from Beck were being beamed "into my head through my fillings."
One supporter in attendance, rustyreturns, said he was prepared to show up for work on the ark " at 0600 hours, sharp," as requested by Beck on his evening Fox News program.
"Obama is a socialist and the nation is rising up in revolt," rustyreturns said, while milling in the crowd of seven or eight straggling Hoffman supporters, many of whome sporting "Obama = Hitler" t-shirts.
When asked how the revolution had failed by not being able to muster the votes to elect Hoffman, rustyreturns said, "Polls and elections are run by ACORN and liberals and Doug really won this race except that they stole it."
As the last people were leaving Hoffman headquarters, another attendee in "Obama = Che" t-shirt who identified himself as "freeinpa" asked a reporter, "Do you know approximately how big something 300 cubits by 50 cubits by 30 cubits would be? I'm wondering if there will be room for my favorite sheep on the ark. And no, we're not dating!"
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8.1
...does gopher wood grow in upper NY? Then again, what IS gopher wood? A "gop" wordplay I understand, but the real ark was built with that stuff. But what tree was really used? And if only two of each creature was on board for mating, that means direct offspring / kids would have to mate with each other, etc. (Marilyn vos Savant in her column once calculated this - you need a min. of eight to repopulate the earth without incest).
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8.2
deconstructive: Two log cabin republicans still equals extinction no matter how hard they try.
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8.3
deconstructiva, do not believe everything you read in the Bible. God actually said "go for some wood and build me an ark", but Noah, being old and a bit deaf, misheard. Indeed the whole project nearly ran out of time since gopher trees do not grow in the Middle East until an exasperated God said "f**k it, use plywood instead."
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8.4
…thanks. Now I don't have to read it all literally, whew. Pondering where Cain met his wife was a royal pain. The closest answer might be …one of his sisters, since everyone descended from Sarah and Todd, I mean, Eve and Adam, but marrying your sister is supposed to be a no-no, oops. Did Noah buy all his ark supplies at the Lowe's and Home Depot in Sodom and Gomorrah? “Lowe's: Let's Build Something Together Before the World Comes to an End.” (good thing this is Kate's post and not Amy's) And sacred, I'll bet the Palins, Sanfords, and Romneys will make up for the LCR's breeding woes. These families do have lots of kids, so much for that abstinence thingy.
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8.5
palininatowel: Great article! Please forward to tips@theonion.com
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dcon: Actually, I think the arc's lumber type was a transcription error. It was Noah's youngest son who had to gopher wood, gopher nails, gopher paint.... -
8.6
My guess is that Noah used the labor of illegals to build the ark and promised to pay them when it was finished. Of course they all drowned so Noah just kept the cash.
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9
The trouble is, that as the teabaggers drag their party down into the muck, more and more "Blue Dogs" are going to come into being and the worst part of that is that all the David Broder-Joe Klein Centrist purist are going to feel suddenly empowered and even more smug than what they already manage.
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9.1
No doubt, Paul.
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Owens will just be one more blue dog vote against a public option. -
9.2
Good point. A intelligent and articulate opposition which takes its role seriously imposes a discipline on the governing party.
Sadly that is lacking at this time.
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9.3
"Owens will just be one more blue dog vote against a public option."
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Yes, while it's wonderful to see "the crazy" lose, let's not equate their loss with our victory. -
9.4
jcapan: like Mongo, we are just pawns in the chess game of life.
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9.5
Sacred, I for one find much deeper meaning in Blazing Saddles than in our entire political process. They both make you cry but one is preceded by laughter.
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9.6
Rrrrock Rrrridge!
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9.7
Blue Dog Democrats are the new Republicans. All those moderate GOPers have to have somewhere to go.
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9.8
"Owens will just be one more blue dog vote against a public option."
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He said last week in a debate that he SUPPORTS the House bill with a public option.
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Where did you read otherwise?
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10
"...GOP leaders inside and outside the state shifted their support to Hoffman."
This is a crushing loss for the teabaggers and the clownish Republicans like Bachmann & Palin who pander to them. Rural New Yorkers said: "Keep your garbage out of my state!"
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11
It seems that the emperor has no clothes.
Since his election Obama has alienated our allies in England, France, Germany, and Israel, caved in to the Russians, believed the lies of the Iranians, apologized to the Moslem world for American behaviour (and no apologies were warranted because it is America that ended the famine in Moslem Somalia, freed Moslem Kuwait from Iraq's take over, ended the genocide of Moslems in Kosovo by Serbia, and freed fifty million Moslems in Iraq and Afghanistan from brutal, oppressive governments) and embraced Venezuela and Cuba, two countries that oppress their people. He's about to let the Taliban and Al Queda take over Afghanistan once again.
I guess this is what he meant by change you can believe in. I'm a Democrat who enthusiastically voted for Christie in New Jersey and will vote Republican for Senator and my liberal Democrat friends are finally beginning to see the light and plan to do so as well.
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11.1
I just have to ask, what color is the sky in your world, mj?
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12
Oh Rusty, your tears of defeat taste ever so sweet. The Sleeping White Giant let you fools down again.
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But what I really want to know is, is the defeat of the carpetbagger wingnut Hoffman good news or great news for conservatives? -
13
Awww, where are rusty and freeinpa?
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14
Rusty's not here, but if he was he would probably remind you that there was a couple of gubernatorial asswhoopings last night. Go ahead, scoff and minimize. The Palin jokes are mildly humorous, but gosh darn it, I haven't heard anything original in a while now. And you libs are supposed to be the witty intelligent ones.
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14.1
As a resident of neither New Jersey nor Virginia, why should I care who their governors are? What national importance does that have at all?
Congresspeople vote on federal issues that effect all of us, and Congress just moved a couple seats to the left. Did the fact that NJ and VA both voted in Democratic governors in 2002 when Bush's approval was at 80+% effect that President's agenda one iota? I thought not.
No matter how the media spins this (and boy is it impossibly evident that every story must fit into the preconceived narrative), the Dems won a district they hadn't won since the Civil War, taking out the Sarah Palin-backed Teabagger, and replaced a Blue Dog Dem with a progressive in California.
But as we know quite well, ALL news is good news for Republicans.
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15
Go ahead and deny the implications piper, but it's very obvious that the democratic base didn't turn out. There was no young handsome rockstar running to energize all the young "surge voters" as in the prez race. Unless this changes, expect the same in 2010. Statistics prove that youngsters don't vote in midterms.
And remember that repubs were considered irrelevant in '93, but we all remember what happened in '94.-
15.1
But there was a former beauty queen with a cult following that endorsed somebody in a district that had voted republican for almost a century and a half. What happened there? He took it on the chin. (Teabagger joke)
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16
mornin' sake, that was a good'n. She got rid of the RINO, that's what I take from it. We got 3 out of 4 and that ain't 'nothin to sneeze at!
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