The House seat in the 23rd District of New York State was a safe Republican seat, and had been that way for a long time. In fact, the Whig Party won the seat more recently than any Democrat had won it, and in the 2008 election the moderate Republican candidate won 60% of the vote. Most Democrats expected to do about as well as they did in 2008.But a funny thing happened on the way to the election. Right-wing Republicans turned on their own party's candidate. Ultra-right-wing Republicans like Sarah Palin, Tim Pawlenty, Rick Santorum and Dick Armey abandoned their own party, and went to New York and declared their support for the Conservative Party candidate. Due to their efforts, a ton of out-of-state money began to flow into the district -- for the Conservative Party candidate, not the Republican.
Things got so bad for the actual Republican candidate that she began to run third in the polls, and then dropped out of the race a few days before the election. The right-wing celebrated because she was not "pure enough" on right-wing social issues to please them. They were sure that their own Conservative Party candidate (a right-wing teabagger) would now win the race.
They were wrong. Although the people of the district were majority Republican -- they were moderates who normally elected moderates. They had no taste for the ultra-right-wing, and yesterday they elected their first Democrat in decades.
This race was not won by the Democrats (although their candidate, Bill Owens [pictured], won). It was thrown away by the Republicans. It was lost by right-wingers who were more interested in cleansing their party of moderates, than in winning the election.
Dick Armey and Rick Santorum were already voices of the past, and it doesn't surprise me that moderate Republicans and independents don't listen to them. But Sarah Palin and Tim Pawlenty are supposed to be rising stars of the Republican Party. I have to believe they've lost a lot of their political capital by turning on their party's candidate and causing a Democrat to be elected.
I think Palin and Pawlenty have both damaged their presidential chances for 2012.
Palin thinks she's hot shit. As usual, she's wrong.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could be happier about this, but the results from Maine have left me too pissed. "Land of the free," my ass.
No they didn't. Real voters told the party handlers to stuff it.
ReplyDeleteAsk Pelosi how it's working out inviting in those who don't agree with the party's fundamental principles. She has a majority, but too many conservative Dems are spoiling her liberal witches brew.
Winning is one thing, governing is another, as the Obama white house is finding out.
Did somebody say "Palin"?
ReplyDeletePalin Divorce Watch: Day 95
Pelosi seems to be doing fine, in my opinion. They've passed a substantial portion of the Democratic agenda already.
ReplyDeleteAnd health care reform will pass soon.