Mark Ambinder tries to tell us what the result of the special election in NY-23 will mean before we even know the result. Well, two can play that game. As far as I am concerned, the Democrats have already won. Either their candidate will win a seat that has been held by Republicans for something like a century or they will lose it to a teabagger. That’s a no-lose situation if I’ve ever seen one. The GOP’s candidate will almost definitely come in third. They’ll still try to spin it as a win if the third-party conservative wins the race. RNC Chairman Michael Steele is already singing that song. But electing teabaggers isn’t a good sign for the health of the Republican Party in the northeast or any place else. Being crazy and out of touch is what got the party in all the trouble they’re in. Seeing all the heavyweights of the national party swoop in and gang up on a reasonably moderate candidate for the House is going to scare off a bunch of prospective Yankee Republicans who might have thought of running for office. All the Republicans I knew growing up in New Jersey are just going to shake their heads as they read about that one in the Wall Street Journal on their train ride into the City.
If the Democrat wins, he’ll probably compile one of the most conservative voting records of any northerner in Congress. But he won’t be crazy. And he’ll vote for Speaker Pelosi and make it one seat harder for the GOP to retake the House. So, I don’t really care who wins because, as far as my interests are concerned, I can’t lose.
How’s that for advance spin?
Update [2009-10-31 11:24:57 by BooMan]: Holy shit! They dogged her out of the race.
I see your point, but I also think about my parents’ district in NJ. There used to be a moderate Republican, whom the right worked hard to defeat. Now, in her place is Scott Garrett, one of the most right wing congressmen out there. Neither the district, the state, nor the country is better off with such a character in office. Now he wins election after election after election. So far, there hasn’t been an effective challenge either from the Democratic side (Shulman lost 56-42 last election, no better than the two previous candidates) or from moderate Republicans. A side note: Steve Doocy, from Fox, lives in that district.
Any chance Shulman will run again? he is most impressive.
actually it would be the bestest if the teabagger wins. we need some more of the nuts. their presence simply displays their absurdity for the rest of the citizenry and there is no way in hell that the vast, and i mean vast majority wants to see this country go down that road.
you are sooooo right (ooops- i mean correct!)
Spin tempts the fates.
The more idiots we send to Congress, the more we all can lose.
They dogged her out of the race!!
Her statement here, note that she endorses none of the other candidates:
I’m not positive that this helps the Teabagger. Basically, more than half her supporters have to go to him, and I don’t think is assured.
I tend to agree – the nut cases had already jumped to Hoffman. What support she had left were the moderate republicans, those that must cringe at what is happening to their party.
I just realized she’ll still be on the ballot. Maybe her supporters will just vote for her anyway. I would be amazing if she ended up winning because she made herself the ultimate “outsider”.
If Teabag does win, though, I suppose it makes a “GOP wins” spin more credible, no?
Independence Party Chairman Endorses Bill Owens
Wish I remembered who to credit with this line:
The opposition party is never more than a crisis or a scandal away from power.
The GOP is rapidly degenerating into a cult. If the Democrats win on healthcare reform, there won’t be enough Republicans left in Washington after the 2010 election to throw a card party – and the Republicans know it. That’s why they’re thowing as many obstructions at it as they can muster.
Three can play this spin game.
What constitutes the right in this country, and what constitutes the “center,” has drifted ever-rightward for 40 years.
Two things have enabled that: bat-shit crazy legislators and governors on the right, and accommodationist Democrats who help enable and legitimize them. We’re going to get one or the other in Congress from NY-23.
That’s a win?
thus, the reason I don’t care who wins.
they forced her out….wow
True spin for Va. Governor’s Race
Since 1977, Va. has always elected a Governor who belongs to the opposition party of the President even when the President has won the state by a large margin. Even St. Reagan.
Talking point for Tues. Per Wikipedia, List of Va. Governors
as I said in the previous thread on this when everyone else was ridiculing it. Is anyone here still ridiculing the Repub strategy on this? We should be taking notes, and looking for an opportunity to do the same for a Democrat too conservative for their district, a la Jane Harman.