It is said of brilliant visionaries that when they are right – which is the vast majority of the time – they are way out in front of where everybody else eventually ends up, which is what makes them superlative……

If the worst happens and the GOP is deluged with independent challenges next year (possibly spurred on by Glenn Beck?), then you know what the headline will be the day after the midterms, don’t you? “Dede’s Revenge.”

No doubt the MSM will print those headlines, but the truth is that the Republican Party kicked Conservatives to the curb and now they’ve picked themselves up and are moving on without the Republican Party when necessary.

If the worst happens and the GOP is deluged with independent challenges next year (possibly spurred on by Glenn Beck?), then you know what the headline will be the day after the midterms, don’t you? “Dede’s Revenge.”

What these beltway idiots don’t get is that third party challenges only work when the major party candidate is untenably bad. Ross Perot got 19% because Bush 41 was an awful candidate. Bill Clinton got elected, but it helped teach the GOP the value of respecting Conservative ideals. Sure enough, Newt & friends in the house grew a spine and engineered a takeover of the Congress for the first time since the Depression.

I suspect the result will be a severe reluctance on the part of the GOP to nominate and try to run RINO candidates outside of extremely liberal districts where a real Republican wouldn’t stand a chance of winning. And you know what? I’m perfectly happy with that.

Tea party conservatives can launch 3rd party runs elsewhere if they want, but if they are running against Republicans who are at the very least moderate (let’s stop the joke, Dede’s no moderate) to center-right or outright conservative, they’ll go nowhere.

Don’t know why Issa manages to escape the scrutiny of the likes of HotAir, Hannity and Beck regarding these things …. Hmmm, could it be that it is because Issa is a … Republican?

sanantonian on October 31, 2009 at 1:00 AM

It’s not like Republicans are EVER criticized on Hot Air…nahhhh….

If a Consevative wins the primary, then you don’t have to worry about a third party candidate. Hoffman never had a primary, this is the problem. If a fiscal Conservative wins a primary, there still won’t be much room for a third party, especially if the tag team of Sarah and Fred endorse the Republican.

If a Rino wins a Republican primary, then most likely said Rino won’t win against the Democrat anyway. If Republican voters are electing Rinos themselves, then that whole district is blue.

3rd party candidates are a double edged sword for sure, but the whole reason for the Hoffman movement was to send a message to the Republican party not to ignore conservative voters and fiscal conservatism in particular. Back the most conservative candidate who has a chance of winning.

If Christie were smart and daring, he would have Palin campaign for him in areas where Daggett is polling well and hurting him most.

What happened to the Republican party? Why is it that the old guard, who have failed is time and again, get to chose? In Florida, a solid young conservative (Doesn’t Newt remember when he was that man?) is going against a Obama hugging professional compromised “old guard” Republican. He could win and be the next Newt. But no, Crist’s people are pulling stunts like they were liberal, corrupt democrats and possibly violating the law. Why?

In truth, if it takes this cycle to send a message to the old guard for next cycle that enough is enough, then so be it. They picked poorly the candidates who do not represent our views. They did it with a failed theory and a failed strategy. Now they are caught and are whining.

Too bad. Suck it up and learn. The radical left took over the Dems and see what they did. We need to take over the Republicans and make it our party. Send the message.

In most of that district, the closest major city is Ottawa. Ask them how well a divided right-wing worked for them.

YYZ

How did non-divided Dem-lite work out for us?

In Key New York Race, Barracuda Chews Up Mitt

Romney ducks the leadership test

What do you find most often in the middle of the road? Road kill. Mitt Romney, who hopes to be the GOP’s next presidential nominee, couldn’t bring himself to endorse anyone in New York state’s contentious 23rd congressional district special election.

The contest, which features a liberal Republican, Dede Scozzafava, and a conservative one, Doug Hoffman, has been a flashpoint for a party in search of its identity. An all-star lineup of national party leaders has weighed in, allowing themselves to be defined by whose side they’re on. But not Romney. The former Massachusetts governor passed, and this could have serious ramifications down the road.

The cliche about the two parties and their presidential selection process is that Democrats “want to fall in love” — and the GOP “falls in line.” The donkeys have emotion-filled knock-down-drag-out affairs involving passionate characters who — win or lose — leave a dramatic mark for decades. The GOP dutifully takes note of who came in second the last time and, well, the odds are that he’ll be the candidate in the next go-round.

Based on that tradition, Romney should be the favorite for the 2012 nomination. But signs are that the Republican grassroots are in a rebellious mood and may not want to fall in line this time. Over the last year, as the Tea Party movement has gathered steam, it’s been clear that its disgust with the nation’s outrageous spending is aimed at George W. Bush as much as Barack Obama.

The conservative grassroots have rejected Scozzava, the party’s official candidate in New York’s 23rd. It started out with the base in the district as conservatives gathered around businessman Doug Hoffman and that rebellion has now gone national. Sarah Palin, using her unique sense of timing, one week ago became the biggest name of in-prime party leaders to endorse Hoffman. Had she stayed on the sidelines, this contest could have played out in predictable fashion: Republicans stayed split and Democrat Bill Owens would have cruised to victory. Instead, by all appearances, the conservative revolt has succeeded. Even the national GOP — which had endorsed Scozzafava and was slamming outsider Hoffman as much as Democrat Owens — is now recognizing that district voters seem to flocking to Hoffman.

Outside observers who want to dismiss Palin do so at their peril. But, there appears to be a reason that her basketball-playing nickname was “Barracuda.” Recall she was the one who coined (or at least made viral) the phrase “death panel” during the health care fight during the summer — forcing Democrats and the White House onto the defensive. Whether Palin is doing all this for PR purposes (her book comes out in three weeks) or being reckless in her political rhetoric, the fact is she is having an impact on the broader debate — and continuing to resonate with her party’s base.

Mitt Romney? Not so much. His voice hasn’t been heard during the battle over health care. And then, Thursday he gave the vaguest statement on the race:

“I have chosen not to endorse the Republican candidate in New York’s 23rd District,” Romney told reporters while campaigning in Virginia for Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell. “That should speak a certain amount of volume. I can’t endorse our candidate in that race.”

Yeah, Mitt, that does speak “a certain amount of volume.” It says that you’re willing to campaign for a gubernatorial candidate who has had the Virginia race in the bag for months — but not make a controversial, yet, dynamic decision in a race that would have significant ripples across the country. Palin (and Tim Pawlenty quickly following the former Alaska governor) recognized where the base’s train was going and quickly got on board. Romney missed the train — and missed the opportunity to take a significant role in a tough internal ideological debate that his party is undergoing. Even if Romney endorsed Scozzafava (as former Speaker Newt Gingrich did), at least he would have made a principled decision and could have articulated his reasons for it.

Instead, he looks completely wishy-washy.

It’s a long three years before the GOP selects its next presidential nominee. But the guy who wants it ducked a key leadership test real early.

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/politics/Barracuda-Chews-Up-Soft-Mittens.html

DoS_Conservative on October 31, 2009 at 1:00 AM

The result of the election in NY-23 is almost irrelevant now. One thing for sure is that the Democratic candidate will not come close to a majority. The lesson learned here is that the this is a safe Republican district. There is absolutely no reason to be nominating a “moderate”. In districts where Dems draw 60% they nominate people like Stark and Rangel. Why the hell is the NRCC pushing for a moderate in a Republican district? RINOs may be necessary but they sure aren’t required.

I can think of a few D districts around here in California where fiscal-cons could be competitive as long as they’re not peddling too much social-con agenda.

In this case it’s the GOP’s district to lose and the only reasons Scozzasomething got the nomination are (a) she showed up and (b) the nominating committee was scared out of their wits by last November.

Oh if we don’t elect any old Rino that comes down the pike, Nancy Pelosi could be Speaker for life. OK, and if we elect every old Rino that comes down the pike, and we get the same policies as Nancy would have given us, how are we better off?

I won’t support the Republicans, until they start to offer us a real difference from the Democrats. I say a third party would be good, and would wipe out the Republican Party.

After all the Repubican Party was formed out of the Ashes of the Whig’s, and was better than the Whigs. Why not form a Conservative Party out of the Ashes of the GOP?

I would rather lose near term elections (2010) by voting on principle than allow another RINO to go Washington and make a fool of him/herself US!

Nelsa on October 30, 2009 at 9:11 PM

Same idea, but fixed.

Why does a Torontonian give a shit about any of this? Don’t you have a Tim Horton’s to patronize or something?

angryed on October 30, 2009 at 9:01 PM

I’ve got a double-double and two dozen Timbits in my system. So I’m good, thanks.

Rocks on October 30, 2009 at 8:26 PM

I did not realize they had that many contenders. Your premise, which I agree with, is still correct. I just should have said any other conservative would have won had their been a primary.

the flag is backward on hoffman’s picture.

why does hotair hate America?

sesquipedalian on October 30, 2009 at 7:29 PM

Even adjusting for the generally low quality of your posts, this is a lame effort.

massrighty on October 30, 2009 at 8:39 PM

Cut him some slack. Right now he doesn’t have the “Hoffman??? BWHAHAHAHAHA you wingnuts crack me up!!!” sort of argument.

And it could hurt the Republicans in those races.

The republican squishy’s in power will see the writing on the wall and jump on the conservative bandwagon or the republican party will fade into obscurity very quickly. If the momentum keeps up this will not be a slow bleed, it will happen very quickly. Tea Party forever!