Big Day for Republicans and the Hoffman Experiment Gone Wrong
When elections come to an end, both sides always see the results through very different lenses, and last night’s elections in NY, NJ, and VA are certainly no exception. As you might have expected, those on the Left think it was a day for “local politics” and those on the Right are claiming a “landmark victory.” I happen to be of the mindset that it was a big day for Republicans, but not one that should get them too excited for things that may lie ahead.
The New Jersey governor’s race was a huge win. That state is anything but conservative, and is about as far from a Republican stronghold as any state could be. It was a momentous victory, but was probably driven at least in part by the fact that Corzine may have been one of the worst governors in the states long history of bad governors.
The sweep in Virginia was also a great sign for Republicans hoping to reclaim the state from the grasp of the Dems. Republicans should be careful how cocky they get over this win however, as the state has had a tendency of flip flopping based on the sitting president. It was a good win and a sign that tides may be changing, but we should be cautious not to connect dots that simply aren’t there.
The NY-23 race was a bust and trying to hide from that is pointless at this late hour. I have listened to pundit after pundit today and personality after personality try to talk away the Hoffman defeat, and frankly I am growing tired of hearing it. The GOP screwed up. That’s the short of it. Conservatives tried to save the thing, but they screwed up too. I include myself in this woeful category as I too was on board for the Hoffman cause. That being said, I have yet to hear anyone of substance begin to talk about Hoffman’s future. And no, Sarah Palin on her Facebook account does not count.
The truth here is that the Hoffman race from its inception was only marginally about Doug Hoffman. It was really about Doug Hoffman not being Dede Scozzafava. It had a slim chance of success and it didn’t work. Let’s chalk it up as a loss and a lesson learned. Conservatives only aim to discredit themselves when they can’t allow themselves to admit the undeniable reality that NY 23 was a bust.
If I were eligible to vote in NY 23 I would have voted for Hoffman, but it would have been a vote against the other two candidates rather than a vote FOR Hoffman, and I think the majority of those who did vote there probably share similar sentiments.
I mean come on. When has a Republican candidate with as much star-powered support as Hoffman received been heard from less? They knew what they had up there, and they knew that they had to hide it. The Hoffman campaign was a referendum not on moderate Republicans, liberalism generally, or even conservative ideology; it was a referendum on the strength of the conservative movement and its ability to mobilize and produce viable candidates outside without the support of the GOP. In that regard, I think it was a total success. Had they been able to snatch up a candidate with a pulse or an ounce of political savvy, it may have been a watershed moment for the cause. But it wasn’t.
My only hope with NY 23 now in the rear view mirror is that the ignorant, loud mouth, pigheaded, nutjob wing of the Republican Party doesn’t prop up Hoffman now in the wake of this defeat making him a symbol for the Party and the conservative movement as they did with Sarah Palin. The close relationship between the two of them now makes my head want to explode. The first time I hear his name mentioned by a person of substance within the Republican Party as a potential candidate for a future post, will be the day I disavow myself of any affiliation with the Republican Party going forward.
I don’t want to seem like I am piling on the guy just because he lost, because I am not – ok maybe a little. If Hoffman would have won, he would have given two or three more speeches, made an appearance on Hannity, and then vanished into thin air like a good little soldier. He would have been the obscure conservative from upstate New York that nobody cared about. I am only irritated with his candidacy the day after his defeat because I fear that the idiots that run the informal Republican PR machine are already gravitating toward this guy as if he has a future. All I am asking of Hoffman is to simply fade into oblivion as he would have had he claimed a victory last night.
So enough of my Hoffman rant. Here are some clips of what others have had to say about the events that unfolded last evening.
REFERENDUM ON OBAMA?
Michael Steele on the Big Night
David Axelrod
Larry Sabato on the election, Republican prospects for 2010 and the absent Obama Glow
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