RSS Feed MenuThe conservative infighting in the race for New York’s 23rd congressional district could not come at a worse time in the fight to stop a government takeover of healthcare. After seeing the battle between GOP candidate Dede Scozzafava and Conservative Party challenger Doug Hoffman in what was previously a safe Republican seat, the Democrats are getting the message that there is not much to fear from the GOP and the recent resurgence of the public option may be a sign of the Dems restored morale.
The only thing that stands between us and a government takeover of healthcare (which, according to Mark Steyn, may well lead to the permanent death of conservatism) is low morale amongst congressional Democrats. The president’s popularity has been dropping, Congress itself has lower approval ratings than used car salesmen, the unemployment rate is rising, the dreaded midterm election is just a year away and everyone clearly remembers how the previous healthcare reform attempt played out.
Retaking the House in 2010 has always been a very long shot for Republicans, but depending on how events develop (especially with the economy), a disciplined nationwide campaign by a unified GOP might have had a chance to succeed. One could not invent a better morale booster for the Democrats than managing to steal a previously safe Republican district. Even if that does not happen and Hoffman somehow pulls it off, enough damage is already done and the Democrats may be emboldened to push for stronger reforms.
Yesterday, in her endorsement of Doug Hoffman, Sarah Palin wrote that “there is no real difference between the Democrat and the Republican in this race.” In the end though, the Democratic candidate will vote for Pelosi for Speaker and to keep Rangel, Frank, Waxman, Conyers as chairmen of key committees. The Republican (assuming she’s not actually going to switch parties) would vote against them. Despite Palin’s claim, that difference alone is real enough. Furthermore, even when the House majority is not at stake, the outcome of the organizing resolution still matters, because the numbers of Republicans and Democrats determine the split in committee memberships.
agentprovocateur // Oct 26, 2009 at 10:54 pm
It’s pretty clear now what we’re facing: A rabidly partisan left-wing Administration which doesn’t give a damn about anyone else’s point of view.
Rabidly partisan left-wing? Hahahaha. Tell that to anyone who wants a single-payer health care system, or even a full and robust public option. Hell, to the left, a public option is the comprimise to what they really want. But keep telling yourself that the Obama Administration is just so very “left-wing”.
Arch // Oct 26, 2009 at 11:04 pm
Sinz:
Call me wide eyed but I don’t think it had to go down this way. The whitehouse would have loved a bipartisan bill if they could get maybe ten republicans. Ten republican votes would have gotten a lot of concessions because it would have been genuinely valuable. Ten votes would have let the democrats free their more conservative members to vote against the bill and Obama would love to claim a bipartisan victory and imply he is the post-partisan candidate his supporters thought he was. Hell he wanted to do so with only one republican. Instead the offer was just (maybe) Snowe’s vote and maybe she’d bring along Collins. To win those two the far left of the democratic party gets snubbed. Of course this implies that the whitehouse would actually have gotten involved in the bill instead of leaving it to the congress to come up with it’s own version.
Addie // Oct 27, 2009 at 10:44 pm
Republican party is tying too hard to be like democrats. They NEVER should have named Dede BUT…someone knows someone who knows someone and they nominate a liberal democrat to act as a “republican” and the GOP tucks it’s tail, pees all over the floor, and rolls over on it’s back showing it’s ever growing inferiority!
As a former life long republican, I have no sympathy for the republican party. It’s moves like this (Dede) that tells me the republicans don’t care about this country any more then the democrats do. Unfortunately I can’t vote for Hoffman but I can happily send him a donation while tearing up the donation request envelopes from the republican party.
Wake up republicans or 2010 will allow the dems to have a 75% majority in the next election because I am not alone when I say, I would rather waste my vote on a 3rd party then EVER give it to a RINO. If there is no 3rd party, I will vote for the democrat, at least he isn’t the fraud in the race.
I didn’t leave the republican party, the party left me!