Great coverage of the NY-23rd by Brian Mann on NCPR's blog In the Box last night, especially his personal observations at the gathering of unsuccessful Tea Party candidate Mr Hoffman's faithful:
Doug Hoffman himself refused to emerge and speak to reporters or to the handful of supporters who remained. A spokesman said that despite the roughly 500-vote advantage enjoyed by Matt Doheny, no comment or concession would be offered until tomorrow. When asked to clarify why he wouldn't speak, the spokesman said no information would be available until Wednesday morning. It remains unclear whether Doug Hoffman will continue to pursue the 23rd district House seat on the Conservative Party line. Several of the Hoffman supporters I spoke to made it clear that they would find it very difficult to support Doheny under any circumstances. They expressed resentment, in particular, about attack ads aired by the Doheny camp, raising questions about Hoffman's financial ethics.
Unexpectedly, there was also no great turn out for either the Tea Party GOP candidate or the centre-right-right one. Is this indicative of a cause that is a mile wide and a foot deep? There is always a practical problem for small government reform minded movements in that their activists are not interested in committing to the process of public governance by definition. For them to be correct in their assumptions, government to a certain degree has to be what others do. Is it hard to maintain activist passion given that?
Comments
Ben (The Tiger) - September 17, 2010 1:56 PM
They were in Delaware, mainly.
And picking the gubernatorial candidate.
Looks like the Tea Party organization, to the extent that there is one, is leaning toward backing the primary winner:
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/246943/new-york-tea-party-likely-support-doheny-over-hoffman-stephen-spruiell
Which is good -- this is why you have primaries.
Alan - September 17, 2010 2:00 PM
There is that natural course of events where Tea Party-ism will draw back to what is otherwise known as reality. The baggage that the Delaware candidate as well as the one for governor carry will be lesson enough when they face opponents who do not have to be so delicate.
Ben (The Tiger) - September 17, 2010 11:11 PM
Also watch Sarah Palin -- she explicitly picked a few moderates to endorse as "conservative enough".
Politics is about coalition-building -- you want the one closest to your views, but sometimes you have to trim your sails...
Alan - September 17, 2010 11:51 PM
And then you get your sails trimmed for you. "Toronto-elites" being an invitation for just that in another forum.
Ben (The Tiger) - September 18, 2010 11:39 AM
Hey, politics is a dialogue between elected officials and their constituents.
If the elected pols don't listen to what their voters tell them, the voters are free to find someone else to do the job... If the Tories don't stop gratuitously taking shots at the educated class, well, the portion of the educated class that votes for them may just tell them to get bent. (Arguably that already cost Harper a majority last time out.)
Ben (The Tiger) - September 18, 2010 12:15 PM
I should add -- I don`t particularly care for it.
`Tisn`t enough to influence my vote, but I think that the right approach to galas is Reagan`s, not Nixon`s or Palin`s (or even Bush 43`s) -- go there dressed to the nines and be a good sport. And then when giving speeches talks about how your `liberal friends` mean well but would destroy the country with their well-meaning policies.
Don`t need to be an ass to your opponents (even if they`re being asses to you).
Alan - September 18, 2010 6:12 PM
BINGO!
I have had had 20+ years now of incidental political contact of one sort or another and the one thing I have seen time and time again is that most who come forth for public office are actually well meaning and in agreement that they have their understanding of the best for the community in mind - even if their politics are X and Y. Whether in upstate NY or PEI or NS or Ontario there are a few candidates or winners who are rogues or even anti-civic actors - and when that happens the public finds them out sooner or later.
Ben (The Tiger) - September 19, 2010 9:42 AM
I proceed on the assumption that my opponents actually think they're doing the right thing. (Even tho' they're not!)
Ben (The Tiger) - September 19, 2010 9:49 AM
It helps to have candidates who have moved on the political spectrum -- they tend to understand why goodhearted people would think about supporting their opponents.
Alan - September 23, 2010 5:06 PM
Democrats Love Tea Party conservatives!