In the past three years, there have been three special elections in upstate New York in districts the GOP could or should have won.
Each time, the GOP bigwigs nominated a member of the hated and dysfunctional state legislature.
Each time, the grassroots was dissatisfied with the nominee, who lost.
In 2010, Republicans picked up five House seats in New York – more than any other state – and not one of those newly-elected Members of Congress was a state legislator.
Coincidence? I don’t think so. More here. And for Democrats spinning this as a national-referendum or indicator of a coming wave like Scott Brown’s victory in Massachusetts in early 2010, a reminder here of a key feature of Brown’s win: it was a statewide race with presidential-election level turnout, something we haven’t seen in any of the special House races the past three years.
7 thoughts on “Unspecial”
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I agree with you – I don’t think it’s a harbinger of anything. Nevertheless, it isn’t just democrats who are saying that the election was influenced by national issues:
https://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2011/05/25/ryan-mediscare-campaign-cost-gop-the-ny-26-race/
Crank spinning like a wnd power blade. Hochul hung Ryan around Corwin’s neck and even Ryan himself proclaimed that his plan was central to the race.
The juxtaposition with Chrysler paying its loan back and the Romney/Pawlenty/Gingrich screeches against the auto bailout is fortuitous. Then, coming soon to a theater near you, the fictional story of Princess Sarah in a documentary entitled, “The Undefeated.”*
* You know, except in that 2008 election.
Does it mean there is a Democratic landslide coming? Of course not, but it means that, right now, the GOP has some serious “splaining” to do. and please God, “Run Sarah, Run!!!”
Whatever the merits of the Ryan plan, medicare is part of the problem too. It needs cutting like everything else. The last thing I want to see is Dems promising to take entitlement programs off the table.
Amazing isn’t it? All these people, ostensibly hard core Republicans, who of course get angry over “Obamacare,” want their stinkin’ guvmint medical insurance anyhoo.
We have to raise the age for Medicare, raise the taxes for it (no it’s not really a dirty word), raise the age for Social Security, cut defense by about 20%, and make the hard choices. The problem is everyone is so friggin’ partisan, with the Teabaggers being so damn stupid, nobody is willing to have an intelligent conversation about what is really needed. As I wrote before, I don’t like the Ryan plan, but like Obama with the Israeli 1967 borders, it’s a starting point at least.
The US Open golf Championship is being played this June at “Congressional Country Club,” a private club. I would bet dollars to donuts that the Tea Party and the GOP base believes the club is a Congressional perk.
Aww Magrooder, do you really think a good self respecting teabagging right wingnut would do anything to risk losing a nice, fattening, calorie laden donut?
Absolute power corrupts absolutly.