Special Election, Special Circumstances
Politico reported on a speech Rick Perry gave last night. Like many, he seems to believe that the NY-9 special elections were a "referendum" on the President.
"Last night's election results sent signals that President Obama will be a one-term president," Perry said to applause.
The Texan was particularly enthused about the results in the Brooklyn-Queens district.
"For the first time in almost 90 years there is going to be a Republican representing that part of New York City," he said. "I just think that's awesome."
To me, this seems half-right. It does send a message to the White House- but it's not exactly the message we need. The District Niners weren't voting Republican because they suddenly started reading the Federalist Papers. The District Niners haven't been listening to Rush, or hanging out on Ricochet. They weren't voting against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. They weren't voting against the bail-outs and stimuli. They weren't voting against Solyndra.
They were voting against Obama's treatment of Israel.
This district gave us Chuck Schumer and Anthony Weiner. They are big-government types. But they also care about Israel- that's great, but it isn't going to get Obama out of the White House.
I hope I'm wrong- and judging by the fact that Peter Robinson wrote a piece with the opposite opinion, I probably am. But I really feel that this special election is not and cannot be a proper representation of the American electorate.
I think we still have a lot of work to do- after watching the Congressional Black Caucus' "Magical Tea Party Defamation Tour", and then seeing them be able to just viciously attack the Tea Party without consequence, I'm still very worried about the political climate.
Mark me down as an NY-9 skeptic.
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Dec '10
Re: Special Election, Special Circumstances
I think you're absolutely right, that this was not an across the board denunciation of Obama or the Democratic Party platform. What is heartening in this case, as it was with Scott Brown in Massachusetts, it that Democrats and independents overlooked the affinity for big government, expansive social welfare and bureaucratic meddling to side with a republican.
I don't think the 2012 election will be decided by former lefties discarding their previous ties to embrace a tea party platform. It will be decided by moderates and liberals acknowledging that the last 3 years of federal governance have been ineffective at best and disastrous at worse. While Israel is only a single issue, it was, for NY-9 the necessary illustration of the consequences of the new progressive platform championed by Obama, that in many ways abandons America's best friends, and often embraces it's enemies. I think republicans will win if they can draw similar illustrations for the job creating business owners, and those fighting against the expansion of government, who have been demonized by this administration.
Re: Special Election, Special Circumstances
Beasley- Phew, so it's not just me.
Interestingly enough, I don't even know if we can call these voters "former lefties". I mean, they could still hold 95% of the views held by MoveOn.org progressives. It just so happens that they decided to vote on one issue.
My Jewish friends who are "lefties" don't even know that conservatives are pro-Israel. I showed one of my friends an example of... I think it was Michele Bachmann, talking about supporting Israel. He told me she was just making a play for the Jewish vote. You know, that gigantic 2% of the vote. Not to mention how it's even less of a factor in Republican primaries.
Interestingly enough though, I did some research, and in 1980 Jimmy Carter only received 45% of the Jewish vote- hmm...