(Chris Stirewalt-washingtonexaminer).Democrats say they’re thrilled.The talking points already in heavy rotation say that a win by Conservative Doug Hoffman over Democrat Bill Owens will only encourage tea party populists to take on the Republican establishment. More primaries. Weaker general election candidates. Fewer Democratic losses in 2010.
That’s the way Obama political operatives are spinning the withdrawal of Dede Scozzafava in New York’s 23rd District. They ought to know: It’s the same mantra that Democratic grandees used against Obama’s presidential candidacy.
Hillary Clinton’s surrogates said that Obama shouldn’t have even run because a primary challenge would divide the party and weaken Clinton for the general election showdown with inevitable Republican nominee Rudy Giuliani.
Obama correctly rejected that notion, saying that a contested primary would energize, not demoralize, the Democratic base.
Then, after Obama surged to the lead in the Democratic primaries, the Clinton team argued that Obama didn’t have the chops to take on the resurrected John McCain. An anti-war, community organizing liberal Democrat versus a war hero and moderate Republican? C’mon.
Obama adopted a rope-a-dope strategy in the primaries as Clinton battled on into the summer of 2008 (Remember “Puertorriquenos con Hillary”?), but he never stopped being the liberal choice.
Obama beat Clinton for the same reason that Hoffman may win in upstate New York. He offered an authentic, passionate vision of his party’s core principles and did it in a way that didn’t make moderates uncomfortable.
The president may be something of a disappointment to liberals since taking office, but as a candidate he excited their ardor as Howard Dean once did. And it was the hard work and money of the Left that propelled Obama into the White House.
Republicans such as Ellis and Gingrich think the Obama team is right that Hoffman’s success spells trouble for next year. They think conservatives will take over the party and drive out moderates.
But the lesson of the Obama ascendancy is that an enthusiastic base coupled with a reasonable-sounding candidate can win elections.
The GOP remains unpopular, and the movement against career politicians is real. If the party wants to maximize its gains in 2010, it will need to look more like Doug Hoffman than Dede Scozzafava.
That’s the way Obama political operatives are spinning the withdrawal of Dede Scozzafava in New York’s 23rd District. They ought to know: It’s the same mantra that Democratic grandees used against Obama’s presidential candidacy.
Hillary Clinton’s surrogates said that Obama shouldn’t have even run because a primary challenge would divide the party and weaken Clinton for the general election showdown with inevitable Republican nominee Rudy Giuliani.
Obama correctly rejected that notion, saying that a contested primary would energize, not demoralize, the Democratic base.
Then, after Obama surged to the lead in the Democratic primaries, the Clinton team argued that Obama didn’t have the chops to take on the resurrected John McCain. An anti-war, community organizing liberal Democrat versus a war hero and moderate Republican? C’mon.
Obama adopted a rope-a-dope strategy in the primaries as Clinton battled on into the summer of 2008 (Remember “Puertorriquenos con Hillary”?), but he never stopped being the liberal choice.
Obama beat Clinton for the same reason that Hoffman may win in upstate New York. He offered an authentic, passionate vision of his party’s core principles and did it in a way that didn’t make moderates uncomfortable.
The president may be something of a disappointment to liberals since taking office, but as a candidate he excited their ardor as Howard Dean once did. And it was the hard work and money of the Left that propelled Obama into the White House.
Republicans such as Ellis and Gingrich think the Obama team is right that Hoffman’s success spells trouble for next year. They think conservatives will take over the party and drive out moderates.
But the lesson of the Obama ascendancy is that an enthusiastic base coupled with a reasonable-sounding candidate can win elections.
The GOP remains unpopular, and the movement against career politicians is real. If the party wants to maximize its gains in 2010, it will need to look more like Doug Hoffman than Dede Scozzafava.
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