What have we learned today, kids?
One of the great things about politics is that people tend to draw whatever conclusions they want to draw out of any poltical contest. I remember a Democrat in November of 1994 telling me that the election wasn’t anti-Democrat, it was anti-incumbent. I found that hard to swallow, since all of the incumbents who lost that day were Democrats. But it does remind me that it can be dangerous to find what you’re looking for in the tea leaves.
But, no matter, because now I am doing the same!
I think that the victory of Democrat Bill Owens in the special election for the NY23 congressional seat should indicate something very important to the major parties: shut out the moderates at your own peril.
Dierdre Scozzafava is a moderate Republican. She represents the future of the GOP — if, indeed, it has one. And the national party’s insistence on dragging the party to the right of what the locals knew would work lost them the seat. They might not have liked a moderate Republican, but they’d sure like her better than a Democrat.
Fact is, moderates and independents don’t like crap like this, and they’ve shown that it won’t be tolerated. Well, in upstate New York, at least.
I don’t think someone who was more liberal on social issues than her Democratic opponent is the “Future of the GOP” however your point is well taken. Liberman is an example of the same thing in the Democratic party. The moderates on both sides are being driven out, and I would say both parties are becoming more radicalized.
One thing to remember when you call Scozzafava more liberal than the democrat is that Owens is a remarkably conservative Democrat. He’s no Zell Miller, but its pretty easy to be more liberal than he is.
I’d really, really like to know what’s going on with Lieberman. He’s always been a conservative Democrat, but he’s really turned around on some issues over the years, too. Like the big one at the moment, Health Care. He’s the one that suggested Medi-choice – a medicare for all program – for pete’s sake.