Conservatives are clearly to blame for Bill Owens’ victory in upstate New York.
The fight between the official nominee, Dede Scozzafava, and the conservative Doug Hoffman has thrown another seat into the Pelosi camp. With Scozzafava, it should have been in the GOP column for at least another term. Hoffman doesn’t even live in the district for crying out loud.
The fact of the matter is that the Republicans who have won in the 23rd, in all its various incarnations, have traditionally been moderate: John M. McHugh from 2003 – 2009, Sherwood Boehlert from 1983 – 2003; Bruce Caputo and Peter Peyser in the ’70s.
McHugh is now Obama’s Secretary of the Army. Peyser switched sides to the DNC. Even the Dems in the district have been moderate. Good examples would be Mike McNulty and Samuel Stratton.
But, of course, conservatives just couldn’t tolerate winning another seat in the Congress. They’d rather have another vote for Pelosi than allow a moderate Republican, an already dying breed, to win a seat in the chamber.
Shame on conservatives for losing another seat because of their stupidity and short-sightedness.
