I live in the 23rd district and Bill Owens was simply the lesser of two evils. Scozzafava withdrew 4 days before the election when she knew she basically had no chance and surprisingly endorsed Owens. Hoffman tried to portray himself as a common man yet is a millionaire accountant with a classic car collection and a home on the lake. Voters simply could not relate to him. Owens wasn't much better. His initial claims of bringing 2000 jobs to Upstate NY were proven false. He is a partner in one of largest law firms in Clinton County and represents tax cheats. He will have little to no effect in Washington.
What you are saying in a way makes my point. Hoffman IMO was not the best or what I would call a true alternative to the present 2 party construct. Just looking over Hoffman's website under issues, I was hardpressed to really differ him from many a "republiCON" who also call themselves "CONservative". In fact, had he been in town when the so-called conservatives ran things, he would have been right in the middle of it all, playing the good lemming charging over the cliff which helped lead to the current problems to begin with.
In the past, most people would have taken a so-called "pragmatic view" and as you did, voted the lesser of 2 evils. You never are voting for something, you are always voting against, "I'm voting for "A" because I fear "B" more than "A". Ever go to a restaurant, look at the menu and say, "I'll take the brocolli because I hate the asparagus, but what I really want is steak!" So you always order and eat brocolli. Although not an asparagus fan, I do love brocolli so don't take my use of as an afront too.
But the real irony, unlike in the restaurant where they at least will bring you the brocolli, in always voting for "A" you still always get shades of "B", you are still forced to eat asparagus. So much for having a real choice UH!
The NJ governor's race I think was more about Corzine than Obama but Obama did expend some political capital trying to help Corzine so I understand why some would point to it. Big picture IMO it's little to do with Obama. In the case of Virginia, post Civil War to 1970' every governor of Virginia was a democrat but in 1970' a republican was elected and since then the top slot in Virginia has cycled back and forth between the 2 parties and following that trend, it was due to flip back republican. Obama "may" have helped the cause but I'm not convinced he is the cause. And this IMO is what makes NY's 23rd such an interesting case separate from the other 2. It may also be why I hear less of the 23rd and more of the other 2 by the media. Yeah, I do think they're scared so best not talk about it!
3rd party efforts mostly draw single digits on election day and rarely become a factor at all. Even the American revolt against the crown was a single digit cause nationally until light could be seen at the end of the tunnel. Hey, we're all suckers for a winner!
Yet, here's a case of not some election of a local yocal (in our area we elected a libertarian city councilman for a time so it does happen) but this is an election to a national office and yet over 40% of your neighbors told the 2 major parties to go take a hike and they voted in some sense for something they wanted, not a lesser evil. I don't look at Hoffman in this case as something special because he's not. I wouldn't vote for him and had I been in the 23rd I would have turned in a blank ballot or just stayed home which most likely is what I'm doing from here on anyway. I'll vote local against tax increases or local expansions of gov't but I'm not gonna support the 2 party oligarchy under the Diebold plan! Would a blank ballot say more than a used ballot? How would the media spin a story where a large percentage of voters showed up to the polls but a small percentage actually casted a vote? Hmm! Let's have courage and find out shall we!
You know you still gonna get asparagus anyway so what do you have to lose?
Hoffman is irrellevant IMO but the action of voters is a whole other can of worms and this should have the powers that be a bit nervous. I think you guys up there are hero's for showing some guts. Now if America will show courage and follow your lead.
Gerald Celente of Trends Research was interviewed back in August and in his 4 part YouTube interview, he didn't hold back and I'm sure he said some things that would make many of us feel uncomfortable. However, in the 4th part of the interview posted below, he predicted by 2012' a new political party if you will of progressive/libertarians who will become a force on the national political stage. Watching NY's 23rd, I had to wonder if I was watching the field being plowed from which the seed will be planted?
Gerald Celente on King World News | Part 4/4