Dems On Defense In 2009 Elections

[red states rule]

Next week we will see if the voters still believe in all that hope and change

Democrats play defense in 2009 elections


The Iraq war and President Bush have faded from voters' thoughts in the year since President Obama won the White House, leaving this year's Democratic candidates to justify $787 billion in stimulus spending despite lingering high unemployment and pushing a health care overhaul amid widespread voter skepticism.

Heading into next week's gubernatorial contests and special congressional elections, Democrats face an electorate whose good will and belief that an Obama-led party would be transformative have quickly evaporated even though the main issues seemingly are the same.

From California to New York, dominant themes are health care, Social Security, the weak housing market and misgivings about Wall Street bailouts. But for the first time in years, several polls show voters trust Republicans more than Democrats to better address the problems of the day.

California Lt. Gov. John Garamendi, a Democrat who should be a shoo-in in a special congressional election Nov. 3, is leading by single digits in surveys of his solidly Democratic Bay Area district. It's close enough — about a seven-point margin — to get state Republicans talking about an upset and Mr. Garamendi waging a fierce battle against Republican David Harmer.

Mr. Garamendi said the president is still enormously popular in the district but it's the economy that ranks as voters' No. 1 concern.

"They want the stimulus program to work, and it has been, at least in this district," Mr. Garamendi said. "Obviously, there is still unemployment and concerns about that."

The jobless rate is about 12 percent in California's 10th District, where Mr. Obama thought it was necessary to campaign earlier this month to try to retain the seat held since 1996 by Democrat Ellen Tauscher, who resigned to take a job as Mr. Obama's undersecretary of state for arms control.

In overwhelmingly Democratic New Jersey, where the state's 9.7 percent unemployment rate is the highest since 1977, Gov. Jon Corzine finds himself in a come-from-behind run to overtake Republican Chris Christie, a former U.S. attorney.

Mr. Corzine's deputy chief of staff went so far as to tell Cabinet officers earlier this month to put on events showcasing job creation in the state, even if it is "a stretch," according to reports that originally appeared in the Newark Star Ledger.

The governor later defended the memo, saying, "I don't think it's a news flash that this administration is focused on jobs, jobs, jobs."

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...a-charm-fades/

[red states rule]

Bad news for The Daily Kos, Newt Gingrich, and the RINO's in the Republican party.

It is possible a true conservative could win in next Tuesday Congressional race in NY 23rd district

Short Takes: Club poll shows Hoffman ahead in NY-23

A new survey commissioned by the Club for Growth puts Conservative party nominee Doug Hoffman in the lead with just eight days remaining before he special election in New York's 23rd district.

The poll shows Hoffman taking 31 percent to 27 percent for businessman Bill Owens (D) and just 19 percent for state Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava (R).

Jon Lerner, who conducted the poll for the Club, said that the rise in Hoffman's numbers is due to the fact that the district, which takes in much of northernmost reaches of New York, "want to elect an anti-Washington conservative".

That sentiment coupled with Hoffman's ability to stay competitive financially with Owens and Scozzafava (with a major assist from the Club) and high-profile endorsements from the likes of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty among others has turned Hoffman from a fringe third-party candidate into a potential winner. (Make sure to check out the Fix's take on whether Hoffman can win.)

Need more evidence of Hoffman's relevance? The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, after spending several hundred thousand dollars bashing Scozzafava, switched its ad traffic over the weekend to a new commercial hitting Hoffman.

The ad, which was produced by the firm of former DCCC executive director John Lapp, paints Hoffman as a millionaire who is out of touch with the economic hardships of many in the district. "Millionaire Doug Hoffman has a waterfront island home...even a classic car collection," says the ad's narrator. (Hellooooo class warfare!)

A Hoffman victory would send shock waves through establishment Washington.

Conservatives would tout it as evidence that the party wins when it embraces its core principles rather than runs from them. Republicans would tout Hoffman's strength among political independents -- his core of support at the moment -- as a sign that GOP brand has bounced back with unaligned voters in advance of the midterms. And Democrats would almost certainly highlight the internal civil war that this race has spawned within Republican circles to argue that the party is (still) tearing itself apart.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the...-shows-ho.html

[red states rule]

Whenever a liberal like Mike Allen says it is a bad idea for conservatives to back a candidate - you know it is a good idea

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[sgtdmski]

I am not sure of what to think about the NY 23d. While I like the sounds of the Independent candidate Hoffman, I have several questions about him, he does not even live in the district.

Although I believe that Scozzafava is a RINO, at least she lives in the district and knows what is going on.

This is one of those weird elections, that could result in the Democrat who is the worst option being elected over either the Independent(conservative) candidate or the Republican candidate. Not sure if it is worth it if this keeps the balance of the House.

dmk

[red states rule]

I am not sure of what to think about the NY 23d. While I like the sounds of the Independent candidate Hoffman, I have several questions about him, he does not even live in the district.

Although I believe that Scozzafava is a RINO, at least she lives in the district and knows what is going on.

This is one of those weird elections, that could result in the Democrat who is the worst option being elected over either the Independent(conservative) candidate or the Republican candidate. Not sure if it is worth it if this keeps the balance of the House.

dmk

But did Scozzafava in was when she called the Police on a reporter from the Weekly Standard who dared to ask her hard questions

The Police were called because she felt "uncomfortable"

http://www.debatepolicy.com/showthread.php?t=24929

I for one am fed up with Republicans who constantly say they are sorry for being conservative

Reagan conservatism were the answers to the nations problems in 1980 and they are now in 2009