Bypassing the System—Doug Hoffman in New York

"The dogmas of the quiet past, are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise -- with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country." -- Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) "...the battle we face is not simply a fight between Democrats and Republicans, but rather a political standoff between Washington and the rest of America." -- Joe Scarborough (from "The Last Best Hope")

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Canastota, New York -- There is a Congressional race going on in New York at the moment, with national, even international, implications. This race looks to be a watershed moment in America's conservative/patriotic movement. Both the Democratic and Republican candidates, endorsed by their respective parties, are being rejected by a growing number of disenchanted voters, from both sides of the political spectrum. Instead, people are turning to the Conservative candidate, Doug Hoffman. You might think that the Republican candidate, Dede Scozzafava, would stand in stark contrast to the liberal Democratic candidate, but such is not the case. Although she has been endorsed by both the RNC (Republican National Committee) and Newt Gingrich, Scozzafava is anything but conservative. Among other liberal proclivities, Republican candidate Scozzafava endorses gay marriage, abortion, "card checks," and has past associations with the ACORN-backed Working Families Party. Scozzafava's endorsement by Newt Gingrich and the RNC, has many party faithful "jumping ship," and campaigning for Hoffman -- as are many disgruntled Democrats. Former Senator and GOP presidential candidate, Fred Thompson, has ignored the Republican powers that be, and he and his wife Jeri are enthusiastic Hoffman backers. They may soon be followed by other prominent Republicans. Bob Benjamin, a resident of Canastota, New York, has voted for the Democratic candidate in every presidential election since 1976. He told me, "I am very concerned with the direction that the current administration and congress are taking this country. Although I may not agree with our conservative candidate Mr Hoffman on every issue, I do feel strongly that if we don't do something to change the current spending and taxing that is being proposed, any other issue is a moot point." He concluded by saying, "No one is more surprised than me that I am supporting a conservative candidate, but it is time to take our country back." Because this is the only Congressional race that will be held in 2009, it will be seen as a bellwether for the 2010 elections. This election is occurring because the seat was left vacant after Congressman, John McHugh, left to serve as Obama's Secretary of the Army. It would seem that patriotism, fiscal responsibility, and conservative values, trump party loyalty for many voters. Mark Whittington, in an article for ACN (Associated Content News), states that rather than being seen as a race between Democrats and Republicans, Hoffman supporters see it as a race between free-spending liberals (both Democrat and Republican), and their fiscally responsible, conservative candidate. I talked to Hoffman regional director Jennifer Bernstone this morning, and I asked her how the campaign was going. She replied, "Crazy, exciting. I just crawled out from under my rock six months ago. "Oh, as an American I need to participate in the process?' I haven't even read the Constitution yet -- how bad is that?" Ms. Bernstone continued, "Five minutes ago I got a phone call from a guy out in California who told me, 'Jennifer, I have a database of over 3,000 people out here in California, who want to make phone calls for you." How about that. Like many Americans, Jennifer is waking up, suiting up, and getting involved. Many Americans seem intent on telling the major political parties that they are out of step with the American electorate, and will soon be out of time, if they don't change their tune. Whether the passion and commitment of Doug Hoffman's supporters will be enough to defeat the Democratic and Republican machines, remains to be seen. Laus Deo! Addendum: These PDFs may be of interest. Mission statement (Saratoga 1777)
Doug Hoffman bio
Doug Hoffman on tax reform
Scorecard