Democrat Kathy Hochul has upset Republican Jane Corwin in a special election to fill the seat of former Rep. Chris Lee, R-N.Y., in a race that became something of a referendum on the GOP budget plan that revamps Medicare.
[…]
The race to replace Lee, who resigned in February after a gossip site reported the married congressman had replied to a Craigslist personal ad, wasn’t supposed to be competitive. Republicans hold a significant registration edge in the district. But the race tightened after Hochul attacked Corwin for supporting Republican-backed entitlement reforms and made it the centerpiece of her campaign. Corwin herself admitted on Monday that she should have responded sooner.
Democrats immediately touted Hochul’s win as evidence of the unpopularity of Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget. Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Steve Israel took to MSNBC to list their reasons for the victory – “Medicare, Medicare, Medicare.”
“Today, the Republican plan to end Medicare cost Republicans $3.4 million and a seat in Congress. And this is only the first seat, “Israel said in a statement. “We served notice to the Republicans that we will fight them anywhere in America when it comes to defending and strengthening Medicare.”
“Kathy Hochul’s victory tonight is a tribute to Democrats’ commitment to preserve and strengthen Medicare, create jobs, and grow our economy. And it sends a clear message that will echo nationwide: Republicans will be held accountable for their vote to end Medicare.
Republicans have pointed to the presence of Davis as the reason for an artificially close race, saying the two-time Democratic nominee for the seat was taking GOP votes from Corwin. [He ran as a “TEA Party” candidate; because the DNC will do anything to win elections, including putting up phony candidates.] But the final Siena survey of the race showed that while Davis’ numbers had plummeted in the past month, those voters weren’t moving uniformly to the Corwin camp, and instead he was still drawing votes from both parties.
Of course, Ryan’s budget actually saves Medicare — and doesn’t effect anyone currently in the system, or entering the system in the next decade — which is why this loss should be so depressing to the GOP and the TEA Party: it is an indication that they are doing a very poor job explaining the budget and the reform plan, as well as an indication (as if we needed one) that the Democrat Party will happily demagogue the issue, lie about the budget and the reform measures, and kick the can down the road, promising money that isn’t there to people who will trade their votes for hearing what they want to hear about entitlements.
Maybe Pawlenty will have better luck. The national GOP has been a huge disappointment of late. And if history is any indicator, the reaction from the establishment will be to scrap the Ryan plan and go back to pretending that the fiscal situation is really not all that dire.
The real problem boils down to the GOP folks not understanding or being able to articulate Ryan’s plan very well in their home districts. Ryan himself does very well, but others-not so much.
They all need to do their friggin homework for a change, and actually be versed on the issue as opposed to repeating talking points.
Is this the same Medicare the Democrats stole $500 Billion from to fund Obamacare?
History will not be kind to those who saw this disaster coming, and for decades refused to admit there was any problem. Only question is what language those historians will write their books in.
I think the real problem is that average voter is an idiot.
I’m depressed.
Another perspective on the race and the Davis effect.
Privatization or Death Panels that is the choice, the only choice. All else is simply sugar-coated lies.
The democrat says Today, the Republican plan to end Medicare …. If the Republican does not call that a LIE, repeatedly, at every opportunity, people will believe it. Not demagogic, not overstatement, not wrong. A lie.
Jeff, did you get the email I sent re: Ryan’s defense of Medicare?
The best defense is a good offense. Take it to them and make the choice stark and true.
If he didn’t I just linked it.
That was the one, geoffb. Thanks!
And, like that, the video appears in a post!
Yes. I was making it into a post.
Which is now redundant, I guess.
I’d say it had more to do with NY GOP apparatchick tone deafness (an heiress, really? That’s who best represents the average D-26 voter?) and a faux tea-party candidate syphoning off 9% of the vote, than it had to do with Mediscare tactics. Most of this is entirely predictable post-election “narrative” creation by the Progressive politico-media complex. See here and here.
Or, what B. Moe said
Does Pawlenty support Ryan’s plan? He said he’s rolling out his own.
If it’s equivalent or stronger on the fiscal side I’d be shocked.
Rand Paul wouldn’t shock me. Pawlenty would.
I meant maybe Pawlenty will have better luck with the whole “lay things out as they really are” thing.
Re: the loss. I’m hearing it’s because the Democrat ran against Obama’s $500billion Medicare cut, and the GOP candidate just kinda phoned it in and ran toward the center. Combine that with the fake “Tea Party” candidate and you have what you have.
Hear me, people: the GOP will not win if it insists on running away from conservatism and classical liberalism and toward the chimera of the Great Moderate Middle.
I’ll join you in that hope.
Further, if he keeps getting plaudits, I’ll further hope that others join him in saying some of these necessary things.
Said “further” twice in the very same sentence.
Definitely a brain lesion.