Morning Read: Will Tea Party trump Occupy in North Country?
The last twelve months, it’s felt like the conservative Tea Party movement had faded a bit in the North Country, with far more energy being generated by progressive Occupy Wall Street folks.
But as election season approaches, and as we gear up for what looks to be a ferocious NY-23 battle, there are signs that the Tea Party plans to play a big role.
The Glens Falls Post Star is reporting that a new Tea Party chapter is forming in the southern Champlain Valley. Meanwhile, the UNYTEA group in Plattsburgh is gearing up again, as founder Mark Barie bounces back from illness.
One question for conservative groups (including the Conservative Party) is whether they’ll be able to unify behind a single candidate this year.
In 2010, Watertown Republican Matt Doheny came within roughly 2,000 votes of unseating Democrat Bill Owens — even though Conservative Tea Party favorite Doug Hoffman siphoned away roughly 10,000 votes.
This year, at least some Conservatives are lining up behind Doheny, with St. Lawrence County’s Conservative Party committee endorsing him unanimously.
The question for the Occupiers, meanwhile, is whether they’ll play a significant role in this race at all. A lot of progressives from the North Country took part in demonstrations and rallies over the last year. But will they be a significant factor at the ballot box?
As always, your comments welcome.
Tags: analysis, election12, politics
The best way to insure a large voter turn out is to hit people in the pocketbook! Yesterday a barrel of crude closed at $105. It has been under $100 for some time. Already prices at the pump are going up. The projections for future prices are bleak at best. The ripple effect will cost all Americans at a time when we are being told things are turning around. I expect the GOP to use the Keystone pipeline to attact anyone in the Democratic party.
“Watertown Republican Matt Doheny came within roughly 2,000 votes of unseating Democrat Bill Owens — even though Conservative Tea Party favorite Doug Hoffman siphoned away roughly 10,000 votes.”
I would say it the other way ’round. Doheny siphoned away votes from Hoffman. Hoffman would have beat Owens, in my opinion.
Owens gave us Obamacare. What was it, 24 hours? and then he cast his vote for Obamacare. Nice call, Bill.
I don’t see much difference between Doheny and Owens, except, Doheny would not have given us Obamacare. At least I hope not.
We are seeing in miniature, what is playing out nationally. Doheny is the GOP establishment choice. We may have to hold our noses and vote for him. Romney, likewise. But. at least I can hope not.
Brian, the next time you interview any of the Republicans or Tea Part people, you should ask them if they believe holding an aspirin between the knees is the only form of birth control women should use.
You should also ask of everyone and anyone running for office why is the price of gasoline the only big deal when for many up here the price of heating oil is a bigger deal.
It is far easier to cut back on the amount of gasoline you purchase than it is to cut back on the heating bill.
Another question to ask the TEA party czars: why is it American to be against duly elected government but unAmerican to be against multinational shareholder-accountable corporations (from Jon Stewart).
One of the big differences is that Occupy has refused to align with the Democratic Party and its central thesis is that both parties are fundamentally corrupted by corporate interests. The Tea Party, while bitching and moaning about “moderate” Republicans, is clearly aligned to the Republican Party by trying to push it right (off the cliff).
What Brian said. Don’t think Occupy has a lot to do with electoral politics, as it hasn’t organized itself to play that, or anything. And the numbers OWSers up here are few and far between.
Will be interesting to see if the Tea Party delivers new voters–or is just a vocal wing of already existing voters in the GOP.
I would venture to say the OWS got the conversation moving on how the rich are on the dole at the expense of everyone else.
Now the Tea Party has put sex back on the front burner.
Automatically the media has aligned OWS with the progressives,as they have the Tea Party with the Republicans. In reality they are saying, we want things as they are. Media no longer reports, they have been slanting for years in the hope of keeping the “status quo” They can create crisis when they need it and calm moods down when they see fit.
People are too busy with their lives to keep track of what is happening, and when they do, the media has slanted it to their benefit. thus the public is always split about the truth.
Jimmy Carter was a terrible president and central in his misery was IRAN. Now we have a president who was voted in by the progressives and once again IRAN in in the news every day. Obama is the choice of the media, he sells papers and makes headlines (mostly poor ones) and once again the media and their darling “Obama” has brought this country to it’s knees——Wake up America, one more term of Obama and who knows what’s next. GOP regulars are not the answer either.
The “Occupiers”?? More like the “squatters”, The “occupy “movement” is an embarrassment. At least the “Tea Party” are organized and have ideas how to improve our country. I’m not a member of either, to me it’s just all a huge “freak” show, however I do cast my vote. I believe our President is a sincere gentleman who wants the best for our country, he will have my vote.
Was that supposed to be an actual article, or just an amateur rant by a college kid?
I believe that our generation is waking up. We understand how the parties in our government are colluding to suppress the masses. The corporate media is bought and paid for by the very corporations who finance them; puppets. Sure, Obama is a wall street democrat, but lest we forget that George of the jungle bush created this catastrophic depression that we face today, not only in America, but in the world we live in. The denunciation of climate change by Republicans is asinine. The control that the Republicans want to have over a human’s right to decide what they should do with it is arcane. The lack of moral value that exists in the republican party is hypocritical. Read the Lord’s Prayer and actually decipher what it says and you will understand.
Pete Klein- “aspirin between knees”? Must we list all the gaffs of all politicians on both sides to make an isolated comment irrelevant?
If you live in the north country, you will understand the price of gas is important. Most of the people working have to commute between 20 and 40 miles daily to make a living to support ourselves and others. Again…the gas prices are only one thing that we are suffering from with the rise of oil prices. You are right, heating oil is another.
PNelba- American vs un-American? A “duly elected government” works for the American people. All Americans…not just the 45-48% that vote for them. Our form of government, guided by the US constitution, was founded so the American people can keep elected officials in check. Passing laws in violation of the US Constitution, creating czars to circumvent the two houses, and having a president state he “cannot wait for Congress to act, so I will” …violates our checks and balances system and IS un American.
Private corporations are successful or fail dependent on their leadership . American taxpayers do not pay taxes to them to support their programs. It is American to allow private businesses to flourish unregulated. And when they are successful, we can say…they are living the American dream.
If that was a quote from Jon Stewart, he needs to study government and economics a little more, because that comment doesn’t even make sense.