Hoffman’s national crusade falls short in a local House race

I think my first sense that something was wrong in the Hoffman Wave came around 8pm. I arrived at the Hotel Saranac to find a distinctly underwhelming crowd.

There were plenty of reporters. Fox News had set up an entire studio, so that Sean Hannity could capture the moment of Doug Hoffman’s victory.

But where were the crowds of grassroots supporters? Where were the hundreds (the tens?) of passionate activists?

For days, polls had showed Hoffman surging. Siena’s independent survey put him up five points. Other polls showed the Conservative up by double-digit margins.

I was convinced that the “passion index” favored Hoffman. And Republicans were behind him now, too, right?

But then I noticed something else: No Republican leaders. Jim Ellis was there from Tupper Lake — but no sign of state Senator Betty Little. No phalanx of GOP-allies.

I shrugged it off. The people who were on hand were passionate, funny, confident. These were mostly local folks from the Adirondacks.

Conservative, yes. But Glenn Beck crazy? No.

These were normal, down-to-earth people supporting a candidate and a cause they believe in.

But as the night began, it quickly became clear that Hoffman was going to fall short. It wasn’t a drubbing, or a humiliation.

Doug Hoffman rode a wave that toppled one candidate and came within 3% of toppling another.

But here’s the hard truth: In politics, 3% is a lot of territory. And by mounting this insurgency, Hoffman helped to elect a Democrat in NY-23 for the first time in modern history.

What went wrong? Maybe nothing.

Maybe the traditionalist message (pro-life, opposing gay marriage) and the anti-government rhetoric simply don’t appeal to enough people.

Or maybe the same factors that helped build the wave — the sense of culture-war urgency, that whiff of triumphalism, the hectoring of the Becks and Limbaughs — also brought it up short.

It also appears that while conservatives loathe Republican Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava, a sizable number of North Country voters don’t.

In fact, they kind of like and respect her. Not so shocking when you consider that she’s been an elected official and GOP leader for a decade.

After last night’s defeat, is there room for Doug Hoffman’s movement in the North Country?

I for one hope so. We need everyone in the room, all hands on the wheel, to help with the many crises we face in New York.

Raising questions about massive government spending is a good thing. (I for one would prefer to hold this local discussion without the involvement of national AM talk radio hosts.)

Before 2010, I hope Doug Hoffman takes the time to make more connections, take a truer pulse of his neighbors, and learn the bread-and-butter issues that matter here to so many people.