From the Associated Press:

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) – Democrat Bill Owens has captured the special election for a New York congressional seat that became a fight over the identity of the Republican Party.

Owens defeated Conservative Doug Hoffman and Republican Dierdre Scozzafava (skoh-zuh-FAH’-vuh) in the heavily Republican 23rd congressional District in rural northern New York. Scozzafava abruptly withdrew Saturday and supported Owens.

Hoffman has conceded the race.

With 88 percent of the precincts reporting, Owens had 49 percent of the vote to 46 percent for Hoffman. Scozzafava had 6 percent.

The race has been getting national attention, with some calling it a referendum on President Barack Obama and others saying it could help Republicans focus their message to attract more people to the party. (more…)

Now that Dede Scozzafava has pulled out of the race in NY-23, (and pulled off her mask, revealing a true blue WFP soldier in elephant’s clothing), political junkies are sitting on the edge of their seats, waiting to gauge the value of President Obama’s coattails as measured by the success or failure of his endorsed candidates in New Jersey and Virginia.

One other race being decided tomorrow is getting little notice, but it could serve as a bell weather on President Obama’s fortunes. It’s getting little notice because the outcome seems all but certain; Re-election for current New York Mayor Bloomberg. Real Clear Politics has Bloomberg +12.7%.

That’s too bad for Barack Obama and his Working Families (ACORN) Party. Together, they endorsed the presumed soon to be defeated WFP-Democrat in the race, William “Billy” Thompson.

Proudly featured on Billy’s website:

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A national coalition of Tea Party activists called Thursday for rallies in several states to announce their dissatisfaction with the Grand Old Party.  In an October 22 press release they state:

We are extremely disappointed that the Republican Party (and leaders like Newt Gingrich) has missed the message of the Tea Parties and continues to take conservative voters for granted. We applaud all courageous statesmen (Fred Thompson, Michelle Bachmann, and Dick Armey) and call on other GOP officials to put America’s values over traditional, often corrupt and morally bankrupt, power structures.

This is nothing new, and it is certainly nothing good.  I am no partisan apologist, mind you, and would not support Ms. Scozzafava.  My first significant political activity was on behalf of Pat Buchanan in the 1992 Republican primary in New Hampshire against a sitting Republican president.  You may remember how that ended: Buchanan lost the primary, and President Bush lost the general election.

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On Thursday, the Nationwide Tea Party Coalition called on the Republican Party to denounce the New York Republican Congressional Committee’s selection of über liberal Dede Scozzafava and their crusade against Doug Hoffman, bona fide conservative, backed by the Conservative Party. Tea party groups, frustrated after carrying the water for a hibernating party only to be ignored and attacked as “divisive” by certain GOP leaders, have demanded that Republicans “put up or shut up” when it comes to conservative leadership.

On Friday, at noon central, myself and fellow St. Louis Tea Party organizer Bill Hennessy will hold a short press conference announcing the reclamation of the Republican party from those moderates who falsely espouse “big tent” philosophies, but have little actual record of drawing in independents, Democrats, Libertarians, minorities, women, and youth – a record like the tea parties possess. The big tent already exists; the limited scope comes from leaders like Newt Gingrich who persist in the belief that Democrat-lite is the only way to win a race. Conservatism, when presented in full strength at the ballot, wins at the ballot. To suggest otherwise is to discount the millions who’ve taken to the streets since February in this new conservative revolution.

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