Jackson Jambalaya

The Hannities and other conservative pundits should read this column in The American Thinker written by Rosslyn Smith about the Democrats' win in the NY-23 congressional race. While moderates and conservatives have used the election as ammunition in their battle for the soul of the Republican party, she makes the case that well, Hoffman was a bad candidate and voters weren't really thinking about Obama when they went to the voting booth:

"There is an old saw in the art world that while critics love to talk about sweeping trends, when artists get together they usually talk about where one can find the best price on canvas and brushes. The same holds true in politics. Most media pundits and bloggers tend to concentrate on the grand ideologies and dismiss the skill sets needed to win elections including things as basic as being more likable than one's opponent. Then they are either disappointed by election results or read too much into them.

Successful politicians know that with the right skills, a candidate can paint over many ideological differences -- at least long enough to win an election. What seems to be lost in much of the major analysis of Tuesday's results by the chattering class about the overall meaning of the results in NY 23 is that Doug Hoffman has few political skills. When I read some of the comments, my conclusion is that dislike for both the current administration and members of the Washington Republican establishment has caused many people who should know better to lose perspective about the quality of their allies....."

This article cited by Ms. Smith reports how Mr. Hoffman wasn't familiar with local issues and while focusing on ideology, was rather "clueless" on providing details or solutions. Kind of like when Harvey Johnson was an encyclopedia of facts in his debates with Marshand Crisler while Crisler talked about being shot on duty as a cop and serving in Iraq.

Baton Rouge elected its first black mayor, Kip Holden, a few years ago. Holden didn't win because of changing demographics in the city or because there was some huge backlash against Bush. He won because he focused on local issues while the Republican incumbent Bobby Simpson talked about abortion and gun rights, thinking an appeal to Republican core issues would overcome a lousy performance. Simpson blew off the business community. He angered residents by approving a Walmart for College Drive, a traffic nightmare before the store was built. Surprisingly enough, there were more voters who cared about streets and crime than fights over guns and babies in Washington.

While everyone spins the race to fit their agenda, perhaps they should look at the actual candidates themselves as well as the district, not just the parties involved. One more piece of advice for the Republican party: next time run an actual primary instead of letting local party leaders annoint a Republican candidate. A breath of freedom is never a bad thing.