Lost Dutchman Blog

Posted By Dutch on November 4, 2009

NY 23 was the race! And the Tea Party Candidate Lost!

Does this mean that the Tea Party movement is a failure? If you listen to the likes of David Frum or David Brooks or even the Republican intelligentsia, the answer is Yes! But as Mark Twain said, “Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated!”

Still, we would be wise to examine the outcome of yesterday’s election for lessons we can learn:

Winning Matters!
Coming close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. Politics has no “moral” victories. In order for the Tea Party movement to be successful, it must demonstrate that it can win elections outright, especially in cases like NY District 23. Playing spoiler will earn the ire of the Republican Party Leaders, but it will not earn their respect, and it certainly will not change their thinking about backing moderates over conservatives. Only absolute victory in the General election over Liberal Democrats and/or moderate/liberal Republicans will meet the minimum threshold necessary to produce real change. Victories in New Jersey and Virginia were victories for the Republican Party Machine, not the Tea Party movement.

Preparation and Organization Matter
Get in early. We got into the NY 23 race too late. Point #1: Scozzafava’s selection should never have happened. Point #2: Once Scozzafava was selected, Hoffman’s candidacy should have been backed early with organized ground troops and fundraising. Had Hoffman had the same level of financial and public support one month earlier that he had in the last two weeks, he would have won this election. The Tea Party movement must learn, adopt, and become experts in the ground game of politics, just like the two major political parties practice, or we will never succeed.

Determination Matters
If we throw in the towel after this setback, we will never succeed. That is what the opposition within the upper ranks of the Republican party believes will happen. They think we will simply all go home with our tails between our legs and give up. We owe it to one another to do otherwise. If we build upon this foundation, then come next year we can upend their plans in the Primaries and in the General election. If we don’t succeed in the Primary, then we must be willing to back independent candidates in the General election. That way is much harder, which is why we need to focus on winning primary battles, starting now. To paraphrase Donald Rumsfeld, “it will be a long, hard slog.”

Are we ready?

If not now, when?

If not us, who?

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