Will We Learn From MA-5?
Written by Sam on October 17th, 2007Meanwhile, National Republican Congressional Committee head Tom Cole declared Ogonowski’s close call a moral victory, arguing that Ogonowski “sent a message to the Washington establishment and Democratic party that will reverberate throughout next year’s election.“Democrats have officially forfeited the mantle of change,” Cole said in a statement. “Jim’s hard-fought, grassroots campaign exposed a shift in the political tide, and most impressively, he did it in the bluest of blue states.
“He proved that a Republican challenger, who centers their campaign on the core issues of lower taxes, less government spending, respect for the rule of law, and most importantly, the issue of bringing change to Washington, can effectively garner votes from independents and swing voters.”
Isn’t that what we have been saying all along? More importantly, Ogonoswki ran on a message of Washington being broken no matter who is in charge and he wasn’t afraid to place guilt on his own Republican Party when necessary. He really ran as more of a non-partisan independent candidate with a goal of fixing Washington. Unless his showing was a fluke, he showed the GOP how to win next year, even in hostile New England territory.
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As a Democrat, I would absolutely love it if more Republicans adopted the strategy that Ogonowski used here… a strategy that resulted in him LOSING the election. “Almost winning” an election doesn’t count, just ask the newest Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
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I would absolutely love it if they use his strategy too. It would mean regaining a whole lot of seats for the GOP next year in the House.
I hope other Democrats have the same inability to see the forest through the trees like you do.
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I don’t understand what forest or trees you’re talking about, or why you still think this is a good idea.
Pundits on both sides have long believed that being more moderate means you are more likely to win an election. People on this blog have said that being more conservative means you are more likely to win an election.
Ogonowski followed your strategy of being more conservative, and guess what? HE LOST THE ELECTION. Almost winning is irrelevant. Whether you lost by 1% or 99%, you still are not the new congressman.
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David, you are really missing the point here. Ogonowski came within 5 points of a Democrat who is the spouse of a former Senator, in a district which Kerry won easily in 2004. In MASSACHUSETTS, no less!
The point is that running on an anti-Washington, anti-establishment, pro tax cuts, pro spending cuts, leaner federal government (what we call “conservative”) rather than a middle-of-the-road “moderate” campaign can be quite successful - just look how close it came to becoming a huge upset in the heart of New England.
The key is utilizing that same strategy, and the same type of candidate (stance on the war debatable, of course), in districts all across the country that are not nearly as skewed as this one can bring big victories.
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I see what you mean about it being hard for a Republican to win in Massachusetts, but the notion of getting excited over “almost winning” seems slightly ridiculous.