Susan Estrich is about as liberal as they come, and over the years there have been very few instances in which I agreed with anything she had to say politically. But on her opinions in this column, she and I are in perfect agreement.
Ms. Estrich and I both believe that the Democrats lost big in last Tuesday’s off-year elections. We also agree that the only reason the Republicans lost in New York’s House District 23 was because of a conflict within the party istself, not because the Democrat candidate was perceived as the better choice. The fact of the matter is, the number of votes cast for the RINO (Republican In Name Only) who dropped out of the race and the Conservative candidate whose rise in popularity forced her to do so totaled more than the number of votes ultimately cast for the the Democrat. If the Republican vote hadn’t been split between two candidates, that previously secure Republican seat would have remained so.
Ms. Estrich and I also agree that next year’s mid-term elections will by and large be the Republicans’ to lose. After all, both history and the fact that the economy is likely to still be in the tank come election day both strongly favor the chances of the GOP. But as the results in the NY 23 race prove, the Republicans need to develop a strong, coherent message based upon fiscal conservatism, and stick with it. They need to resist the urge to run RINO’s even in liberal-leaning states if they hope to win big next November.
For the most part the mainstream media outlets are little more than extensions of the Democratic National Committee, and most of their reporters and pundits write and speak that way. But I have noticed over the years that Susan Estrich and NPR’s Juan Williams tend to tell it like it is rather than the way they would like for it to be, and for that they have my respect. If you disagree with me that’s fine, but don’t try to spin fiction into reality in an effort to make Democrats look good and Republicans look bad at all costs (or the other way around either). Stick to your convictions however liberal they may be, but be honest in your opinion pieces and arguments. And I believe that Susan and Juan are.