At least the carpetbagger lost

I've spent my life telling people that I am a voter who looks at all candidates and decides which one is the best based on experience, positions on issues, track record, blah, blah, blah.

Yes, I am that guy. The one who proudly maintains that political orientation doesn't enter into the equation when determining who I think is the best person for the job.

Then I always pick the Democrat when I go to vote. I have good friends who preach the same gospel of non-partisanship and then always vote Republican. I think the truth is that most people are one or the other – Democrat or Republican - no matter what they say at cocktail parties or after church.

But Dede Scozzafava was going to be my ticket out of decades of posing as an independent thinker. She was going to get my vote in the 23rd Congressional District race and become the first Republican to be endorsed by me in nearly 34 years and who knows how many elections.

That was before the all-capitals, bold and big headline screamed out at me from the front page of my Times: SCOZZAFAVA BOWS OUT. http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20091101/NEWS03/311019920/0/FRONTPAGE

It was Sunday morning so my first thought was that God didn't want me voting for a Republican – even a clear-thinking, moderate one who has a grasp on local issues gained through years of service in political offices from Gouverneur mayor to state assemblywoman. It took a few cups of coffee to shake out the cobwebs and conclude that God probably has bigger things to worry about than my voting record or a congressional race in an area the national media describes as, “somewhere in New York.”

Turns out that God didn't force Dede to throw in the towel, it was mostly a group of Republicans with a bunch of money and a dream to send a message to moderates in their ranks. A “my dogma is bigger than yours” type thing.

These conservative powerbrokers picked a candidate – Doug Hoffman - to spew general messages of tax cuts and less government and pro-life and anti-gay marriage. Then they bankrolled him onto the ballot as a Conservative Party candidate. Dede couldn't compete. All she had was a proven record as a state legislator and local knowledge to help her understand how to do the job in a way that would best serve the north country. That apparently doesn't buy you votes these days. You need the cash.

Hoffman's cash didn't come from somebody in Hermon or Hopkinton or Adams Center or from anywhere that cares about the north country. It came from folks who know so little about the north country that they would likely believe it if you told them Alexandria Bay was an exotic dancer. They know the 23rd Congressional District only as a place they might be able to make a political point for their team nationally. They might know where it is exactly, but I doubt it. They probably just describe it as “somewhere in New York.”

It is somewhere, by the way, where their handpicked Hoffman robot doesn't even live. A minor concern, I suppose, if you have your eyes on a bigger prize and aren't worried about the little people who actually do live in the district. Hoffman and his moneybaggers might be pro-life, but they sure aren't pro-north country life.

I looked at all the candidates, and based on experience, positions on issues and track record, Dede was the best choice. I could have cast a symbolic vote for her and legitimized my claim that my interest is in picking the best person, not party. It was an option I thought about well and long while I stood in the voting booth with my Sharpie marker and paper ballot. Then I chose the Democrat.

Bill Owens may not be Dede. He may not be my inaugural Republican vote. But most importantly, he's not Hoffman ... and he won. That is a victory for the north country.