We oftentimes get accused of shooting our own here on Sonoran Alliance in the name of conservative principles. The majority of the time, I have to agree that the problem with the GOP is that we try to play down our conservatism at large by running moderate to liberal Republicans only to find out that after they win, they give the party a bad rep because they vote no different than the Democrat.

We’ve been watching the same thing unfold in Republican district 23 in New York between so-called Republican, Dierdre Scozzafava, and Conservative, Doug Hoffman. Today, Dierdre Scozzafava suspenced her campaign and effectively withdrew from the race (AP Story). This is definitely good news for conservatives as the voters will now have a clear difference when they vote next Tuesday between a liberal and a conservative. If Hoffman pulls a win off in NY-23 it will send a strong message (as will the Governor’s races in VA and NJ) that the people are mad as hell at Democrats, liberals and incumbents for that matter, and they ain’t gonna take it any more.

Agree with my premise or not, next Tuesday’s election will be an indirect referendum on the Obama Administration. There are millions of pissed off voters – many of them Independents – who have swung back right of center. As for NY-23, one lesson the GOP should take away is that Republicans need to revisit the doctrine that conservative principles are actually a winning platform.