Much will be made today by the right about the gubernatorial wins in Virginia and New Jersey, but I think the far larger story is in the 23rd District of NY.
Look, New Jersey's incumbent Corzine didn't endear himself to too many people, on the right or on the left, so his demise isn't a shocker. And if you consider that Virginia typically votes for the party not in the Whitehouse, and has done this for decades, the win there isn't a shocker either; it's just cyclical.
But if you consider that Dede Scozzafava, a Republican, dropped out of the 23rd District race and supported the Democratic candidate, and that the furthest right among Rightublicans (Palin, Limbaugh, Bachmann, Hannity, et al.) didn't support her as their own party's candidate, you have the real story.
The right-wingnuts threw their support behind the human dynamo Doug Hoffman, who doesn't live in the district and who... wait for it... isn't even a Republican! Nope. Mr. Hoffman is a member of the Conservative Party of New York State, a party that thinks the Republicans are left-leaning wussies.
It's what happened in upstate New York that puts into stark relief the fractures that exist within the Republican Party.
If there are people who can make Newt Gingrich seem like a reasonable, moderate guy, then the Repos have a real schism to deal with. Sure, they will no doubt spin what happened to Mr. Hoffman, but, in truth, the Dems would have spun a loss in the 23rd as well, so is Bill Owens the best man for the job?
I have no clue and that's not the point.
The point is that the farthest-right fringe of the Republican Party is about to cut off the more-moderate-portion-of-the-party's nose to spite its arch-conservative face, and it's going to be fun to watch.
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