First, the New York State Board of Elections has not certified a winner.  The votes are still being counted.

Second, Bill Owens preemptively contested the election to impound the votes and prevent Hoffman from taking the seat if he had won this initial vote count.  (Yet, Owens didn’t have the integrity himself to wait for an official result.)

And third, the initial results showing Owens ahead by 3,026 votes turned out to be flawed.  Oswego County and others incorrectly reported results.  Further, there were over 10,000 absentee ballots to count.  Now, Owens lead is just 1,748.  That is now less than 1.24 percent of the votes cast!

Counting absentee ballots and rechecking reported vote counts will last into November.  Owens challenge needs to be resolved.  Further, Hoffman may still win outright or find the results sufficiently close or questionable to mount his own challenge.

I voted for Hoffman.  I am increasingly hopeful he’ll pull off an upset.  As they say, it ain’t over until it’s over.

 To read more on this: 

• Owens in office illegally?  (Gouverneur Times)
    
• Watertown Times notes that Hoffman can still win the vote count.  (Watertown Times)
    
• As Democrat’s Lead Shrinks, Conservative Regrets Conceding Race for House Seat
    
• Recanvassing shows NY-23 race tightens even as Rep. Bill Owens is sworn into House seat
• Owens May Have to Be Removed (Gouverneur Times)
   

1. voted for the public option health care plan,
2. voted to cut Medicare benefits,
3. voted to tax health care benefits, and
4. voted to increase taxes on middle income Americans.

I voted for Doug Hoffman here in New York’s 23rd Congressional District and seriously want to say I told you so to my neighbors who may have voted for Owens thinking he’d follow through with his promises.  Oh well, Owens will again face voters next November where I seriously doubt voter will be so trusting.

Illegal immigrants covered by Democratic plan

Worse, the Democratic health care plan also contains “language that allows illegal immigrants to be covered.”  As the Governeur Times asks, does this mean they will be forced to participate as will American citizens and at standard rates or via the subsidized public option?

And nationally, one must also anticipate that Obama will also bare a lie if the current health care plan gets to his desk by signing a bill that allows illegal immigrants access to subsidized health care.  Which, lest anyone has forgotten, is exactly what Representative Wilson called Obama on weeks ago.

See:

• Barker, Nathan.  “Owens Breaks 4 Campaign Promises in first hour in Congress,” Gouverneur Times, November 9, 2009.
• Kaddy, Martin, II.  “Dem House candidate against public option.  Politico, August 11, 2009.

What a crock!

As I wrote Dionne and a letter to the editor at the Washington Post:

What part of choosing Dede Scozzafava did I or any other registered Republican here in NY23 have?!  None!  It was a backroom deal reportedly made by a half-dozen or less people.  Further, no one with a straight face could say that Ms. Scozzafava was really a Republican, except by registration.  Her support and associations with liberals and socialists, like Working Families Party that has roots with the socialist New Party, are definitely not Republican.  Nor was her support for Obama’s programs. And, worse, her turncoat endorsement and efforts on behalf of Owens after she dropped out.  Spin this however you want but at least realize Ms. Scozzafava was product of an embarrassingly pathetic backroom deal and not the choice of local Republican voters.

[Update:  E.J. Dionne, Jr., never responded to my email, nor did the Washington Post print my letter.]

[Update 11/13:  Hoffman may yet win.  He now trails Owens by only 1,748 votes out of over 140,000 cast and returns are still being tallied.  See my post  Owens in office illegally and maybe even with losing vote count?]