Democrat Kathy Hochul won a vacant Congressional Seat in Upstate New York, an upset which the media and political wonks are chalking up to the growing "backlash" against Congressman Paul Ryan's plan to reform Medicare.
One crucial element ignored by the press (surprise, surprise):
Third Party Democrat-turned-Tea Party Candidate siphoned off 9% of the vote, which just as well could have gone to the embattled Republican.
It's not the unpopularity of the budget reform which is turning off voters, it's the needless split among establishment and Tea Party Republicans in convulsive districts which need to start establishing the necessary common ground to achieve political unity and victory over tax-and-spend liberal Democrats.
Didn't we see a replay of this in 2009?
Liberal Republican was slated for doom against the establishment Democratic nominee in another vacant Congressional District in Upstate New York. The Conservative/Tea Party candidate fired off to a meteoric rise, passing the Republican candidate, who suspended her campaign in favor of the Democrat. A reliable Republican district went to the Democratic candidate.
In the words of well-know befuddled New Yorker Yogi Bera, "This is deja vu all over again."