Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Hoffman: GOP, Tea Partiers Must Work Together

By Theresa Poulson  

Doug Hoffman

Former congressional candidate

When Doug Hoffman, running on the Conservative Party line, was narrowly defeated by Democrat Bill Owens for New York's 23rd Congressional District seat, some might have thought this was a fluke. But after Republican Scott Brown captured the Senate seat in Massachusetts, Hoffman's near-win has been seen as a momentum-builder for conservatives and the Tea Party movement.

More Coverage: The Insurgents Emerge

While he hasn't announced his candidacy yet, a McLaughlin & Associates poll released last month showed 74 percent of Republicans in the district agreeing that Hoffman deserves another chance at the seat. NationalJournal.com caught up with Hoffman last week to ask him about his plans for November.

NJ: If you do decide to run, would you be running as a Conservative candidate or vying for the Republican nomination?

Hoffman: I'm going to try to get both of the tickets -- the Republican ticket and the Conservative line.

NJ: One activist told me that the Tea Partiers are keeping the GOP "at arm's length." Given this attitude, do you think that running under the GOP umbrella might turn off some Tea Party voters or independent voters?

Hoffman: The people that supported me and came out to support me knew that I was a lifelong Republican and knew that I was fighting for the heart and soul of the Republican Party, so I don't think it will turn it off. I think I can be the catalyst, especially in the 23rd District, to bring the two movements together and work effectively, not only for my campaign but for the other Republicans in the district.

NJ: How would you compare the reception that you're getting from national Republican Party leaders this time around to that from last election?

Hoffman: 180 degrees. They're very enthusiastic, receptive, and we're going to work together to win in 2010.

NJ: Are you making plans to improve your ground game?

Hoffman: If I do make the announcement to run, I am certainly going to tap into the help that I received from the Tea Party organization. Now, I realize that across the country I won't get the support I had the last time because they're going to be busy in their own districts, but within my district we have a lot of volunteers that came from the Tea Party movement who are ready, willing and eager to get re-involved in my campaign.

NJ: While a lot of Tea Party groups agree on policy, there is some disagreement on how to meet those goals -- whether it is forming their own party or taking over the GOP or just acting as a check on the GOP. What, in your mind, should be the goal of the Tea Party movement?

Hoffman: Well, I don't think it's a taking over of the Republican Party, I think it's bringing them together, to work effectively together to achieve the common goal. ... Not everybody running on the Conservative line can get 46 1/2 percent of the votes. In reality, we need to work together to win together.

NJ: What can Republicans do better to tap into the Tea Party movement?

Hoffman: I think that, number one, they have to take the Tea Party movement as a serious movement and not a fringe organization. They have to understand the beauty of the movement and that it's truly organic -- that there's no centralized organization, but it's -- Americans all over the country are doing what they can do to make a difference. And these people can be tapped into by the Republican Party to help in its resurrection and reforming the Republican Party to come out and be what it was before -- a party that represented less government, less taxes and less spending. And that's real important, because the eight years of the Bush administration took away that glamour.

NJ: President Obama is meeting with House Republicans on Friday [Jan. 29]. If you were there, what would you say to him?

Hoffman: I wouldn't say it exactly this way, but I think that his [State of the Union speech] was condescending and he was blaming everyone in the room but himself. I think he has to understand what the people are looking for, and I think that.... he's talking down to the American people, and he's trying to decide what's best for Americans. And that's exactly why people are angry; that's exactly why the Tea Party movement started last year.

NJ: What's one policy move that he could make right now that you think would be something that the Tea Party movement would appreciate?

Hoffman: I think he has to change his entire agenda. He can't be deciding what health plan is best for Americans and ram it down their throats. He can't be forcing the issue on the cap-and-trade bill that's only going to add more burden onto businesses and increase the average homeowner's energy bill by $1700 per year. He has to be serious about not spending money that we don't have.