NY23: Live from Saranac Lake

At the Hotel Saranac, currently on a conference call with Hoffman campaign manager Dan Tripp. Will update . . .

UPDATE 5:40 p.m.: We had about 40 bloggers on the conference call, where we were joined by David Keene of the American Conservative Union, Mike Long of the New York Conservative Party and Erick Erickson of Red State, whose money quote was, "Victory or death!"

One Hoffman volunteer just reported that campaign internal polls show a very close race. Tripp says they're "feeling pretty good right now" but said, "we're going to be pushing like we're 10 points behind until 9 o'clock" -- which is when polls close.

In the category of "not news," Dede Scozzafava continues whining like a RINO loser.

Molly Line of Fox News is here at the Hotel Saranac. She says to tell y'all "hi." BTW, we made record time on Highway 3 on our way here. At 2:31 p.m., we were in Carthage, N.Y. At 3:09 p.m., we were on the other side of Star Lake. By 3:36, we were in Tupper Lake, and by 4:03, we pulled into Doug Hoffman HQ here in Saranac Lake.

It was at 3:45 p.m. that Ali Akbar got up his report of tires being slashed in Plattsburgh, via a Blackberry message. It appears, based on closer examination of the tire, that the Hoffman campaign worker ran over a bottle. But whatever the truth of this incident, I was too busy eluding the New York State Police to worry about it.

'She turned me into a jackass,' he said.

by Smitty (h/t Pundette)

'I got better,' continued Newt. No, that's apocryphal. Newt:

He told The Associated Press he was disappointed, and "deeply upset" that Scozzafava endorsed Owens.

"How could she have accepted all that support?" he said, adding later: "I'm very, very let down because she told everybody she was a Republican, and she said she was a loyal Republican."

Pundette is having none of this:

But Newt's been around long enough to judge on the basis of actions, not protestations of loyalty, or labels. By that standard we gave up on the RNC a long, long time ago. We've given up on Newt, too.

Actions, indeed. Once the votes are all counted, it will be interesting to see if Newt makes any effort to rehabilitate himself. Sure, he's got a long way to go before anybody trusts him, but he is a sharp fellow, has connections and could make valuable contributions, if he justs recalls and adheres to his purported principles.

As Stogie puts it:

the Newt Gingrichs of the Party have been sent packing, and that's a good thing.

'We are on a winning wave'

That quote is from recently elected Texas Republican Party Chairman Cathie Adams, who announced today that numerous county-level officials in their state will be switching this week from Democrat to Republican.

A veteran grassroots conservative activist, Adams described what appears to a strong shift toward the GOP in Texas. "Being an Obama Democrat is not such a popular label anymore," Adams said during a conference call with bloggers.

Texas GOP communications director Bryan Preston said polls indicate that 80 percent of Texas voters disapprove of the Obama administration's policies. Preston noted that many conservatives from Texas have served as volunteers in key campaigns elsewhere this fall, including the Virginia gubernatorial contest.

The new party chairman credited the Tea Party movement with helping raise awareness and involvement among conservative voters.

"These are people who are thinking for themselves," Adams said, describing her encounters with Texans at Tea Party events. She said the Obama administration's policies have awakened many conservative voters to the importance of being more active in the political process.

"People got complacent" in recent years, but now are "chomping at the bit" to become involved.

UPDATE: Press release from Texas GOP:

Texas Democrats Set to Switch to Republican All Over the State
The Republican Party of Texas is pleased to welcome several Democratic officeholders who have decided to switch parties and become Republicans. At noon today in Palo Pinto County, Precinct 5 Justice of the Peace Bobby Hart switched his party affiliation and became a Republican. Three others Palo Pinto County officials indicated an interest in switching parties. Hart joins the ranks of the party that enjoys majorities in both houses of the Texas Legislature and holds all statewide elected offices.
"Democrats like Judge Hart are joining a winning wave across this state and across this country,” said Republican Party of Texas Chairman Cathie Adams. “Americans are fed up with the Washington Democrats’ failing leftwing policies and government power grabs. We welcome these newly minted Republicans and anyone else who will stand with us for more freedom, lower taxes and smaller government.”
In addition to the Palo Pinto County switch, the Republican Party of Texas has learned that two Democratic officeholders in McCulloch County will soon become Republicans, and several more in other counties all over the Lone Star State are also poised to make the switch, some as soon as this week. They tend to cite disaffection with the national Democrats' economic policies, and agreement with the Republican Party's stances on smaller government and individual freedom as the reasons for switching.
All tolled, dozens of Democrats across Texas are known to be considering switching or are already in the process of doing so. There is no similar movement of Texas Republican officeholders leaving the party.

That's the way a wave rolls.