Victim?

Dede perpetuates her campaign and poor performance in the 23rd Congressional district race by going on the offense and playing the victim card. (If she would have only done that during her lackluster debacle of a campaign) See WWNY story (here).

More to the point though, Dede is not a victim. This was a high profile race and unless no one paid attention, including her, to the previous state senate races or the 20th Congressional race or NJ Governor's race then you might have expected something different. If Dede thought this was going to be some sort of low profile quilt show where everyone gazes at someone's fine craft, than she should have stayed home on her couch knitting.

This was a multimillion dollar race and here is a news flash Dede - they get ugly, you may call that the unfortunate part of politics, but nonetheless, it is reality.

Here is another news flash for Dede - and any other candidate expecting financial assistance in their campaign for outside organizations - money follows performance. Read how this cycle work; you do well in the polls, they invest in you, you continue to perform in the polls and they continue to invest in you.

Conversely what happens when the voters start to reject you and your message? Com'on you know the answer - that is right, your funding goes away. So Dede can complain all she wants about RCCC not investing money in her at the end and where RCCC money went after she quit the race and she can attempt to use that as a some futile reason for why she endorsed her opponent, but it all came down to the fact that she was being rejected by the voters in the polls.

When she QUIT her campaign she technically remained a candidate, she should have stayed away from the remaining food fight.

Here is the next victim card she will lay at the public's feet. She should be removed from her leadership position in the Assembly, where she leads the debate against Democrats on issues. Especially after Silver throwing the welcome mat to her. How can she possibly be effective in her role?

Now for those who are criticizing the selection of Dede, here is something to think about.

• The special election did not allow for a primary.
• The Republican leadership opened the process up to as many people as possible with the regional meetings.
  
• Consider the ongoing narrative if Dede is not the candidate - again she would be playing the victim card, "they overlooked me again," "I'm being courted by the Democrats," yada yada yada. 
• The end result of picking her and not picking her ended up the same. Although the voters rejected her not the party leadership this time. 

Loyalty is everything - Dede even professed that during the regional meetings; how she has been there for everyone, yet she did not follow through. She should not be playing the woe is me victim card now - that message is ineffective, just like her campaign.