Scozzafavaed
(Scozzafava) Material has amply proliferated about the leadership vacuum of the Republican Party and its dangerous drift rightward. Conservatives have successfully hijacked the NY CD 23 election. GOP candidate Dede Scozzafava, endorsed by Newt Gingrich, the NRA, and many "traditional" GOP supporters, has suspended her campaign and encouraged voters to elect Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman.Conventional wisdom would predict the split giving the seat to Democrat candidate Bill Owens, and two weeks ago this was the anticipated outcome, rightly forecasting 2010 scenarios. However, this is bright red NY CD 23, meaning that the split might not create the draw down necessary for a blue victory. Scozzafava's withdrawal all but cements a Hoffman victory. Imagine the gasoline this throws on the tea bag fire.
Update (11/01): Frank Rich has a terrific Op-Ed on this topic, and as noted in the comments, Scozzafava did NOT endorse either Hoffman or Owens when she withdrew. The GOP has switched its support to Hoffman. The plot thickens. Today Scozzafava announced her support for Democrat Bill Owens.
Labels: Politics
posted by x4mr at 9:38 AM
19 Comments:
Without question this will embolden conservatives. What remains to be seen is whether the Republican party splits and the Conservative Party becomes a full blown third party, or whether the Republican Party mutates into a "conservative party."
Either spells trouble for them. Gingrich appears to be one of the few Republicans who understand this.
People who identify themselves as Republicans dropped to 20% in a recent poll. Even if the "real" number is 25%, they have a serious problem. Living in their own Fox world, they think shifting right will improve these numbers. I say let them go for it. Palin and "You Lie!" Joe 2012!!
Well, Scozzafava's name will still be on the ballot so it will be interesting to see how many people vote for her regardless.
I agree with Observer, let them go for it, let them run Palin in 2012. She is, after all, the right person for the nomination as she represents everything they now stand for.
You're wrong.
Scozzafava pointedly did NOT endorse either candidate:
http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20091031/BLOGS09/910319996/BLOGS09
Her refusal to make an endorsement may be a bigger story than her withdrawal. She obviously has issues with a guy who came from outside the district, according to the local paper in their editorial showed no knowledge or interest in local issues in his interview with them, and likely won't push very hard for earmarks in a district that depends heavily on them.
I wouldn't have expected her to endorse Owens, but her failure to endorse Hoffman may be a not-so-subtle hint that anyone who really cares about the future of the district might be better off voting for the Democrat.
Yup, Palin-Bachmann 2012.
They might carry Alaska, Utah and Alabama.
It was the director of the Susan B. Anthony List (a pro-life group that disagrees with Scozzafava on the issue) who recommended her supporters support Hoffman. Just like any snake in the grass.
Scozzafava comes out of this with her dignity and honor intact.
Eli,
The story at the link I provided continues to be updated and has expanded since this morning. I am 99% certain that the first reports said Scozzafava was asking voters to support Hoffman. Right or wrong, my source was the Times article at the link provided.
The updated article (same link) now says that the GOP (RNC, Steele, etc.) is now supporting Hoffman. It also now includes Gingrich commenting as we would expect.
I think Gingrich said it well, "You can't govern with 20%."
We are talking about people (the conservatives) who are so staunchly self-righteous that "being right" trumps all other priorities. They would see this country disintegrate into oblivion before allowing the slightest consideration that their particular opinion isn't the gospel truth.
Whites are superior master race meant to rule all. Christ is the only true god who was murdered by the Jews. Men are men and women are mommies. The free market is fair, and corporations are good. the unemployed are lazy and unwilling to work.
Minorities are illegal aliens too stupid to work. Hispanics are lazy. Blacks are criminals. Muslims are terrorists.
Torture is right if we do it, and women get pregnant on purpose so they can have an abortion.
The earth is 5000 years old. All fossils, prehistoric bones, and evidence of glaciers were planted by commie liberals from New York.
Eli is spot on here. Scozzafava did NOT endorse this out of district goon Hoffman who, as Eli noted, has no knowledge of the issues or the district.
The "kooks" don't care about real representation or real issues. Frank Rich has a good take on the development.
Yeah, these people should definitely form their own party. Their common ground being the beliefs enumerated by Anon above (10/31@8:34PM) as well as the desire to spend all their free time watching FOX NEWS and farting into their couches probably while eating the processed junk food they bought at Wal-mart and/or MacDonalds.
Anon, Rich's op-ed today is excellent (and funny.) I've been reading his op-eds for a long time and he just keeps getting better.
Eli is right, and the Frank Rich article is flat out perfect and the best write up I have seen of the subject. Like Liza, I have been reading Rich, and I think he's outstanding.
X4mr wrote some time ago about "the next Civil War" and I agree. Everything the conservatives believe, in terms of governance and public policy, has become obsolete. At this point, the only way they can preserve their beliefs is to lie through their asses. Fox News makes a fortune perpetrating fiction for morons.
Can you imagine the financial administration of this nation, let alone its foreign policy, in a Palin administration?
Check this out, a video of one of the local populist movement leaders(our very own beloved wingnut blogger, Framer.) It is called, "A commentary on healthcare" but doesn't actually say anything about healthcare except that the Democrats got it all wrong and Framer doesn't like being called a racist because it is not helpful.
Liza,
Wal-Mart, most definitely.
But a few years ago the wingnuts decided to boycott McDonald's after their attempt to force conservative programming on NPR by means of budget cuts was flummoxed when Joan Kroc left them $200 million in her will, which (together of course with listener support) sustained them at least through the end of the Bush administration.
They went apoplectic over that, it was a joy to behold. They want to have 100% control over the airwaves and the fact that NPR exists really irks them.
Ahh...
Not only was I right but today Scozzafava let the other shoe drop:
Scozzavafa endorses Democrat Bill Owens.
Scozzafava said Democrat Bill Owens would be better at building on the legacy of Republican John McHugh, who previously represented the 23rd Congressional District. McHugh vacated the seat after accepting a position in the Obama administration as secretary of the Army. The special election to replace him is scheduled for Tuesday.
"John and I worked together on the expansion of Fort Drum and I know how important that base is to the economy of this region," said Scozzafava's statement. "I am confident that Bill will be able to provide the leadership and continuity of support to Drum Country just as John did during his tenure in Congress."
As I said before, Scozzafava keeps her honor and dignity intact. She clearly cares about the district and has no interest in it being represented by an imported ideologue pushed by out of state interest groups who cares not a whit for the interests of the district itself.
Eli,
I didn't know about the wingnuts boycotting McDonalds. That must have created some real hardships for them, but I guess you have to stand by your principles. The Wal-mart at Speedway and Kolb actually has a Mcdonalds embedded within it, so that must have been interesting during the boycott. Can you imagine their angst as they walked past and smelled those chicken McNuggets?
What the Republicans need to understand is that Arlen Specter and Scozzafava, each in their own way, are providing a preview of how this split is a real possibility.
Scozzafava's endorsement of Owens isn't just a reflection of her conscience on the subject. It is also telling the nut jobs to f*** themselves.
The Frank Rich article is very good. I think Rich is right. This is a bad moon rising for Republicans, period, and a Hoffman victory is a worse development than an Owens victory. It is pouring gas on a fire. creating "open season" on any decent Republican that doesn't bow to the nuts.
If the Democrats are smart, they are already working on strategies to recruit Scozzafava to pull a Specter and defect.
I agree, Observer, Scozzafava didn't have to endorse either candidate so endorsing the Democrat is definitely a message to the wingnuts. I think she was wise to withdraw and save her dignity and reputation for another opportunity.
As Rich points out, a New York Republican can be quite moderate. So maybe Palin and the rest of her circus will find out that what might fly in Oklahoma or Arkansas or Alabama won't work as well up there. But win or lose, these people are not going away any time soon. The multi-millionaire pundits, radio gasbags, and the moose/wolf killer from Alaska have become the spokespersons for the Republican party because absolutely no one else is getting
media attention. The party is already ideologically split with nothing on the horizon to bring them back together unless they can agree that hating Obama and the Democrats is all they need.
Liza,
I always thought that the McDonald's boycott was really bizarre considering that the person they were really trying to punish, was dead. But we already know that thinking logically isn't their strong suit.
I actually do believe that (given the conservative leanings of the district) Hoffman will eke out a win, and it will embolding the wingnuts, which will continue to make it clear that anyone who won't vote a 100% conservative line will not be welcome in the GOP, which will prevent them from returning to the majority for a long, long time. A very long time, maybe even measured in terms of generations.
Notwithstanding that GOP civil war that brewed in New York’s 23rd district until Scozzafava’s announcement Saturday, leading House Republican John Boehner said his party still casts a big, welcome tent to all those who would call themselves Republican.
“We accept moderates in our party. We want moderates in our party. We cover a wide range of Americans.
What we need is . . . a broad group of people in our party.”
I think I'm gonna throw up.
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