Just a little congressional race a full three years before the next presidential election, but yet it provides the clearest indication of exactly who all the major candidates are: Here are my grades from a conservative perspective.
Sarah Palin
First on October 22, Sarah Palin came out on her Facebook page with a strong endorsement of the Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman. A clear shot across the bow of the GOP establishment favoring principle over party. Palin cited Reagan’s ‘time for choosing’ and the principles of “smaller government, lower taxes, strong national defense, and a commitment to individual liberty “. Palin’s bold action against the party establishment further established her strong conservative credentials. GRADE: A
Tim Pawlenty
Three days after the Palin endorsement, Pawlenty followed suit and endorsed Hoffman. He gave a solid endorsement. But Pawlenty seems jealous of Palin’s popularity and appears just trying to keep up with Palin among the conservative wing. Pawlenty scored a few points with conservatives for doing the right thing, but would have come out a bigger winner if he endorsed sooner. GRADE: B -
Mike Huckabee
On October 15, Huckabee made it very clear he could never support a pro-abortion candidate, but yet did not endorse Hoffman despite saying he agrees with him on most issues. Huckabee had a chance to publicly be the first leading candidate to make the endorsement, but instead showed he feared going against the establishment. Huckabee has now finally endorsed Hoffman, but only after Scozzafava threw in the towel. GRADE: C -
Mitt Romney
“I have chosen not to endorse the Republican candidate in New York’s 23rd District.” Basically identical to Huckabee, but Romney did not articulate why he could not endorse Scozzafava and gave no praise to Hoffman. The thought of going against the GOP and supporting a conservative did not even appear to cross Romney’s mind. GRADE D
Newt Gingrich
Not only did Newt endorsed Scozzafava, but he attacked those who dared support Hoffman. Gingrich completely mischaracterized this election, insisting it was anti 10th Amendment to go against the party operatives to endorse the conservative. Newt’s star has fallen far since leading the 1994 revolution, and instead of being a visionary is now a simple establishment guy. Now, hypocritically he has finally endorsed Hoffman. GRADE: ZERO
Good analysis.