Posted on 10/16/2009 10:34:48 AM PDT by ConservativeMind
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) may have stepped into a political quagmire after endorsing a moderate New York Republican's special election bid.
A host of GOP leaders have tried to distance themselves from the ongoing showdown between Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava, a centrist Republican, and Doug Hoffman, the local Conservative Party's candidate. But Gingrich offered his perspective to the three-way contest for now-Army Secretary John McHugh's vacant seat on Friday when he became one of only a handful of conservative Republicans to openly back his party's struggling candidate.
“The special election for the 23rd Congressional District is an important test leading up to the mid-term 2010 elections,” Gingrich said of Scozzafava's candidacy in a statement to supporters, as reported by the The Post-Standard. “Our best chance to put responsible and principled leaders in Washington starts here, with Dede Scozzafava.”
Gingrich's key endorsement could spell good news for Scozzafava, heretofore supported only lukewarmly by her own party. Already, the Club for Growth, Concerned Women of America, evangelical leader Gary Bauer, former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.) and a host of other GOP supporters and lawmakers have sided with Hoffman, who has recently posted gains in preliminary polls.
By contrast, only about 17 Republicans have even written checks to Scozzafava's campaign, and the party's conference chairman -- Rep. Mike Pence (Ind.) -- has altogether steered clear of the tough race.
At issue for some unsure Republicans seems to be a fear of a possible political backlash. Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Tx.) knows that feeling all too well; after he announced his backing for Scozzafava, his conservative base attacked him viciously, specifically harping intimidate details of his personal life.
Gingrich, however, seems not to care about this brewing, inner-party divide. Instead, he championed Scozzafava's candidacy on Friday as the future of the party -- not necessarily the harbinger for a lingering party divide, as some pundits have speculated.
“The Republican Revolution in 1994 started very much like what we see today,” the former speaker said. “Like then, our country is reeling from misguided liberal policies, high taxes and out-of-control spending. This special election in New York’s 23rd Congressional District could be the first election of the new Republican Revolution, but we need the momentum to get it started.”
But Hannity has him on his show almost daily. How can this be? (sarc)
Gingrich is a moral vacuum, a philandering putz, his compass more like a weathervane, twisting toward RINO, Dimocrat, and occasionally conservative if it suits his quest for power.
NOT to be trusted. Ever.
It's about momentum. A high profile New York election in a state with a very weak and unpopular Democrat governor can set the tone for 2010. She has an "R" in front of her name and if the Dems can hold the seat they can claim momentum for Zero's brand of Marxism.
That doesn't change the fact that the Republican Party and Newt Gingrich have once again spat in the face of the party's nominal base. His choice of candidate is correct as a party loyalist but incorrect from the point of view of the good of the United States of America.
We don't need Republicans like Dede, we need conservatives.
If this is the future of the party, the party is dead.
***Should Sarah Palin get involved here?***
LOL!
No-Show Sarah failed to appear at:
1) CPAC
2) NRCC fundraiser
3) Reagan Library at SIMI Valley
4) AK FAmily Council’s pro-life rally
5) 9-12 March
6) Values Voter Summit
Why does any self-respecting conservative expect No Show Sarah to promote conservativism?
This is exactly what GOP establishment Santorum (and GW Bush) did in PA—they backed Specter over conservative Toomey in a close race, and Specter ended up winning.
A rare Fred Thompson ping.
It seems Gingrich is fully “newtered” now. He took tons of heat as a conservative, and has been trying to prove how “reasonable” he can be ever since.
But DON'T do it using his website. Never send your credit card details over an insecure link.
Gingrich lost his mind a long time ago. Yet some people on this website still push the guy to run in 2012. Mind-boggling.
Ooops. I have been posting an unsecured link.
wrote:
But DON'T do it using his website. Never send your credit card details over an insecure link.
I actually used that unsecured page with a gift card. If someone gets that number, I don’t care. Doug Hoffman got every penny of what was left on the card, so they have a prepaid card number with a zero balance.
He does have an encrypted SSL version of his page. It is at https://www.doughoffmanforcongress.com/donate3.html. The certificate on there is a bit wonky, but it does encrypt all the data.
| From the desk of cc2k: |
Moving the GOP to the center has been the problem, not the answer. The GOP needs to move to the right.
+++++++++++++++++
Exactly right. NY State, and this race, is an exception with a pretty robust 3rd party - but if that splits the right, center right votes, the D will win. Makes even less sense if there’s not an established conservative 3rd party.
Better strategy: We need to force the GOP and especially the current and future GOP leaders right.
I see a lot people on this board, good hearted people, who are still wanting to vote for someone just because of an “R” after their name.
It reminds me of an abused spouse. They keep going back, thinking that they can change the abuser. They can’t and we can’t. It’s time to tell the GOP to kiss our backsides and move on. The GOP is quickly becoming irrelevant and Newt is just a prime example of that.
It’s time to tell the abuse to kiss off, punch them in the eye, and leave for good, never to return.
Very well said. I am a conservative; no longer just a Republican.
may have stepped into a political quagmire after endorsing a moderate New York RepublicanGingrich *is* a political quagmire.
Not one damn dime, not one red cent to the traitorous RNC. And Gingrich must be completely off his meds.
Hell, they all must be.
Indeed.
Would I now buy into a "contract" with this man?
No. Hell, no!
Who wrote this article, Judge Sotomayor?
I went to his site yesterday after Fred’s email and the donate link points to the unsecured page. I didn’t think to just try it with https.
I sent them a note suggesting they fix it, but all that got me was on the mailing list. I’ve had about zero luck with conservatives’ web sites.
Moderates and other people of weak conviction are not the future of the party.
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