Posted on 10/29/2009 10:32:29 AM PDT by nutmeg
WASHINGTON, DC -- The American Conservative Union's political action committee, ACU PAC, today formally endorsed New York Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman in the upcoming Special Election in New York's 23rd Congressional District.
ACU PAC Chairman David Keene said in announcing the endorsement that the New York State Conservative Party has given the people of the 23rd District the choice Republican leaders would deny them. "Doug Hoffman is an intelligent, sincere leader who can and will win this election and at the same time send a message to NY State GOP leaders that they won't be able to ignore," Keene said in releasing the endorsement.
Keene added that "like virtually all conservatives I am appalled by the decision of the New York Republican Party to support a Republican nominee who is among the most left wing Republicans ever to run for public office - anywhere."
The GOP candidate, NY Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava, "stands for higher taxes, bigger government, anti-family policies and just about everything that Republican voters oppose. The fact that she was ranked as the third most liberal member of the entire, very liberal, New York State Assembly says it all, " Keene said. Keene said that on many issues Scozzafava would, if elected, vote with Nancy Pelosi. "We don't need Pelosi-lite in Washington."
(Excerpt) Read more at doughoffmanforcongress.com ...
Maybe the date should be October 29, 2009... today's date?
Maybe the date should be October 29, 2009... today's date?
Speaking of NY23, here is the reply from Newt’s organization to my email asking him where his head is at:
Thank you for writing.
Newt believes the New York 23 special election is a test of whether we respect local parties and local leaders.
There were four local GOP meetings in the 23rd district to decide who the party would nominate. Hoffman and Scozzafava competed in all four. Dede Scozzafava is an elected state representative from the largest county in the district who understands local issues. Doug Hoffman, who does not live in the district, did not finish in the top three in a single meeting. Not surprisingly, the district Republicans picked Scozzafava as their top pick in all four meetings.
Considering it was such a unanimous decision, Newt believes the threshold for the national conservative establishment to try and override their decision ought to be very high.
While there are clearly areas where Dede Scozzafava is not a conservative, there are many areas where she is: she is endorsed by the National Rifle Association, signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, supports keeping the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts permanent, voted against the Governor’s big-spending, tax increase budget, opposes the health care plan being pushed for by President Obama and Nancy Pelosi, opposes cap and trade and energy tax increases, favors an all of the above energy plan that includes more domestic oil and natural gas drilling, and will vote against Nancy Pelosi and for John Boehner for Speaker.
In addition to this fundamental question about respecting local leadership, and not assuming we know better than people who actually live in the district what is best for them, there is also a grave danger in this NY 23 race of establishing the precedent that every faction of the Republican Party can run a third party candidate if they lose a primary or a nominating process. That is a clear road to reelecting President Obama and making Nancy Pelosi Speaker for life. This will only lead to Left-wing government that will harm the country.
Remember, when Newt became Speaker of the House it was in part because Republicans swept the 1993 elections. Three of the four Republican winners that year were moderates - significantly to the left of the conservative Republican base: Riordan was elected mayor of Los Angeles, Whitman as governor of New Jersey, and Giuliani as mayor of New York. George Allen, a conservative, was elected as governor of Virginia.
Furthermore, many of the Republicans elected in the 1994 landslide were moderates, including Nancy Johnson, Tom Campbell, Jim Leach, Chris Shays, Jan Myer, and Jennifer Dunn. They all signed the Contract with America and this coalition of Republicans passed Welfare reform, sealed the fate of HillaryCare, supported NAFTA, passed the first tax cut in 16 years, an increase in defense and intelligence spending, and (despite a Clinton veto that shut down the government) a four-year balanced budget.
In other words, support from moderate Republican elected officials enabled conservative governance, it did not prevent it. This is a lesson we should keep in mind to counter the impulse to force out from the Republican Party anyone who is to the left of conservatives on some issues.
Thank you again for writing and letting us know how you feel.
Here is a link to some recent interviews Newt has had on the topic if you want to know more: http://newt.org/tabid/193/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/4604/Default.aspx
Sincerely,
The Newt.org Team
Wow... interesting. Is it really such a big deal that Hoffman doesn’t live in the district? Newt really emphasized that when he recent appeared on Fox News (either on O’Reilly, Hannity or Greta... can’t remember).
It’s an excuse by Newt.
Hoffman lives a couple of miles from the border of the district and was raised and has lived in the area all his life.
He knows the issues.
This is Newt scrapping the bottom of the barrel trying to find anything he can to throw mud at Hoffman and pull his own RINO butt out of the fire.
Newt should just sit down and shut up at this point.
Newt doesn’t mention that Dede did NOT get a majority until her assembly buddy switched the vote of her county away from its choice of a conservative candidate to put her DeDe over the top. The rest then pro forma made the nomination by acclamation. She is personally popular, so no one objected. But she is obviously in this for herself. She went also to the Democrats AND the Conservatives. Her selling point: I am a winner. The Conservatives said no and found her so liberal they decided to canvas the other candidates for the nomination. Hoffman was the only one who responded. Many delegates had voted for her blindly, did not even know how she had voted in the assembly. The Conservatives, however, found that she was only about 15% on the issues that concerned them. What’s more, during her career, she has gone progressively to the left. Pure-Jeffords type.
I wonder if Keene wouldn’t have had that encounter with John Ziegler, would he have followed Newt’s lead?
I wonder that too. I don’t put a lot of stock in an endorsement from a CINO who also acts based on where the political wind is blowing. Keene endorsed Specter & likes Romney - he’s another elitist, who cares if he calls himself a conservative or not. Keene was also caught selling his endorsements earlier this year.
Here’s the funny part. He didn’t leave the district, the district left him.
His home was redistricted out in 2000 or so.
I'm the last one to defend David Keene... he's had his "problems" over the years. I think I heard he may be an alcholic, I'm not sure. Apparently he supported Arlen Specter at one time.
I really disagree with Ziegler's gripes about CPAC - the conference, although I admit I don't have any "inside" info re: CPAC and its speaker slots and agenda items. I've attended every CPAC since 2002 (or 2003) and I have been very satisfied that CPAC is truly a forum for conservatives not RINOS.
Sure, before the 2008 election Keene invited McCain, Giuliani, Huckabee, Romney, et al, but I felt it was appropriate to listen to speeches by ALL of the candidates. Ron Paul, Duncan Hunter and Fred Thompson also gave speeches at CPAC that same year.
Keene gave Ziegler a big forum at CPAC last February. Ziegler was able to promote and sell his "How Obama Got Elected" and other DVDs there. I attended a screening of "How Obama Got Elected" with Ziegler in attendance.
From what I saw when I left the screening, Ziegler had sold less than half of his DVDs. They weren't priced very low, as I remember. Maybe Ziegler is pissed at Keene and CPAC because his DVDs didn't sell well? Just a thought... ;-)
I appreciate Ziegler's defense of Sarah Palin in the "How Obama Got Elected" DVD, but from what I've seen of Ziegler lately on Fox News (and on the internet), he's pretty much a loose cannon a self-promoter and an opportunist, IMO. He always seems to be outraged about something, and ready to punch someone... anyone...
Because, Newt, the issues you cite are governmental, all relating to governance NOT to political parties. The fact the you confuse (or misrepresent) the two speaks volumes.
Hey Newt, that run for President you were considering in 2012 ? Not such a good idea my friend.
I welcome the challenges of those in leadership positions claiming to be Conservative. Obviously, the Republican Party is under going a civil war at this time, a war that must be fought if we, as Conservatives, are to stay as members of the GOP.
Is Ziegler what you claim? Could be. But, he is shinning a light on what many of us have known for quite some time. There are frauds among us, frauds who maintain leadership roles, the same leadership who are insistent upon taking the party a different direction (more “Big Tent” stuff or “Moderate”), a direction which has been proved already to not work.
I first met Keene about 40 years ago. You understand him very well. For money, he worked for Bush the Elder against Ronaldus Maximus.
This guy endorsed his personal friend Arlen Specter in 2004.
Dana Rohrabacher and Tom Cole have also endorsed Hoffman. Rohrabacher had been acting squirrely lately, voting to admonish Joe Wilson and not to remove Chuck Rangel from his chairmanship. Cole was a horrible NRCC chairman who backed plenty of RINOs.
The theme here is atonement.
Keene was also involved a pay to play scheme with FedEx. RINOs like David Frum was giddy about the news. He tried use Keene’s questionable business dealings to discredit all conservatives.
Concerning David Keene:
Folks:
This is truly menacing. I?ve been researching the Norquist-Keene relationship for some time. Keene appointed Suhail Khan to the ACU (most likely to appease Norquist). In return, Norquist, a member of the NRA?s board of directors and member of the NRA?s 2007 nominating committee, supported Keene?s recent election to Second VP ? meaning that David Keene will be President of the NRA within a few short years. All attempts to convince the NRA to investigate these matters were either ignored or derailed. Now Keene is showing his true colors by participating as a keynote speaker at a CAIR event. Take a close look at the expansive list of rally sponsors. The same
Jeff
Vigilant Freedom/910 Group Blog
Islamisation of David Keene, American Conservative Union
June 27, 2007 by Christine | 910 Group | 20:28:12 | |
David Keene, chairman of the American Conservative Union (ACU), has been moving, along with several other paleo-conservatives like Dinesh D?Souza, towards a partnership with Saudi-funded, pro-Hamas institutions. A forewarning was the appointment of Grover Norquist to the ACU board.
A second forewarning was the appointment of Suhail Khan to the ACU board.
Then Tuesday, David Keene joined United for Peace and Justice, the ACLU, the Communist Party-USA, as a speaker in the ?Day of Action to Restore Law and Justice? to
??call on Congress to restore habeas corpus, fix the Military Commissions Act, end torture and rendition and restore our constitutional rights. Activists from all fifty states will gather at Upper Senate Park on June 26, 2007 and deliver tens of thousands of signatures to Congress, urging the restoration of our rights.?
In addition to the ACU?s new imam David Keene at the rally, representing the American Conservative Union (by name, as an organization), other rally sponsors included:
Alliance for Justice
American Friends Service Committee National
Criminal Justice Program
American Humanist Association
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
Americans for Democratic Action
Arab American Institute
Asian American Justice Center
Bill of Rights Defense Committee
Campaign for America?s Future
Center for American Progress Action Fund
Center for Constitutional Rights
CODEPINK
Education for Peace in Iraq Center
Episcopal Church
Equal Justice Society
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Global Rights
Hip Hop Caucus
Human Rights First
Human Rights Watch
Immigration Equality
Institute for Policy Studies
Islamic Society of North America
JALSA - the Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action
Japanese American Citizens League
League of Women Voters US
LULAC
MoveOn.org
NAACP
National Association of Social Workers
National Organization for Women
NETWORK
No2Torture
Peace Action
People For the American Way
Physicians for Human Rights
Progressive Democrats of America
Public Citizen
Religious Action Center
Rural Organizing Project
Stop Torture Permanently
TASSC International
The Shalom Center
TrueMajority.org
United for Peace and Justice
United States Student Association
US Action
Veterans for Peace
Working Assets Wireless
Women?s International League for Peace and Freedom
Young Democrats of America
Velvet Revolution
And regional groups:
Amnesty International USA - Greater
Philadelphia Area
Amnesty International USA - Puget Sound
Arab American Community Coalition (WA)
Asian Bar Association of Washington
Brandywine Peace Community
CASA Latina (WA)
CAUSA, Oregon?s Immigrant Rights Coalition
Community Alliance of Lane County (Oregon)
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) - PA
Hate Free Zone of Washington
Japanese American Citizens Leage - Seattle Chapter
King County Asian Pacific Islander Coalition
Lancaster Coalition for Peace and Justice
League of Women Voters - PA
Liberty Center for Survivors of Torture
National Organization for Women - New York State
Northwest Immigrant Rights Project
October 22 Coalition
Oregon Peace Works
Peace Action of Central NY
Peace Action WI
Pittsburgh/Western PA Irish American Unity
Conference
Philadelphia Physicians for Social
Responsibility
Sound Nonviolent Opponents of War
Syracuse Peace Council
Thomas Merton Center
Washington Peace Center
Western Washington Fellowship of Reconciliation
In his day job, Keene is also a managing associate at the Carmen Group, Washington, DC lobbying firm. He is on the lobbying teams representing special interests (corporations, states and associations) in International, Homeland [security], Procurement Solutions, Postal, and Education areas.
And in that day job, David Keene (really productive guy BTW, kudos for his work ethic) represents among other clients, Algeria:
Washington Post: Carmen?s Africa Team Has Its Keystone
July 6, 2006
By Judy Sarasohn
The Carmen Group, which in the past year has made a play for business in Africa and hired strategically to make that happen, has scored a substantial lobbying client ? the government of Algeria.
While it might not be in the Indian casino range, the fee is a healthy $25,000 a month, for a total of $300,000 for the one-year term of the contract, according to the Carmen Group?s Foreign Agents Registration Act filing with the Justice Department. The shop also filed a lobby registration with Congress.
And for these fees, the Carmen Group says it will work to strengthen relations between the Algerian and U.S. governments and expand trade, through government relations and ?strategic advice.? The Carmen team will brief U.S. policymakers, ?project an up-to-date image of Algeria? and promote congressional, public and media support for ?Algeria?s legitimate interests and policy goals,? according to the FARA report. The shop will also promote contacts with U.S. business interests.
In a recent interview, David Carmen said there was ?no single issue? at this time to lobby on for Algeria, but the shop will be ?brand-building? in Washington and working to get more businesses to invest in that nation. Algeria as a client was in the works when the company started to work on building an Africa practice, he said.
David Keene, a managing associate at Carmen and chairman of the American Conservative Union, is responsible for managing the firm?s services for Algeria, according to the contract with Algeria. But also on the team: the aforementioned David Carmen, Gerald Carmen, John Ladd, Constance Berry Newman, William Outhier, Paul Marisa and Charles Williams.
Newman, a former assistant secretary of state for African affairs, was one of those strategic hires earlier this year, as was Williams, former chief of staff to Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) and former president of the US-Nigeria Development Institute in Abuja, Nigeria.
And last month, Michael Lempres, former vice president of the Overseas Private Investment Corp., returned after a hiatus of several years to be managing director of Carmen?s international practice and direct the Africa practice. Earlier, he was director of international affairs for the Justice Department in the administration of George H.W. Bush.
BUT WAIT! There?s more - Imam Keene, presumably representing his new Algerian clients in their PR outreach (and other clients To Be Determined) is tackling that real problem in the US of concern to American Conservative Union members natonwide - Islamophobia!
Received in yesterday?s email:
CONSERVATIVE LEADER TO SPEAK ON ?ISLAMOPHOBIA? PANEL - TOP
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/26/07) - On Tuesday, July 17, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) will host a panel discussion at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., entitled ?Attacking Islam: Implications for Social Cohesion and U.S. Relations with the Muslim World.?
The panel will address the increasing anti-Muslim rhetoric within the conservative movement in the United States, focusing on the negative impact of such views on religious tolerance in America and on relations with the Muslim world.
Presenters:
* David Keene, President, American Conservative Union
* Parvez Ahmed, Chairman, Council on American-Islamic Relations
WHEN: Tuesday, July 17, 2007, 9:30 a.m. - 11 p.m.
WHERE: Holeman Lounge, National Press Club, Washington, D.C.
Refreshments will be served. Admission is free but seating is limited and reservations are required. Please RSVP via e-mail to events@cair.com or call .
CAIR, America?s largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 33 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
CONTACT: CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, or, E-Mail: ihooper@cair.com; CAIR Communications Coordinator Rabiah Ahmed, or, E-Mail: rahmed@cair.com; CAIR Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin,, E-Mail: arubin@cair.com
So here?s the multiple choice question: When David Keene, chairman of the ACU, makes a national effort to accuse the American public of Islamophobia and silence all criticism of Muslim Brotherhood front organizations in the U.S., whom does he represent?
a. Imam David Keene
b. The American Conservative Union members, who probably haven?t a clue this is going on
c. Algeria
d. The Muslim Brotherhood
e. CAIR
f. The new special envoy of the White House to the Organization of Islamic Conferences
g. Hmm, maybe other wealthy countries in the middle east known to have given CAIR $50 million for public relations?
h. All of the above
Thanks for the ping!
BFL!
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