GOP nominee endorses Democrat after stepping aside under pressure from right

The Hill ^ | 11-01-2009 | Tony Romm

[Sen Jack S. Fogbound]

GOP nominee endorses Democrat after stepping aside under pressure from right By Tony Romm - 11/01/09 03:28 PM ET The Republican in a New York House race that has become a symbol of the divisions within the GOP endorsed her former Democratic rival Sunday, a sharp snub to the third-party conservative who forced her out of the race.

Dede Scozzafava, who'd been chosen by local Republican leaders to try to hold the seat for the GOP, instead threw her support behind Democrat Bill Owens -- only a day after she unexpectedly backed out of the tough, three-way special election.

[ully2]

We need to purge the GOP of these Limo Repubs as soon as possible.

[CincyRichieRich]

Both Newt and Steele should be kicked out of the party. Is there a such thing as a NO vote of confidence? If so, how is it done?

[nanetteclaret]

I just happened to get a letter from the RNC yesterday. The timing couldn’t be better. I plan to send it back with a big fat ZERO and my opinion in large red letters: “You people endorsed Scozzafava, who is now endorsing the Democrat nomineee. You’re crazy if you think we’re giving our hard-earned money to the group that pushes quasi-Democrats. Maybe when you start backing Conservatives we’ll think about giving money to the RNC again.” They’ll have to pay the postage when I sent it back, so my net contribution will be -$0.44.

[patriotspride]

” This makes her look like a jerk and Gingrich like a fool.”

And Sarah - pretty smart...........

[patriotspride]

” This makes her look like a jerk and Gingrich like a fool.”

And Sarah - pretty smart...........

[Oatka]

The Good people of her NY assy district need to bounce her fat ass out of Albany too.

They also need to bounce those local Pubbie officials who put this poser up for election.

[ZOOKER]

... I suspect that the GOP requested that she throw her support to the Democrat. The Republican establishment does NOT want a third party win. They do NOT want Sarah Palin's chosen candidate to win the election. The GOP is at war with the Conservative base.

I really hadn't thought of that angle, but it's very possible.

If this is true, the GOP is signing its own death warrant. Hey Steele - what part of BASE do you not understand?

NY-23 is really a rarity in modern politics - seldom do you see differences between candidates so clearly defined. I know it's late in the contest, but Hoffman should stress the clear choice voters will be faced with on Tuesday.

And I really hope the GOP notices, too, and comes in on the right side of this battle.

[Publius]

If any of you swinging dicks...

Ahem! Here at FR, we prefer the term "swinging richards".

[50mm]

[old curmudgeon]

Right.

And I should have added that this shows that Sarah Palin’s judgment and political astuteness to be so much better than Newt’s that he is a laughing stock at this point.

And to think that he was so kind as to take the time and the trouble from his very busy life to give Sarah Palin advice as to how she should handle herself if she wished to be a serious candidate.

I love it.

[Buckeye Battle Cry]

I’d love to hear what Newt and Steele have to say about this turn of events.

[Leisler]

Instead, he claims that Specter is worth supporting for his personal qualities: "I've known and worked with Specter for more than a decade. . . . He is honest and decent, and, unlike many of his colleagues, his word is always good. American Conservative Union founder, and hack, David Keene on Arlin Specter. "When he's with you, he'll tell you, and when he's against you, he'll let you know that, too. . . . I may be going soft, but I like him. I like his honesty and his willingness to listen. . . . Arlen Specter is what we used to call a standup guy. He isn't always with us, but when he is you can take his word to the bank. He's willing to climb out of his foxhole and take on the opposition. . . . It may not count with many conservatives, but it counts with me.""

Keene gave Specter a under 50% ACU ratings.

Are you starting to see a pattern here, folks? RINO's won't go for conservatives, no matter what. ACU,self appointed by oddly listened to hack, David Keene cuts out the legs of conservatives when he can.

WE, conservatives are the enemy. We are not financial elite, we are not political elite, we are the the population and the soldiers, and other than a little mimeograph ATTAH BOY certificate, we're supposed to pay up, work off, shut up and follow edicts from grand big thinkers( snicker ) like Newt and company.

You are going to see a lot more RINO's showing their true colors. Good. They sap our brand image. The media uses them as a foil against us, of which they are more than too happy to oblige.

[wavynavy]

And now I just discovered that Scuzzyy DEDE just endorsed the non-Republican, namely the Dhimmicrat-Democrat, Whatever his fu==ing name is.

[Mad Dawg]

What with with Arlen and Dede as examples, maybe some of the great ones, including Dubya, might come to see that it's time for some soul-searching at the highest levels in the party.

Newt's support of this beeyatch and Dubya's of Specter suggests to me that it's too easy to fall into an in-group, political elite frame of mind. We may not win this fight, we might could lose next year, but Reagan conservatism lives and is a force to be reckoned with.

[PAR]

I wonder if Dede’s decision to support Owens was made in part to sow further dissension between conservatives and the GOP establishment.

Would probably only be possible if she was directed to do so by democrat party officials because I don’t believe she is that clever.

[LostInBayport]

For that reason, I'm not rushing ahead to support any beltway insiders.

Same here...I'm just encouraged by the recent signs of conservativism and independence I have seen in Pence. Those signs would have to become billboards before he'd win me over, though. I've seen the "I'm conservative now because I'm running for Office X" too many times (Hi, Mitt).

[cva66snipe]

This should also permanently destroy Newt’s reputation as a conservative.

Newt did that himself 14 years ago. Many Republicans followed right along with him too. Dole X2, Snowe, Spectre, Chaffee, Jeffords, Lott, Collins, Hatch, Malanari, Whittman, Stevens, McCain, just to name a few. Newt sold out Conservatism in mid to late 1995 and his new liberal masters he was soon to learn didn't play very nice.

Good old useful Newt the brunt of the DEM liberals jokes and he's still as clueless & gullible as ever. Maybe Fox will let him sit around the 6:00-7:00pm table and play make believe conservative with the rest of the puppets on strings phonies.

[woofer]

They’ll have to pay the postage when I sent it back, so my net contribution will be -$0.44.

Tape the envelope to a brick.