Posted on 10/22/2009 9:23:24 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
The congresswoman takes sides against a Republican candidate, and rumor is the former governor may too.
As a rule, special elections held to fill open congressional seats aren't the most exciting events. But the campaign in New York's 23rd congressional district is starting to get pretty interesting, with an intra-party squabble on the Republican side of things getting more juice by the day.
The district leans Republican, and the seat has been in the GOP's hands to this point -- the race is being held because Rep. John McHugh resigned when President Obama named him secretary of the Army. But it's still upstate New York, which may be more conservative than the state as a whole but is still pretty moderate by comparison to other Republican-dominated areas of the country. So the party chose a moderate, State Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava, as its nominee. That enraged conservative activists, who've given their support instead to third-party candidate Doug Hoffman.
Scozzafava still enjoys the support of establishment Republicans, but her campaign's been imploding quite publicly lately under the strain of Hoffman's candidacy. Now, the independent is getting a further boost as the GOP continues to splinter over the race. In an appearance on Laura Ingraham's radio show Wednesday, Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., appeared to endorse Hoffman, saying, "Hoffman is on the ascendancy,” she said, “and we have to win this seat, and people need to get behind the winning candidate, and it looks like that’s Hoffman.” (As David Weigel points out, Hoffman's actually polling in third place; the Democrat, Bill Owens, is in first place.)
Bachmann has a fair amount of conservative supporters these days. But she doesn't have anything close to the star power of another woman rumored to be ready to endorse Hoffman: former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
At this point, even an endorsement from Palin probably wouldn't be enough to put Hoffman over the top. But it could certainly have an impact, if not on this race than on the candidates Republicans pick for 2010; the national party would probably be forced to go farther to the right than it would like in some areas, which could benefit Democrats.
If you are looking for an American who loves and supports her country, Sarah Palin is first in line.
L Ron Paul would be bringing up the rear, way in the back.
Well then Dede is your Gal I guess. Along with the Wisconsin dairy delegation.
The time to beat Dede was in the nominating committee not in a three way general election.
All this proves is that conservatives are not team players.
They are prima donnas like Terrell Owens who basically gets kicked off every team he plays for.
The republicans field candidates where about half the time, the candidate knows they have no chance. Conservatives like to cherry pick and only run in republican leaning districts and often against a republican incumbent.
If you don’t take one for the team, the team will want to kick you out.
Are there any conservatives who want to run for mayor of NYC like Guiliani or Bloomberg ? I did not think so.
I do not buy into neocon Barry Soetoro any more than I buy into marxism. I do support Governor Palin at this time, but if it ever becomes apparent that she has become one of neocon pod people (like George W. Bush whom I do believe is at heart an honorable man, though his presidency was a disaster), I'll never vote for her.
Dede is my gal? Are effing nuts? She looks like a longshoreman.
Money is the mother's milk of politics. The RNC should pay attention to how much money Dede actually raises on her own, vs. how much they have to pay out of Party coffers. If the Republican Leadership really believes in free market capitalism, the civil war within the GOP could be over very quickly.
Salon is always good for a few, aren't they?
Thanks for the ping!
Are there any conservatives who want to run for mayor of NYC like Guiliani or Bloomberg ? I did not think so.
We have two fundamental issues on our side. The first is that we are always willing to throw our allies under the bus. If Larry Craig had been a (D) instead of an (R) he'd still be in office. Other than his questionable bathroom manners, was he really that bad of a senator to have to give up his seat?
Identifying the second will likely want someone to get me kicked out of FR. Look at my FR home page where I enumerate my political beliefs. Even if I've been registered Libertarian party most of my adult life and a donor to Dr. Paul in the last election cycle, am I an enemy? Really?
Excellent thought. Let us hope.
These two wonderful CONSERVATIVE women have more cajones than all the Republicans in Congress!
Woo hoo! KICK SOME RINO BUTT!!!
“the Republican Party in DC with some exceptions hasn’t learned a thing from 2006 or 2008”
Mo they haven’t. I have been saying for months.
Fire the current leadership.)Except Pence)
Of the many Paulites I have talked face to face with, and the many Code Pinkos I have countered in demonstrations,
The Paulites comments are no different than the Code Pinkos.
They both have the Left Wing talking points down.
yitbos
I'm, I guess, what you call a "Paulite". I think of it as being on the libertarian wing of the Republican Party. If there isn't any decent (R) in the campaign I will vote (L). I held my nose and voted for Pete Wilson. I held my nose and voted for Michael Huffington (even to the extent of getting down on my knees and begging my mother to vote for him for Senator too - she was soooo angry at him for stealing Lagomarsino's seat). Even a loser like Huffington would have been better than DiFi.
I voted for Bush in 2000 because he ran almost as a libertarian. I did not vote for Bush in 2004 because he broke every campaign promise that I cared about.
I identify more with the Libertarian party because their platform supports more of what I want anyone else. When the Republicans do put a real conservative on the ballot, they have my vote.
You exemplify all that is wrong with the Republican Party today. You marginalize those who would be your allies and court those who really do not care one way or another. That's really the root cause of failure since President Reagan. There's no reason why we wouldn't have had either a continuous Republican in the White House since 1980 or at worst a Democrat who had to move farther to the right than either of the Bushes did.
Dem Bill Owens is running cow ads, along with accusing Dede and Doug of supporting Bush's tax cuts for the rich.
I agree. Ron Paul has some great ideas on fiscal conservatism, but he's a coward on foreign policy. We've got enough of those already.
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