Posted on 10/30/2009 9:15:38 AM PDT by wk4bush2004
The events of the last 24 hours have pretty much clinched it: NY-23 is now officially a two-man race between the Democratic nominee Bill Owens and the Conservative Party upstart Doug Hoffman.
From NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions to former Gov. George Pataki to former Mayor Rudy Giuliani (through his operative, Jake Menges), Republicans are quickly abandoning their nominee, Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava, and backing Hoffman in a last-ditch effort to keep former Rep. John McHugh's seat in GOP hands and, perhaps more importantly, deny the Obama administration a much-needed political victory.
"I think it’s now to a point where we’ve got to win the Republican seat; it’s not about liberal or conservative," said a GOP consultant. "It’s about if we don’t help (Hoffman) over the finish line, Owens is going to win."
"Dede’s out of it," the consultant continued. "The bottom has dropped out on her. She can’t win it. Looks like Sessions and the national Republicans are seeing that. It was a poor choice on Sessions' part to go with her in the first place."
Another Republican on the ground in NY-23 said the Republican rush to embrace Hoffman was motivated in no small part to yesterday's DailyKos poll that found him in a dead heat with Owens (33-32) with Scozzafava trailing badly at 21 percent.
The third and final Siena poll of the NY-23 race will be released Sunday morning. When Siena last weighed in on this race on Oct. 15, it found Owens leading by four percentage points with Scozzafava losing ground and Hoffman moving up fast.
The political world is scrambling to make sense of all this.
On The Fix, Chris Cillizza suggests that a Hoffman win - which seems to be more than just a possibility at this point - won't really be a victory for the GOP, although it will surely be spun that way, but proof of a growing anti-incumbent sentiment that should strike terror in the hearts of any pol seeking re-election in 2010.
Meanwhile, the DCCC has launched a new attack ad in an effort to halt Hoffman's rise.
Can we put straitjackets on the Republican Leadership and drag them, kicking and screaming, back into the land of sanity?
And if we do, will they stay sane when we remove their straitjackets?
Stay tuned.
bttt
It’s both hilarious and maddening to see them try to figure out WHAT is going on. Good Lord, they didn’t pay attention to the march on Washington at all, did they? This shouldn’t surprise any GOP’er who was paying attention to the base.
I do recognize the anti-incumbent sentiment. BUT if the GOP sees that as the primary takeaway here, then the GOP is even more stupid than I thought.
At this point, Steele, Newt, and ther rest of them need to support the Conservative Party candidate, and declare that the GOP is make a strategic choice for the future.
DeDe, Newt, et al:
Do the right thing.
Newt - withdraw your support.
DeDe - just withdraw.
We will thank and respect you.
Cordially,
Eccl 10:2
Now I know FreeRepublic is on their “to read and take heed list”
Hoffman it is!
Since I don’t live in the district, I really don’t feel I have a right to an opinion - but from a purely political standpoint, I’d much rather see that seat go to the Democrat than to yet another RNC-sanctioned RINO.
It’s time these Smart Guys like Newt and Michael Steele get schooled.
THE NEXT TEA PARTY MARCH SHOULD BE ON GOP HEADQUARTERS
If Scuzzi does not withdraw the GOP should demand it
How about just dragging them OUT THE DOOR? If allowed to remain, they’ll simply be back up to their crap in a short time.
NEW BLOOD!!!
I guess Romney and the Huckster can endorse now. What weaklings.
I had to realize that God “knows the end from the beginning” and that He has a sense of humor when I first read that verse...
“The heart of the wise inclines to the right,
but the heart of the fool to the left.”
My husband had talk radio on in the kitchen this morning and I didn’t hear the whole report (really have no idea who was giving it.) But the person mentioned something I hadn’t thought about.
He said in the case of NY, and NJ, for that matter, when a voter sees that their candidate has no way to win (i.e. Scozzafava, and Daggett)...they’ll go with another candidate at the last minute. Whoever the reporter was believed this tendency would put Hoffman winning by a good margin, and possibly do the same in NJ, resulting in Corzine’s defeat.
Considering how many of them attempted to co-opt the movement, starting back in April, you'd think they'd have a much more sensitive *finger on the pulse*, wouldn't you?
They'd better pay attention now and understand come next summer that they need to support conservatives in the primaries, else they will see this same thing occur come November.
Second the motion.
Since I don’t live in the district, I really don’t feel I have a right to an opinion
Lol...
“It’s about if we don’t help (Hoffman) over the finish line, Owens is going to win.”
Check out the libtards in the GOP trying to remain relevant...
meh, whatever... Their days are coming to an end, WE WILL own the GOP sooner rather than later and when we do, we WILL smash the grip of the marxists on the states and the people who wish to be free.
That’s right. What was Newt’s opinion of the march? Any quotes out there?
WONDERFUL!!!
Of course the GOP will take all the credit for getting Hoffman over the finish line.
Sessions????
Two words- Let’s roll!
This will be a great victory for Hoffman and conservatives by taking out Scuzzyfava and Gingrich in one blow.
After election day, we need conservatives to focus on the Colordo 2010 senate race, and get behind Ken Buck, rather than our own Sen Grahamnesty, hand picked by McLame - Jane McNorton.
Will there be a runoff or does a plurality win?
Sad but true fact that far too many people fail to vote for whom they want to see win but instead vote for who they think will win.
Seems they’d prefer to claim to vote for the winner, no matter who it is, than to admit voting for a failed candidate.
And that seems to happen a lot on FR too when discussing electibility.
[The political world is scrambling to make sense of all this. ]
No, that would be The Republican Clown Factory is scrambling to make sense of all this.
I agree, and their mushiness only serves to emphasize even more the political courage of Sarah Palin. Time and time again I'm left to gape in amazement as she does things that are right, but seem politically risky or even foolhardy. And time and time again, she does well by doing good. Go Doug, and go Sarah!
How are things in the way of “ballot security” in NY23? If it’s truly a dead heat, should we expect a box or two of “misplaced ballots” to show up, all marked Owens, at the last minute to save the day for the Obamanistas?
IMHO if we are to return the GOP to sanity, NY23 and Crist v Rubio is the two most important battles, this is the McCain v Palin factions and which one is going to win out.... more important than either NJ or VA IMO
Oh, they might try to do that publicly, but they know internally that conservatives aren’t gonna put up with their damn RINOs anymore.
From your keyboard to God's ear. I hope you're right.
Perhaps the message is we do NOT trust the Democrats or the Republicans anymore.
Plurality is all that’s needed.
Let's check the newt.org site, shall we? See if he had any commentary. BRB.
The seat would not be in GOP hands if Hoffman wins. It will be in Conservative hands, which is better.
The Daily News is such a minor league paper, and can't even keep basic facts straight.
“”Dede’s out of it,” the consultant continued. “The bottom has dropped out on her. She can’t win it. Looks like Sessions and the national Republicans are seeing that. It was a poor choice on Sessions’ part to go with her in the first place.”
Uh...DUH?
Where is the Captain?
I’M WITH YOU!!!
Funny how that works out, huh?
Do not believe for a moment that they ‘get it’.
This is nothing more than political expediency on display, kinda like the remorse for getting caught not the remorse for doing wrong.
They know they have a stinker on their hands, made a mistake. But they aren’t confessing what that mistake was, are they?
Denial of God’s sovereignty leaves those who do so scratching their heads when they see someone
doing well by doing good (His will).
If she withdraws, her vote will split for the rat.
She should stay in.
It may turn out that doing THOSE things, will actually RESULT in victory, and purging those RINOS that have been bringing our party down (to the level of demonRATS).
Wonder if this will help Daggett in NJ. GOP Christie’s first decision was to pick pro-choice Kim Guadagno for his running mate. Her name does not even appear on Christie’s campaign posters. In baseball terms it’s Steele’s hidden ball trick.
Pete Sessions is the Dallas-based congressman who runs the Republican National Congressional Committee (RNCC).
Oh, I don’t think they’ll have “remorse” over promoting RINOs and elitists.
They’ll just know we aren’t going to accept what they’re feeding us out of party loyalty or political expediency.
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