Posted on 11/04/2009 2:34:03 PM PST by JSDude1
The third-ranking Republican in the House of Representatives on Wednesday endorsed Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman for the 2010 midterm elections.
House Republican Conference chairman Mike Pence (R-Ind.) offered his support to Hoffman, who was defeated at the hands of Democrat Bill Owens in a highly contested special election in upstate New York.
"Well, let me say that the lesson here is that we all need to fall behind Doug Hoffman for next fall’s election," Pence told a conservative blog today. "I look forward to welcoming him to Congress a year from now. I think he ran a brilliant campaign."
Pence has clearly staked his claim to leadership of the House Conservatives.
this would be Pathway/Amnesty-Pence, yes?
Maybe the leadership should let the district’s residents decide who the nominee is? It wasn’t good when the RINOs anointed Scofazza, and it shouldn’t be done with Hoffman either.
That’s stupid. Hoffman isn’t even IN the district, and he clearly isn’t the best conservative for the race. He’s just the guy who took the mantle. There are good conservatives who know the district and will run in the primary next year, and the locals will choose their candidate.
Ha! With the tail wind of the elections still blowing through D.C., the absence of endorsements for Hoffman 2010 could have gone mostly unnoticed.
Good for Pence for planting a huge-ass stake in the ground.
Mike, you’re supposed to learn from your mistakes, not repeat them.
Hear hear!
Amen, if NY-23 should’ve taught the poobahs in DC anything, it should’ve been to let local primaries establish the winning candidate. Hoffman may turn out to be the candidate, he may not. Sometimes it’s smarter politics to run someone with similar beliefs who doesn’t carry personal baggage that will generate backlash.
>> He’s just the guy who took the mantle.
Who was the other guy? Did anyone else care to try?
Pence is endorsing Spartacus - and that’s not ‘stupid’.
What planet are you guys living on?
The national Democrats meddled in that district well in advance of the GOP.
Good point. Apparently he met with the biggest newpaper in the district and didnt even know anything baout local issues.
A solid conservative can win this district and will next year if they have the united pary behind them from the begining and run a good campaign.
I think the perception that this was run by outside hurt hoffman. Get a local guy and have him go through the process, the primary, etc... and he’ll do just fine.
....national Democrats meddled in the race....
Including Joe Biden in the very last days. He did a better job than Obama did in VA and NJ. The Dems won NY 23 for the first time in 100 years.
THANK YOU for adding Paul to your list (whether it is father or son, I’m not sure, but I admire both!). IMO, Rep. Paul is an honest man of principle dedicated to protecting the Constitution & deserves our utmost respect.
Agreed. Things can change with time. Ask Newt. ;^)
From what I understand that district will cease to exist because of redistricting.
His name is Paul Maroun. He's a conservative Republican who was under consideration for the nomination until Dede aced him out through back-room hardball politics.
Unfortunately, jumping in this early is a mistake for 2010. Hoffman doesn't live in the district, and his deficincy of local issue acumen is what cost him in that race. The GOP and Conservative party needs to pick candidates that fit the district of NY-23. Doug Hoffman was not it. Dede Scozzafava was not it at all. John McHugh is.
The best pick is someone who fits the district. Maroun?
I wonder if the story of NY-23 has been fully told yet. I read some blogs which indicated that Scozzafava did not win the votes on the several sub-district ballots, but that two conservatives won most of those votes among county leaders. Hoffman was not one of the two receiving the most votes.
There are stories that some national Republican people injected themselves into the process, and that is when Scozzafava was chosen. So, there might be other conservatives more highly regarded than Hoffman who’d be even better candidates for 2010 in an open primary process.
Why is Pence or any other non-resident of NY-23 already injecting themselves into the process for 2010? Why not let the Republicans of NY-23 select their candidate without national interference?
And, I don’t think the full story of how all this happened in NY-23 has been put together and told yet.
“Pence for President in 2012”
Pence has some matters to clear up before I, and many others would even think of him as a presidential possibility. He first came to my attention when, at the last minute, he popped up and tried to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory during the 2006 amnesty for illegals debate:
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/opinion/columnists/guests/s_457867.html
WOuld you please post what Pence’s exact stand is on illegal immigrants? I saw him a few times on TV interviews and to me he came across as being knowledgeable on issues and having wonderful TV presence.
Pence needs to clarify what his position on amnesty is, certainly not me. But he did inject himself late into the 2006 debate with what was viewed as a stealthy amnesty proposal, AFTER the debate had practically been won by the anti-amnesty members of the Senate.
Plenty of sources to read about it:
Wouldn’t even consider the guy as of now.
>> His name is Paul Maroun.
Should I infer that a vacancy by Hoffman would have let Maroun run as the Independent? If not, then Maroun is insignificant in the national story of NY-23.
It’s vertical expedition, this quest for Conservatism - at least from the standpoint of representation. Conservatives across the nation had a stake in NY-23, not to squander its local interest, but to support the cause and will of Conservatism exemplified in Hoffman’s non-conforming, independent, and risky decision to stand up in opposition to moderate republicanism.
I look forward to knowing more about Maroun. I’m not a subscriber to “the only solution is a third party solution”, but wholeheartedly support the independent runs when the GOP play undermines the cause for Conservatism.
Mike Pence should be the 2012 nominee for the Presidency.
Which District does Hoffman live in?
Agreed. Ron Paul has actually written legislation to make real and incredible change, while many Republicans have just collected a check for nothing.
One candidate is Paul Mauron. He was one of the 9 candidates for the republican nomination, and could easily have won the seat if the republican leaders had chosen him. He didn’t run on the conservative party line because he pledged to support the republican as a condition of competing for the nomination.
>> One candidate is Paul Mauron.
Another FReeper mentioned Mauron.
Hoffman may have been instrumental in unplugging the crap that’s causing the Conservatives indigestion. But, if a solid Conservative other than Hoffman gets the Republican nomination for 2010, will Hoffman still run as the Independent Conservative?
No. He was part of the Republican party, and only ran because they picked DeDe, the Democrat pretending to be a Republican who had friends in high places and wanted a huge salaried-job with perks.
I don’t think he’d run against a conservative. The conservative party would cross-endorse, like they usually do when the local republicans don’t completely ignore them.
IN my opinion, DeDe’s friend saw a “chance” to get a liberal into the seat, because it was a special election and they didn’t have to win a primary, and they figured they didn’t need the conservative party so they gave them the finger.
That’s really what started this — locals not paying attention to the political landscape.
And on a more general note, looking back, I can only say that if republicans who support cap and trade, abortion, socialized medicine, and card check feel like they are being told there is no place in the republican party for them, I would say, good, you’ve got the message, get out.
I’m all for a “big tent”, but I want a real tent with a roof over our heads and walls on the sides, not a virtual tent where everybody is inside and it means NOTHING to be in the tent.
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