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Robert A. George: In Key New York Race, Barracuda Chews Up Mitt By Doug Brady Another Black Conservative recently lampooned establishment Republican insider Mitt Romney for "voting present" in the NY-23 race. Robert A. George, at NBC's Bay Area affiliate, has taken a further look at Romney's choice to avoid making a decision in the race: What do you find most often in the middle of the road? Road kill. Mitt Romney, who hopes to be the GOP's next presidential nominee, couldn't bring himself to endorse anyone in New York state's contentious 23rd congressional district special election. [...] The conservative...

Gingrich endorses Hoffman Posted: October 31st, 2009 01:04 PM ET From CNN Political Editor Mark Preston WASHINGTON (CNN)– Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who came under fire from some conservatives for endorsing Dede Scozzafava in next week's special Congressional election in New York, is now backing Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman. Gingrich made the announcement via Twitter shortly after the Republican Party nominee Scozzafava announced she was releasing supporters from their commitment to back her. "Scozzafava dropping out leaves hoffman as only anti-tax anti-pelosi vote in ny 23 Every voter opposed to tax increases support doug hoffman," Gingrich wrote on...

Another surprise in the hotly contested special House election in upstate New York: This morning, the Republican candidate, Dede Scozzafava, suspended her campaign and released her supporters. She hasn’t endorsed either of her rivals, but told her local paper that a Siena Research Institute poll out today showed her too far behind to be a viable candidate.

U.S. Sen. John McCain said Friday that Americans are in the toughest times he can remember and that President Barack Obama hasn't brought the change in Washington that he promised. The Arizona Republican spoke at a town hall Friday to a couple hundred people at Mesa's Central Christian Church, reiterating many of the same arguments he's made in recent similar events. McCain took to the stage with standing ovations and an aim to address key issues affecting Arizonans, such as the economy, health care reform, the war in Afghanistan, among other things.

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Sen. John McCain says Americans are in the toughest times he can remember and that President Barack Obama hasn't brought the change in Washington that he promised. McCain spoke at a town hall Friday to a couple hundred people in a Mesa church, reiterating many of the same points he's made in recent similar events.

MIDI - SEE YOU IN SEPTEMBER Hey, GOP, we're no longer saps...we've had enough of this RINO crap Dede, it's November...we are a few days away Here you are, having your butt handed to you Dear, we've said screw you...no longer will we play It's about time a tsunami came We will shake up those who will not hear our voice In a few days we'll be voting Doug Hoffman's gonna be our choice We've screamed for years MAKE THE RINOs GO But the bigwigs kept on saying NO Let's watch Hoffman kick her derriere In all fairness, it's...

(CNN) - Is Mitt Romney weighing in on the intra-Republican Party fight in race for New York's 23 Congressional District by refusing to make an endorsement? That's the special election where the GOP nominee, Dede Scozzafava, is facing a challenge not only from Bill Owens, the Democrat's candidate, but also from Doug Hoffman, who's running on the conservative party line. Because of the split among Republicans, Owens has a good chance of taking back a district the Democrats haven't won in generations. On Wednesday Romney was asked whether he'd make an endorsement in the New York 23 contest. "I have...

Democrats are getting closer to agreeing on a health care reform bill, but there are still town hall meetings held across the country where people can go to voice their opinions on the issue. At times, the meetings have been heated. On October 30 and 31, Senator John McCain will discuss issues affecting Arizonans, including the economy, health care reform, and the war in Afghanistan in Town Hall meetings. Town Hall Meetings: Oct. 30, 2:00 pm Central Christian Church 933 N. Lindsay Rd., Mesa, AZ Oct. 31, 10:00am Skyway Church of the West Valley 14900 W. Van Buren St., Goodyear,...

The recent rash of endorsements in New York’s special election is putting Republican members of Congress between their conservative base and their party. The recent rash of endorsements in New York’s special election is putting Republican members of Congress in a tough spot between their conservative base and their party. Some are taking the chance to assert their ideological bona fides by backing Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman, while others are trying to score political points within their caucus by sticking with left-leaning Republican Dede Scozzafava. But for most, it’s a situation they’d rather avoid. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) said...

SAN YSIDRO — With the San Ysidro border fence as her backdrop, Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman spoke out on immigration policy issues yesterday, saying it is “simply not practical” to deport the estimated 12.5 million illegal immigrants living and working in the United States. The candidate, 53, said the solution is to find a mechanism that allows them to live here legally. “Can we get a fair program where people stand at the back of the line, they pay a fine, they do some things that would ultimately allow a path to legalization?” she asked. Whitman also urged tougher...

So much for Newt Gingrich's prediction that Hoffman can't win and only Scozzafava has a chance. According to a new poll out by the Daily Kooks blog Bill Owens is at 33% Hoffman at 32% and Scozzafava at a mere 21%. Now I never understood how such a far left partisan organization has suddenly become a legitimate polling outfit. However, this poll does indicate two things. 1, If Hoffman is only down 1% by a liberal biased poll (they always show the Dems over performing) then in reality he is either ahead or very much in the game. The extremists...

"Perhaps more ominously for his ( Newt's )rapidly fading hopes for a 2012 Presidential bid, conservatives are beginning to question his integrity. His constant repetition of the false "she's locally selected" mantra seems as off message as Scozzafava's numerous well documented campaign missteps.""Either Newt Gingrich is lying, or someone misled him."But how can "the smartest guy in the room", with a reputation as a scholar and seeker of truth have been so easily misled about a set of facts that could be discerned with half an hour's worth of phone calls?"

When it comes to the thorny issue of Guantanamo, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is the closest thing President Barack Obama has to an ally on the Republican side of the aisle. But with the White House’s drive for Congressional approval to close the prison stalled for nearly six months now, Graham is sounding increasingly restless and is even opening a battle with the administration that could be politically damaging to Democrats. “I’m a bit frustrated. The interaction I was hoping for has kind of come to a standstill,” Graham complained in an interview with POLITICO. “Some of the things being...

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) says Wednesday on the Senate floor that Republicans should have a say in the crafting of health care reform legislation.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is acknowleding that the health care plan he famously implemented as governor did nothing to address costs. "We were unable to deal with - and didn't have any pretense we would somehow be able to change - health care costs in Massachusetts," Romney said in an interview with CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta. "We still have a fee for service, a re-imbursement system here like every other state in America. That's the way Medicare and Medicaid are structured, that's the way the insurance industry is structured." Romney said "Massachusetts is not the model"...

RNC Chairman Michael Steele needs to do his homework before going back on Sean Hannity's radio show. Today, Hannity asked him about the Republican National Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee's support of the liberal Republican in the race against Conservative Party and Republican Doug Hoffman for the House seat vacated by John McHugh. Here's a brief excerpt; listen closely to Steele disputing Hannity about Scozzafava's position on card check: The two sources of proof that Michael Steele is mistaken are Dede Scozzafava and Dede Scozzafava, in writing and on tape. On Oct 19, 2009, the all things liberal...

TRENTON, N.J. — The independent candidate running for governor in New Jersey says a Massachusetts Republican has urged him to quit the race. Chris Daggett says he’s received two phone calls and an e-mail from Christy Mihos, who warned that Daggett would be blamed if Republican Chris Christie loses a bid to unseat Democrat Jon Corzine.

Snubbed by Newt Gingrich’s conservative group, the owner of a Dallas topless club has decided to create a shelter for pit bulls in his honor. Dawn Rizos was set to receive an “Entrepreneur of the Year” award on Oct. 7 from the group American Solutions for Winning the Future, led by the former U.S. House speaker. But the group reneged, saying it had mistaken her business for another. Rizos, who owns the topless club The Lodge, was refunded the $5,000 fee required to receive the award. So she donated the money to Animal Guardians of America’s sanctuary for rescued dogs...

As high-profile Republicans (other than Newt Gingrich) flock to endorse Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman in New York's 23rd district special election over the Republican in the three-way race, Dede Scozzafava (R) still has one prominent supporter besides the former Speaker: Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele. "I support the republican nominee as the republican party chairman, and that's the way it should go, right?" Steele told NBC's Chuck Todd this morning during an interview on MSNBC's Morning Joe (video here--fast forward to 4:55). Conservatives far and wide have alleged Scozzafava is too liberal, as Hoffman has won endorsements from...

Maria Shriver and Meghan McCain come from different generations and different political backgrounds, but both agree that women in America still face huge challenges trying to balance work and family and to find their own voices.

THE promise of immigration reform benefiting the undocumented Irish in America took a quiet but very important step forward in Washington, D.C. last week with a pivotal meeting between Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Ciaran Staunton, president of the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform (ILIR) and South Carolina Ancient Order of Hibernians board member Jim Lawracy. The meeting, also attended by ILIR consultant Bruce Morrison, discussed immigration reform proposals and their impact on the Irish American community. Graham was very interested to learn of the Irish dimension to the immigration reform debate and urged Irish and Irish American...

AUSTIN, Texas — Former Vice President Dick Cheney will throw his support behind U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison’s campaign for Texas governor. Hutchison’s campaign confirmed today that Cheney will endorse the Texas Republican’s March primary challenge of Gov. Rick Perry at a fundraiser next month.

If vindication means anything its name is spelled George Bush. As former U.S. president George W. Bush spoke to a Saskatoon audience, I stood in the wings, sneaking a peek through the curtains at the spectators beyond the footlights. The crowd was friendly to be sure. But more than that, the relationship was like a musical virtuoso carrying the audience through every nuance, crescendo and dynamic of a composition. With every pause, smile, laugh and down stroke of seriousness, Bush had the crowd in his hand. Before the show, a friend who recently dined with the former Texas governor and...

THE hard-fought battle be tween the left, the near-left and the right being waged in New York's 23rd Congressional District has attracted national attention because of its serious implications for scores of congressional races across the country next year. The stakes for national Democrats and Republicans are enormous. The three-way North Country contest is a referendum on President Obama's policies and on the GOP's willingness to back RINO (Republican In Name Only) candidates in traditionally moderate-to-conservative districts.

Former Arkansas GOP Gov. Mike Huckabee is deploying his grass-roots activists and raising money for the campaigns of conservative candidates in states that are key to a 2012 presidential run. The effort is run by Huck PAC, the former governor’s political action committee, which has 6,000 members spread across all 50 states, 46 of which have volunteer state coordinators.

BOSTON (AP) ― The four Republicans who held the Statehouse Corner Office for 16 years have endorsed Charles Baker for governor next year. William Weld, Paul Cellucci, Jane Swift and Mitt Romney made the announcement Tuesday during a fundraiser for the Massachusetts Republican Party.

The 2010 election, the future of the GOP; The future of America stand at a very important crossroads at this moment. Once before, Speaker Gingrich changed the course of American history. For the better.

It must be very lonely being the last flat-earther. Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, committed climate-change denier, found himself in just such a position Tuesday morning as the Senate environment committee, on which he is the ranking Republican, took up legislation on global warming. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) was in talks with Democrats over a compromise bill -- the traitor! And as Inhofe listened, fellow Republicans on the committee -- turncoats! -- made it clear that they no longer share, if they ever did, Inhofe's view that man-made global warming is the "greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people."...

While most people outside of New Jersey haven't given much thought to the Lt. Gov. candidates, it might be worthwhile to set the record straight. After all, due to a law passed by the New Jersey legislature in 2005 this will be the first year that the office of Lt. Governor will exist in this state. We already pointed out that Sierra Club endorsed, sales tax increase, Chris Daggett is spoiling the election for Chris Christie by claiming he will be more fiscally conservative. Well, it seems that his running mate Frank Esposito voted for Obama last year. So let...

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) appeared on the Neil Cavuto show, and was asked for his take on the NY-23 special election, which has seen a split in Republican ranks between supporters of moderate GOP nominee Dede Scozzafava, against Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman.

Tim Pawlenty, a two-term Republican governor who hails from a state with a history of supporting liberal Democrats, surprisingly finished in a virtual tie for second in a 2012 Presidential straw poll conducted at the “Values Voter Summit,” an influential gathering of socially conservative activists. He has previously served as head of the National Governors Association. This month, he formed a national PAC for increasing his influence in electing Republicans nationwide, with the support of many of the key political advisors to George W. Bush and John McCain. It’s time for American conservatives to take a closer look at Minnesota...

The GOP could lose its fifth of five big special elections in two years — a development that has Republicans asking why the irregular races continue to bedevil their party, even as it rebounds in other ways. Some say Republicans haven’t learned from their losses in three conservative districts last year, nor from an upstate New York special election in March. Now the party’s focus is on next Tuesday’s special election in New York, to see if it can hold former Rep. John McHugh’s (R-N.Y.) seat. Operatives with special-election experience blame a familiar problem that has reared its head: the...

These RINOs are still getting under my skin. Felt like I needed to do another one of these. Send one to McCain and brighten his day. I will be. For the whole series of Zero dollar bills, go here: "Flickr Archive of Zero Bills"

Three years after Massachusetts enacted its sweeping health-reform legislation, rising health costs continue to bedevil the state and threaten to derail reform efforts. Despite a significant restructuring of the state's health sector and dominance of nonprofit health plans, Massachusetts still has the highest health-insurance costs in the nation, averaging $13,788 for a family, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. One of the reasons so many people supported the reform effort in Massachusetts is that they were told universal coverage would lead to lower costs. With universal coverage, Massachusetts politicians argued, as many in Washington do today, people would no longer...

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is once again making headlines by publicly pondering a 2012 presidential bid. Yesterday, as Politics Daily and Politico report, Gingrich talked about a possible bid on CSPAN's Washington Journal. In the interview, Gingrich said he would make the decision in February of 2011 and that probably would run if he and his wife, Callista, decided that they feel "a requirement as citizens that we run," which would be based on how they asses the other candidates running for the Republican nomination. "We are going to reach out to all of our friends around the country,"...

Newt answering questions about NY23. Defending the Scozzafava. Says that Hoffman is outside the district. Claims that Scozzafava is a solid fiscal conservative but social liberal. Claims all of Hoffman's money is coming outside the district. Make a point that it was the local GOP that nominated Scozzafava and that they know more than outsiders what is right for the district.

New Jersey voters don't be fooled. It is pretty clear that without Chris Daggett on the ballot, Chris Christie would be the next governor. Jon Corzine has never polled above 42% even in the best poll results. Chris Daggett is the only person who could keep Corzine in office at this point. He is trying to hand the election to Corzine. Although it is quite clear that Christie is not a red meat conservative, he is our best option and is infinitely better than Corzine. Liberal publications and the Republican establishment are trying to label Daggett as an insurgent conservative...

Newt Gingrich appeared on talk shows this Sunday and flirted with the idea of a 2012 presidential bid. In a glaring example of just how wide the schism between Republican Party moderates and conservatives has become, pundits on the right were quick to shoot Gingrich down. The man who led the GOP to a 1994 revival is now dismissed being by some on the right as a RINO -- Republican In Name Only. Why? In a contentious New York State Congressional race that has split the Republican Party at the national level, Gingrich irked conservatives by endorsing moderate Dede Scozzafava,...

The blogosphere is abuzz over a new poll showing Conservative candidate Doug Hoffman leading Democrat Bill Owens and Republican Dede Scozzafava in the race to replace Congressman John McHugh (R), who resigned to become Obama's Secretary of the Army. The Club for Growth-sponsored poll by Basswood Research shows Hoffman with 31%, Owens with 27%, and Scozzafava at 20%....the rest of the article on RealClearPolitics.com

Former Los Angeles Mayor and state Education Secretary Richard Riordan has endorsed Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman, adding to her collection of high-profile endorsements such as from former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. In the Whitman news release sent out this morning, Riordan says, "Meg believes the future of our state and the strength of our nation depend on Californians rededicating ourselves to education. Her commitment to returning control of our schools back to parents and teachers and demanding accountability makes Meg the best candidate." Whitman repeated the education theme in her quotes in...

Washington - A poll released today by the Club for Growth shows Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman surging into the lead in the special election in New York's 23rd congressional district to replace John McHugh, the former congressman who recently became Secretary of the Army. The poll of 300 likely voters, conducted October 24-25, 2009, shows Conservative Doug Hoffman at 31.3%, Democrat Bill Owens at 27.0%, Republican Dede Scozzafava at 19.7%, and 22% undecided. The poll's margin of error is +/- 5.66%. No information was provided about any of the candidates prior to the ballot question. This is the third...

HOUSE RACE: Maine senator attends rally to support Scozzafava. BY MARTHA ELLEN CANTON — More than 50 supporters of Republican Dierdre K. Scozzafava's campaign for the 23rd Congressional District turned out Saturday at Phoebe's Restaurant to hear U.S. Sen. Susan K. Collins, R-Maine, and Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, R-Fla., tell them she was the best candidate.

PHOENIX - Sen. John McCain ended the third quarter with 500 times more cash on hand - $5 million in all - than his closest declared Republican rival, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission. "He's clearly on the path to continue raising money in a substantial amount," said Frederic Solop, a Northern Arizona University political science professor. McCain, who lost the 2008 presidential election to Barack Obama and is seeking a fifth Senate term, raised $919,000 during the three months ending Sept. 30. That included $116,000 from political action committees and other groups. . . . ....

I wonder if Newt Gingrich has ever heard of a couple websites, one is YouTube and the other is Google, if not maybe we could inform him...Dede Scozzafava accepting the Margaret Sanger award....unbelievable....(Video)

I'm listening to Rush and Mark Davis is the substitute host. He has been saying all morning that even though Doug Hoffman is the real conservative, he can't win NY-23 and that people should vote for Scozzafava to prevent Bill Owens, the Democrat from winning. I'm trying to contact him and tell him about the Club For Growth poll showing Hoffman in the lead, but it's tough to get through. Maybe if more of us call in, we'll have a better chance.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is warning conservative activists that their support for a third-party candidate in a key upcoming New York special election is a “mistake.” In a video captured last week and posted on YouTube Friday, Gingrich told tea party organizer Lisa Miller at a book-signing event that conservatives are inadvertently hindering the cause by backing Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman over Dede Scozzafava, the Republican Party’s nominee. “I just think it is a mistake for the conservative movement to think splitting in the special election is a smart idea,” Gingrich said. “If we give that seat to...

"Blue dogs bark but never bite"

PRINCETON, NJ -- Conservatives continue to outnumber moderates and liberals in the American populace in 2009, confirming a finding that Gallup first noted in June. Forty percent of Americans describe their political views as conservative, 36% as moderate, and 20% as liberal. This marks a shift from 2005 through 2008, when moderates were tied with conservatives as the most prevalent group.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) on Sunday offered one of the strongest hints yet that he will run for the nation's highest office in 2012. Gingrich said that he will begin seriously considering the possibility in about 15 months. "Callista and I are going to think about this in February 2011. And we are going to reach out to all of our friends around the country," he said on C-SPAN's "Washington Journal" this morning. "We'll decide, if there's a requirement as citizens that we run, I suspect we probably will. And if there's not a requirement, if other people...

Senator John McCain made clear that he and the Republican Party should send the message that they support whatever President Obama's strategy in Afghanistan ends up being, rather than send messages that the U.S. is "waffling" or "dithering." In response to former Vice President Dick Cheney's recent remarks, in which he said, "signals of indecision out of Washington hurt our allies and embolden our adversaries," McCain said, "I wouldn't use that language." Speaking Wednesday evening while accepting an award from the conservative Center for Security Policy, Cheney said, "The White House must stop dithering while America's armed forces are in...