Posted on 10/16/2009 10:34:48 AM PDT by ConservativeMind
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) may have stepped into a political quagmire after endorsing a moderate New York Republican's special election bid.
A host of GOP leaders have tried to distance themselves from the ongoing showdown between Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava, a centrist Republican, and Doug Hoffman, the local Conservative Party's candidate. But Gingrich offered his perspective to the three-way contest for now-Army Secretary John McHugh's vacant seat on Friday when he became one of only a handful of conservative Republicans to openly back his party's struggling candidate.
“The special election for the 23rd Congressional District is an important test leading up to the mid-term 2010 elections,” Gingrich said of Scozzafava's candidacy in a statement to supporters, as reported by the The Post-Standard. “Our best chance to put responsible and principled leaders in Washington starts here, with Dede Scozzafava.”
Gingrich's key endorsement could spell good news for Scozzafava, heretofore supported only lukewarmly by her own party. Already, the Club for Growth, Concerned Women of America, evangelical leader Gary Bauer, former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.) and a host of other GOP supporters and lawmakers have sided with Hoffman, who has recently posted gains in preliminary polls.
By contrast, only about 17 Republicans have even written checks to Scozzafava's campaign, and the party's conference chairman -- Rep. Mike Pence (Ind.) -- has altogether steered clear of the tough race.
At issue for some unsure Republicans seems to be a fear of a possible political backlash. Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Tx.) knows that feeling all too well; after he announced his backing for Scozzafava, his conservative base attacked him viciously, specifically harping intimidate details of his personal life.
Gingrich, however, seems not to care about this brewing, inner-party divide. Instead, he championed Scozzafava's candidacy on Friday as the future of the party -- not necessarily the harbinger for a lingering party divide, as some pundits have speculated.
“The Republican Revolution in 1994 started very much like what we see today,” the former speaker said. “Like then, our country is reeling from misguided liberal policies, high taxes and out-of-control spending. This special election in New York’s 23rd Congressional District could be the first election of the new Republican Revolution, but we need the momentum to get it started.”
Gingrich is buddy-buddy with Al Sharpton and Arne Duncan too.
Gingrich is yesterday.
Markos Moulitsas, founder of The Daily Kos has endorsed Scozzafava. Dede Scozzafava has also been endorsed by NYSUT, the largest labor union in New York, and an affiliate of the National Education Association.
Scozzafava also holds these positions:
Scozzafava has also run in past elections on the Working Families Party (a progressive party associated with ACORN) line on the ballot.
This lady isn’t a RINO, she is a big “R” democRat.
There are also 17 RINOs in the house who have donated funds to this Liberal democRat's campaign. They include Boehner and Cantor. I don’t have a full list, but I will be looking for it. These RINOs should be targeted for elimination in the primaries next year.
| From the desk of cc2k: |
Gingrich, part of the Washington elite. They’re not in it for us.
Fred and Jeri Thompson have endorsed the conservative, Hoffman.
Malkin on Twitter: RNC transfers money for Scozzafava (RINO-NY)
Things like this make me glad I left the Republican Party. There is no future voting for “moderates”...
So, where are all the Gingrich for 2012 people today...?
So Newt thinks the future of the party is a left-wing fascist.
Shut up Newt.
Should Sarah Palin get involved here?
Moving the GOP to the center has been the problem, not the answer. The GOP needs to move to the right.
Didn’t he do the kissy-face with Pelosi over global warming too?
There's a conservative running too, Asshole Gingrich.
You didn’t leave the party, the party left you. It’s time to grab it back.
Dunno. She might want to steer clear of this one since it looks like a big snake pit where everyone involved is going to get bitten.
Hard to believe there are freepers that want this jackass to be the GOP nominee in 2012.
That jerk Gingrich is still hoping to get back into the action. You’re through, buddy. Through.
Gingrich was always weak on social conservatism, and in his last year in office was pretty much doing whatever Clintbilly told him to do.
It’s no surprise that he’d support a vicious pro-abortionist. Especially when that rat Steele is doing the same thing.
Gingrich just made himself utterly irrelevant if he already wasn’t.
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