Posted on 10/19/2009 9:33:43 PM PDT by ellery
Tonight, Dede Scozzafava, the Republican candidate for the November 3 special election in the 23rd congressional district, spoke to about 100 Republicans at the Lewis County GOP dinner at the Elks Lodge 1605. After a dinner of turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing, Scozzafava fended off criticism that she wasn't as conservative as third-party candidate Doug Hoffman and urged her supporters to vote for her in order to keep her Democratic opponent Bill Owens from serving as a rubber stamp for Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama's agenda in Washington. It was a fairly typical evening--until the speech ended and someone with Scozzafava's campaign called the police. On me.
Earlier today Lindsay Beyerstein reported that Scozzafava responded to an AFL-CIO questionnaire by saying she would support card-check legislation that eliminates the secret ballot requirement for organizing unions. As Beyerstein notes, this contradict statements made by a Scozzafava spokesman in September.
So after the dinner, I asked Assemblywoman Scozzafava if she supports card check. "Yes, yes I do," she replied.
At that point someone from her campaign placed himself between Scozzafava and me and told me I should direct all my inquires to the campaign's spokesman. I nonetheless asked Scozzafava if her signing of the Americans for Tax Reform pledge not to vote to raise taxes means she would oppose any health care bill that raises taxes. "What kind of taxes?" she replied. Then another couple of gentlemen interposed themselves between Scozzafava and me as Scozzafava headed for the door.
I spotted Scozzafava later as she was walking to the parking lot, and asked her: " Assemblywoman, do you believe that the health-care bill should exclude coverage for abortion?" She didn't reply. I asked her twice more. Silence.
After she got into her car, I went to my car and fired up my laptop to report the evening's events.
Minutes later a police car drove into the parking lot with its lights flashing. Officer Grolman informed me that she was called because "there was a little bit of an uncomfortable situation" and then took down my name, date of birth, and address.
"Maybe we do things a little differently here, but you know, persisistence in that area, you scared the candidate a little bit," Officer Grolman told me.
"[Scozzafava] got startled, that's all," Officer Grolman added. "It's not like you're in any trouble."
That was good to hear.
But I do wonder if it’s the Scozzafava campaign that’s in trouble -- with a candidate who supports card check, who is unwilling to say she’d oppose a health care bill that raises taxes or includes abortion coverage, and who is so reluctant to answer questions that she has someone with her campaign call the cops when she’ questioned by a reporter who is (if I may so) polite--if a bit persistent.
Scuzzylady wants to be that rubber stamp
Ping. Sounds like the cop was pretty cool, thankfully.
Pretty crazy that now we have GOP candidates calling the cops on GOP/conservative reporters.
That’s Newt’s and Steele’s girl.
What a dim bulb.
Go Hoffman!
Great job. Our battle starts with wresting control of the GOP organizations.
It’s shameless that she’s actually campaigning as a bulwark against Obama and Pelosi. She agrees with everything they want—union card check,socialized medicine, bailouts, abortion, etc.
She’s so leftist that the Daily Kos endorsed her over the democrat in the race!
Because of people like her, America is in trouble.
Politico is now reporting on this as “Scenes from the GOP civil war?”
http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/1009/Scenes_from_the_GOP_civil_war.html
What in hades did Newt and Steele and the NRCC and Sessions and Boehner and...(who did I leave out) think was going to happen here? That we blind, deaf and dumb sheep weren’t going to notice that they are trying to slip in a socially leftist, fiscally leftist GOP shill into congress?
Steele and the NRCC have no choice — they are supporting the duly selected REPUBLICAN. We wouldn’t want the NRCC or the RNC to come into any of our own local districts and override our local GOP choices.
Newt was under no such restraint, as he doesn’t represent republicans, but supposedly conservatives, and he has chosen incorrectly. The correct choice for those who don’t want to “buck” the party is to say nothing at all, just keep out, that will send enough of a message.
That is a fact which I find a great deal more disturbing than her presence in this election.
It is also instructive that only lib politicians call the cops when asked reasonable questions the answers to which WE deserve, indeed are owed.
Representatives or rulers, which is it going to be?
Because of the rotten, corrupt, imperious GOP beltway crowd, America is in trouble. She would be flat broke and effectively out of the race if these people hadn’t come galloping to her rescue:
-Michael Steele, head of the RNC, with hundreds of thousands of dollars
-US Rep. Pete Sessions, chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, with half-a-million dollars in advertising dollars
-US Rep. John Boehner, House minority leader, who twisted arms in the House to get GOP members to endorse Scozzafava and send her money
-US Rep. Eric Cantor (House minority whip), US Rep. Kevin McCarthy, and 15 other craven GOP US representatives who wrote her checks and badmouthed conservative US Rep. Mike Pence for refusing to support her
-Newt Gingrich, has-been, who rushed to endorse her over the actual conservative in the race
Who am I leaving out? It’s time to name names, and keep the list posted.
Yes, it is shocking to see traitors among the top leadership in the GOP. What happen to Newt?
Oh, please. They have a choice—they are not legally or ethically required to endorse and fund this woman, much less badmouth those who don’t.
They or their henchmen or sympathizers are reportedly running around the House telling reporters that Mike Pence is anti-woman because he doesn’t support her! They are going above and beyond.
They could have and should have just stayed out of it, at the very least.
The GOP supports this?????
Yep, and the past several years have made it crystal clear which one those buffoons in bad suits up on the hill think they are.
Whoa! She is a Rino alright! Twinkletoes and McCain would love to have conservatives arrested for saying unpleasant things.
Newt is just being Newt....don’t forget he cozied up to the Clintons soon after the republicans took over congress...Newt is for Newt......
So Diddly Dee Scozza Fava Beans with a Nice Chianti was scared by the Big Bad Reporter? Cry me a river. Maybe politics just isn’t the place for her.
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