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The GOP asks: 'Who is us?'
Oregon Live ^ | October 22, 2009, 7:00AM | E.J. Dionne

Posted on 10/22/2009 8:02:40 AM PDT by cc2k

WASHINGTON -- Is there room in the Republican Party for genuine moderates? Truth to tell, the GOP can't decide. More precisely, it's deeply divided over whether it should allow any divisions in the party at all.

That's why the brawl in a single congressional district in far upstate New York is drawing the eyes of the nation. Conservatives are determined to use the race to prove that there is no place in the party for heretics, dissidents or independents.

President Obama set up the fight by nominating the district's former representative, John McHugh, as his Army secretary. Maybe Obama is as fiendishly clever as his more paranoid opponents believe him to be.

When local Republicans picked a moderate, Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava, as their candidate for the Nov. 3 contest, many on the right rebelled. They are backing a third-party conservative, Doug Hoffman, and he may well drive Scozzafava into third place. For the moment, at least, polls show that Bill Owens, the Democratic candidate, has jumped into first place on the split.

(Excerpt) Read more at oregonlive.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: New York
KEYWORDS: hoffman; ny23; scozzafava
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Doug Hoffman is the Conservative alternative in this race (or Hoffman by PayPal).

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” libeRal democRat. Mark Steyn has coined the term DIABLO for her and others like her. Democrat In All But Label Only.

There are also at least 17 unprincipled DIABLO enablers in the house who have donated funds or otherwise supported to this LibeRal democRat's DIABLO’s campaign. They include Boehner, Cantor, Sessions, Hensarling, Brown-Waite and McCotter. I don’t have a full list, but I will be looking for it. These unprincipled enablers should be targeted for elimination in the primaries next year. Also, perhaps those of us who donated to the RNC or RCCC should ask for our money back so we can support the conservative candidates of our choice.

More threads ...


From the desk of
cc2k:
I support Doug Hoffman for Congress (PayPal).

Please, spread the word about this important election on November 3, 2009 in New York’s 23rd congressional district.

1 posted on 10/22/2009 8:02:41 AM PDT by cc2k
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To: cc2k
Is there room in the Republican Party for genuine moderates?

Yes...just please don't run for office.
2 posted on 10/22/2009 8:08:12 AM PDT by mmichaels1970
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To: cc2k

>> Doug Hoffman... may well drive Scozzafava into third place

Gee, that kinda sounds like it’s the local (R)’s that screwed up, not conservatives. They made a poor choice in the first place, didn’t they?

Therefore, it is NOT for the group that was right to roll over for the stupids that screwed up.

It all seems so simple. Dede should quit, immediately.


3 posted on 10/22/2009 8:08:48 AM PDT by Nervous Tick (Stop dissing drunken sailors! At least they spend their OWN money.)
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To: cc2k

How about they stop thinking of themselves as representatives of the party and start thinking of themselves of representatives of the people.


4 posted on 10/22/2009 8:10:01 AM PDT by cripplecreek (Seniors, the new shovel ready project under socialized medicine.)
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To: cc2k

Scozzafava is not a “moderate”.


5 posted on 10/22/2009 8:11:19 AM PDT by trisham (Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Bupkis.)
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To: cc2k

After the McCain fiasco, the question should be, “Is there room in the Republican Party for genuine conservatives”?


6 posted on 10/22/2009 8:16:22 AM PDT by Signalman
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To: trisham

Exactly. She’s a LIB with an “R” stapled after her name.

This is a fight for the soul of the GOP, people. Don’t give up!


7 posted on 10/22/2009 8:20:10 AM PDT by VictoryGal (Never give up, never surrender! REMEMBER NEDA)
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To: cc2k
Conservatives are determined to use the race to prove that there is no place in the party for heretics, dissidents or independents.

Rather, there's no room in the Republican party for Democrats.

8 posted on 10/22/2009 8:20:51 AM PDT by Nephi ( Bush legacy: "I had to sacrifice free market principles to save the free market.")
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To: cc2k

“we need to be more inclusive...”

Too many of the Pubbies have fallen for this occult racism..because in falling into the “diversity trap” laid by the Democrats, they deny the universal rights ALL men and women and gays and lesbians and blacks and cripples and greens and atheists may claim under the Founding Fathers principles. By claiming the need “to be inclusive” they validate the Dems position that these rights ARE meted out irregularly...and are NOT natural rights that flow from God..which any truly successful National Political Party will serve only to reinforce and maintain for all of us.


9 posted on 10/22/2009 8:22:03 AM PDT by mo
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To: cc2k

moderate means leftist in mediatalk

China is ruled by moderates you know


10 posted on 10/22/2009 8:22:30 AM PDT by GeronL (http://tyrannysentinel.blogspot.com)
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To: Nervous Tick

If the RINO’s would just stop dividing the party all would be fine.


11 posted on 10/22/2009 8:23:06 AM PDT by GeronL (http://tyrannysentinel.blogspot.com)
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To: cc2k

Yea, what we need is the lefty pansy Dionne lecturing Republican voters on how “radical” they are. Like you really care about how well Republicans manage their house. Schmuck..


12 posted on 10/22/2009 8:25:44 AM PDT by Nonstatist
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To: cc2k
Of course the party needs moderates. The last two elections shows what happens when moderates dont find the GOP responsive. The next election will probably attempt to teach the Dem’s the same lessosn. Like it or not the moderates can go someplace else if they are not included and usually do. But, on the other hand moderates can also be kicked out of the party. So moderates have to be resposnive and that is the lesson they have to learn. Look at Spector.

By being responsive I mean they have to look for ways to agree and make common ground when possibile. In return the rest of us cnn accept disagreemnts. I think the Bush administration was a poster boy for unresponsiveness for both conservatives and moderates. No one other than the country club boys found them to be on thier side and now the mess you see is the result.

13 posted on 10/22/2009 8:26:32 AM PDT by bilhosty (Don' t tax people tax newsprint)
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To: cc2k
On a side note. I got a "Census" form from the Republican National Party. Basically, it was a fundraiser. I checked all the appropriate boxes, then got to the end of the form where it asked for donations. I told them why they wouldn't be getting any money from me (Rinos). The funny thing was, the donations options were all a level of donation or a snide remark along the lines of "No, I prefer to let democrats win by not donating to republicans."

Hah.

14 posted on 10/22/2009 8:30:05 AM PDT by IYAS9YAS (The townhalls were going great until the oPods showed up.)
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To: IYAS9YAS
"No, I prefer to let democrats win by not donating to republicans."

Well that's pretty damned childish of them.
15 posted on 10/22/2009 8:41:27 AM PDT by cripplecreek (Seniors, the new shovel ready project under socialized medicine.)
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To: IYAS9YAS
IYAS9YAS wrote:
On a side note. I got a "Census" form from the Republican National Party. Basically, it was a fundraiser. I checked all the appropriate boxes, then got to the end of the form where it asked for donations. I told them why they wouldn't be getting any money from me (Rinos). The funny thing was, the donations options were all a level of donation or a snide remark along the lines of "No, I prefer to let democrats win by not donating to republicans."
Was that the same one I got? See Obama Agenda Survey (RNC fund raising package, and my response).

The only thing I would do different, is not to waste my time with the form or anything else. Just make a color copy of your check to Hoffman (or Rubio, or any conservative candidate), obscure the account numbers, and write “I support conservative candidates” across the face of the check.

Someone here pointed out that the surveys and letters to the RNC seem to be ignored. Perhaps the people opening the mail just throw out everything but the check. By putting your message on a “check” you might increase the chance that someone actually reads the message.


From the desk of
cc2k:
I support Doug Hoffman for Congress (PayPal).

Please, spread the word about this important election on November 3, 2009 in New York’s 23rd congressional district.

16 posted on 10/22/2009 8:42:21 AM PDT by cc2k (I have donated to Doug Hoffman, have you? [check my recent reply posts])
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To: Bobkk47

The Establishment will choose a”moderate” any time they have a chance. That means either a liberal Republican or a person without principles.


17 posted on 10/22/2009 9:03:22 AM PDT by RobbyS (ECCE HOMO!)
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To: cc2k

So, what do you think — if Dede dropped out (remember her name would still be on the “R” line on the ballot) would Hoffman win, or would Owens?

It seems that Owens would get a lot of her votes, since she holds very liberal positions on a lot of issue.

It also seems that anybody who supports her now would be upset about Hoffman driving her out of the race, and might tend toward Owens.

So is our best hope that she continues to implode, but stays in the race so that her die-hard fans dont’ switch over to Owens?


18 posted on 10/22/2009 9:07:15 AM PDT by CharlesWayneCT
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To: cc2k

The stupid thing about the media coverage is that they are ignoring the dynamics of a special election.

People who would simply show up to vote Republican are already going to vote Republican, and vote for Dede.

Hoffman isn’t siphoning off those votes, so much as he is going to drive up the turnout for the special election, bringing out conservatives who would otherwise stay home rather than vote for a liberal like Dede.

In a regular election, 3rd-party candidate can be a bigger problem, but with turnout in the 2-5% range for special elections, there’s a lot of people sitting on the sidelines waiting for a 3rd party to energize them.


19 posted on 10/22/2009 9:09:33 AM PDT by CharlesWayneCT
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To: cc2k
More precisely, it's deeply divided over whether it should allow any divisions in the party at all.
EJ Dionne sets up an extremist position straw man. "More precisely," my butt. "By way of exaggeration."

Anyway, FWIW, it's the DEMs that are intolerant of differing positions on issues.

20 posted on 10/22/2009 9:14:54 AM PDT by Cboldt
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