Top Republicans jump ship in NY-23 (Santorum joins Palin, Bachmann, Thompson, Armey, Forbes)

Yahoo ^ | 10/23/09 | Andy Barr

[Libloather]

Top Republicans jump ship in NY-23
Andy Barr – Fri Oct 23, 7:12 pm ET

Some of the most prominent names in national Republican Party politics are lining up against the GOP nominee in a key upstate New York House special election, the latest being former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, who weighed in Friday.

In endorsing Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman in the Nov. 3 contest, Santorum joined former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, Minnesota Rep. Michelle Bachmann, former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, and former presidential candidate Steve Forbes, all of whom announced their backing for the conservative third-party candidate this week.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty suggested Friday that he might be the next well-known Republican to break with the party establishment and support Hoffman. When asked about the race Friday during an interview with ABC, he expressed frustration with GOP nominee Dede Scozzafava and said he will “probably” endorse in the race.

Scozzafava, a state assemblywoman who supports gay marriage, abortion rights and has a close relationship with leading labor officials in her region, has been the target of sustained criticism from conservatives who claim that she is so liberal that they cannot in good conscience support her candidacy. As evidence, they point to her unofficial endorsement from the leading liberal blog Daily Kos.

While Scozzafava can point to many other prominent conservatives who support her bid—including former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Republican leaders on Capitol Hill—this week’s surge of leading conservatives to Hoffman’s camp is a troubling sign for her campaign and the national GOP establishment since several of the recent Hoffman endorsers have significant followings and represent the most energetic part of the Republican base.

[Terpfen]

Second, it shows that Sarah Palin is the political leader of the conservative movement.

In what way? She was nowhere near being the first to endorse Hoffman, and has yet to endorse Pat Toomey in PA or Marco Rubio in FL.

[metalurgist]

Palin will have to leave the increasingly socialist Republicrat party if she is to have any chance of advancing the Conservative cause.Instead, how about we work to take the Party back from the Rino, me too democrat light republicans instead of throwing the baby out with the bathwater?

[Man50D]

Instead, how about we work to take the Party back from the Rino, me too democrat light republicans instead of throwing the baby out with the bathwater?

RINO's are by implication the minority. Right now that minority is conservatives. Why didn't OP grassroots members take back the OP when it had far fewer socialists years ago? The fact is either no one bothered or they were to ineffective. They are obviously no more effective now with socialism greater now than in the past. I'll pass on your obsolete idea. I'll stick with Conservatism over socialism light.

[wiggen]

i am actually an independent although i can’t recall voting anything but pubbie my whole life.

[metalurgist]

Why didn't OP grassroots members take back the OP when it had far fewer socialists years ago?

Where were you? Probably where you are now. Sitting on your ass whining about how no one listens to conservatives and how we need a third party.

Your type is never happy. Off to obscurity with you.

I hear the Bull Moose Party is looking for a FEW new members.

[Revel]

I really hope this guy wins. He sounds like a very good guy, and a real conservative. If he does lose then this was not in vain. And the first person I see who starts to wine about- he threw the election to the Dems is going to get told to go pound salt by me. This is the course that we all must take. Stay the course until the republican party gets the message.

[ToTheMax]

Let the revolution begin,with a house-cleaning in the GOP. ExLax would be a good cleanser.

[ansel12]

LOL, Well said.

[ROTB]

>conservative Democrats have a similar preference, more willing to call themselves Independent than Republican.

Patriot Party
- pay off deficit
- cut government spending
- cut taxes
- build a wall
- no citizenship for anchor babys
- drill here and now
- build nuke plants
- AGNOSTIC ON ALL ELSE

[ansel12]

"Agnostics" already vote Democrat, where are you on this chart?.

[maxter]

"Sarah Palin might be a lot of thingd but Leader of the Conservative movement isn’t one of them."

She works for me. If not Sarah, then who?

[Evil Slayer]

Sarah Palin 2010

Dump Steele from RNC and channel ALL RNC funding to Team Sarah's camp. We need to clean out ALL RINOS this time.

[GCC Catholic]

Huckabee can just say he didn’t know anything about a race in northern NY state so far from AR.

If Huckabee wants to be on the national stage, then it's his business to know about these races.

That said, I think he should keep ignoring NY, and go back to where he came from.

[Fred]

Scozzafava also supports CARD CHECK and the Porkulus Bill.

A complete waste of time to support or endorse her.

[Captain Peter Blood]

She’s a person of the moment, I will take a wait and see approach with her and see if she really wants to assume that mantle.

[jospehm20]

They (the RNC) really need to get rid of Steele.

[ROTB]

I am not an agnostic. I am a Christian. As I see it:

1) Conservatives are willing to run up the deficit if it means protecting the unborn.

2) Democrats are willing to run up the deficit if it means KILLING the unborn.

My thinking was, therefore, ignore the unborn, and fix the house fiscally.

I don’t like it anymore. I want to try harder to not sell out the unborn. We need those guys.

Yeah, I want to be greedy, I want to fight for them also.

Nevermind.

[corvus]

“In endorsing Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman in the Nov. 3 contest, Santorum joined former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, Minnesota Rep. Michelle Bachmann, former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, and former presidential candidate Steve Forbes, all of whom announced their backing for the conservative third-party candidate this week.”

This says a great deal about the grass roots movement today that is not the least bit happy about present day Democrat and Republican parties. It shows the power of the people can be heard, and must be reckoned with, even as the Democrat party holds ‘numerical’ power in Washington.

[Marylander]

Didn’t mean to suggest anything about your party membership. Sorry if it read that way.

[Marylander]

Patriot Party ...Good name.