Republicans going rogue in upstate New York

Christian Science Monitor ^ | October 24, 2009 | Patrik Jonsson

[cc2k]

This fall's only congressional election, featuring a third-party conservative challenging the Republican nominee, tests the future of the GOP. Will the Tea Party insurgency prevail?

Atlanta

Pitting conservative purists against party pragmatists, a growing number of national Republican figures are bucking the party standard and backing a third-party candidate in the sole congressional election scheduled this year, upstate New York’s 23rd congressional district.

Former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, former Senator Rick Santorum, former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, current Minnesota Rep. Michelle Bachmann, former Tennessee Senator and presidential candidate Fred Thompson, and former presidential candidate Steve Forbes have all backed Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman over Republican Dede Scozzafava.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty — a potential presidential candidate in 2012 — suggested Friday on ABC News that he’s strongly considering backing Hoffman, as well.

“Our nation is at a crossroads, and this is once again a time for choosing,” Ms. Palin, author of the upcoming book, “Going Rogue,” wrote Thursday on her Facebook page. “This is the game-changer,” added Dick Armey, whose Freedom Works organization has supported the Tea Party movement.

Palin, et al. represent what can only be called the Tea Party insurgency, whose adherents point to mainstream Republicans — including party philosopher Newt Gingrich — and their support of Ms. Scozzafava as another sign that the GOP has strayed from its core principles.

[DaStick]

Since this is a special election, will there not be a run off if the top vote getter is below 50%?

[narses]

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:

Pro choice
In favor of gay marriage
In favor of Employee Free Choice Act (and has said she would co-sponsor Card Check legislation)
In favor of the Stimulus
In favor of Bank Bailouts
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.

[April Lexington]

Pawlenty understands that he’s way, way, way behind palin in conservative support. His state couldn’t hold off the communists in the Franken heist. How can we trust him in Washington? He’s no power broker and he let the libs walk all over freedom in his own state. Screw Pawlenty. Follow Palin or any other REAL conservative...

[AmericanInTokyo]

Bump and Ping!

[AmericanInTokyo]

Anybody know if ACORN is active in that NY district, and/or if they will be sending ground/shock troops there for election day, and if so, how they can be neutralized (politically speaking of course)??

[okie01]

We need the conservative victory to show our fearless leaders at the RNC that they need to resign. In droves...

It is absolutely vital for conservatives and the Tea Party movement that Hoffman surpass Scozzafava. If that doesn't get the attention of the GOP leadership, nothing will.

If he goes on to win the seat, so much the better. In that case, we would have more than their attention -- a firm grip on their privates.

[AmericanInTokyo]

If Doug Hoffman is elected to Congress, his name will have a (C) after it, not (Independent), one assumes? Because he will be neither a Dem or Republican. My next question. As it is, we have a defacto (not dejure) two party system, which means we have Majority and Minority Leaders (1 each), and Majority and Minority Whips (1 each).

But if Hoffman is elected, he would not be a member of the Republican Minority, but would still in the Minority nevertheless.

Does that mean, Hoffman himself can become a "Minority Leader" in the House? He will in fact be the leader of his Party in Congress. It would be interesting if they would have to have "First Minority Leader" and "Second Minority Leader" posts created because of the three political parties that would henceforth be represented on the Hill. Just a thought.

[MozarkDawg]

Anybody who has a brain and is conservative would not be voting for Scozzafava. So these votes she is getting have to be Democrats trying to split the vote. No decent conservative Republican would be voting for her with this record of Liberal CRAP and I know by now with all the publicity people know she is a infiltrator.

Let's see what the polls look like when the story about her funneling campaign cash to her family, already playing the corrupt-politician game before even winning the seat is absorbed by the voters.

[Donald Rumsfeld Fan]

“They’re making New York 23 a last stand,” blogger Erick Erickson tells Politico. “New York should be a hill to die on for conservative activists.”

We are just beginning the long march to take back the GOP and America.

A word to the GOP....lead...follow..or get out of the way.

no....this is just the end of the beginning

[Donald Rumsfeld Fan]

Before The Storm

"I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And .....moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue!" 1964 acceptance speech

[SiVisPacemParaBellum]

‘The Rogue Party’, hmmmm.

[NeoCaveman]

In general when you get elected you become part of the caucus you chose.

Hence Independents Joe Liberman and Socilaist Bernie Sanders are Democrats for organizational purposes.

Not many years ago there was an I that caucused with the GOP, I think he later became a Republican.

Hoffman would caucus with the GOP.

[MozarkDawg]

The whole “a Republican must win to support Boehner for Speaker” line of reasoning is a smokescreen.

There is also no rule that a member of a party must vote for the Speaker-candidate of his party -- only look to Mike Parker in 1995. He took heat from Dems, sure, but he made a principled stand before switching his party affiliation.

[MozarkDawg]

Re: post 39, thank you Cicero, extremely well stated.

[magritte]

Nope, depending on the House Leadership and the fact that this is merely a fill-in election, Hoffman will be persona non-grata in the House if he wins as far as leadership positions...magritte

[Lundy_s Lane II]

I don’t know how active ACORN is in the 23rd. But we do know that Scozzafava has backing from ACORN and she has supported ACORN.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/oct/08/if-it-looks-like-an-acorn/

I would expect ACORN will sit this out or render support under a different banner. The Democrat candidate is ahead and it would seem strange for them to support a supposed Republican.

The district leans Republican.

[seton89]

[AmericanInTokyo]

The million or so who went to Washington for a massive Tea Party, have all gone home and are no longer there. The town halls are more or less over in most parts of the country. The politicians are back to their old tin-ear, out-of-touch entitled bullshit mode, even within the Republicans.

They just dont hear us.

IT IS WHEN YOU GRAB A HIGH-PROFILE CONGRESSIONAL SEAT THAT THEY WILL REALLY GULP HARD WITH AMAZEMENT--AND FINALLY NOTICE

Even more so than with all those angry grassroots crowds our there for the last four months and faxes and e mails flooding in. That's just now D.C. (and particularly the RNC) works.

This is big leagues, folks, no doubt about it. New York 23rd C.D.

[AmericanInTokyo]

He was really, really good in the early 60s...and then just got progressively liberal on a number off issues in my mind.

[MozarkDawg]

If Doug Hoffman is elected to Congress, his name will have a (C) after it, not (Independent), one assumes? Because he will be neither a Dem or Republican.

When Bernie Sanders was in the House, he was listed I, though not a registered member of the Independent party. I believe they may need to change the designation to U, unaffiliated, but otherwise, I believe they put those who are not specifically registered Republican or Democrat as Independent.

My next question. As it is, we have a defacto (not dejure) two party system, which means we have Majority and Minority Leaders (1 each), and Majority and Minority Whips (1 each).

But if Hoffman is elected, he would not be a member of the Republican Minority, but would still in the Minority nevertheless.

Does that mean, Hoffman himself can become a "Minority Leader" in the House? He will in fact be the leader of his Party in Congress. It would be interesting if they would have to have "First Minority Leader" and "Second Minority Leader" posts created because of the three political parties that would henceforth be represented on the Hill. Just a thought.

Again, look to Sanders during his tenure in the House as your example, he associated himself with the Dems, he caucused with them, he voted with them, he was not considered a member of his own party, entitled to his own designations. Hoffman has said he would associate himself with the Republican side of the aisle, probably because he is a Republican, needed to file as he did because the GOP candidacy was already taken, similar to Joe Lieberman claiming to be an Independent, he had to do that because the Democrat candidacy was taken (from him!) in his last Senate race.

I don't see us becoming like Israel or Italy, hopefully Hoffman will secure enough principled votes and show these old gas-bag Republicans that the days of standing ridiculous candidates for office and attempting to extort our votes has come to an end.