Posted on 11/04/2009 3:07:13 AM PST by markomalley
Conservatives owe NY-23 candidate Doug Hoffman immeasurable gratitude. He overcame impossible odds (single digits just a month ago) to come within two points of defeating Democrat Bill Owens. Hoffman had zero name recognition. National Republican Party officials dumped nearly $1 million into the race on behalf of radical leftist GOP candidate Dede Scozzafava, who then turned around, endorsed Owens and siphoned off 5 percent of the vote with her name still on the ballot after she dropped out.
Conservatives’ money went to pay for specious attack ads against Hoffman run by the NRCC like this.
Conservatives’ money went to support a GOP candidate who shares the same socialist alliances with fellow SEIU/ACORN/New Party/Working Families Party activist Patrick Gaspard, the Obama White House political director who intervened in the race to secure Scozzafava’s endorsement of Owens.
Hoffman’s candidacy illuminated the stark difference between GOP political opportunists willing to pimp out their endorsements to any old ACORN-embracing, Working Families Party-consorting, Big Labor crony who puts an “R” by her name — and movement conservatives who refuse to “mooooderate” for the politically expedient sake of mooooderation as dictated by out-of-touch Beltway party leaders. The NRCC/RNC’s $1 million debacle will cost much more than that.
As I’ve repeated many times over the last several weeks:
One thing is guaranteed at the conclusion of the NY-23 special congressional election: The Beltway Republicans who endorsed radical leftist Dede Scozzafava are going to have indelible egg stains on their faces. And GOP establishment fund-raising organizations will be the poorer for it.
To illustrate the point: This blog now has a regular feature spotlighting readers’ RNC rejected solicitation forms of the day.
Today’s rejected RNC donor form comes from reader Bud:
Which brings me to my syndicated column today.
Hoffman may have lost narrowly, but NY-23 is a much broader victory for conservatives who believe the Republican Party should stand for core limited government principles. Scozzafava, who was endorsed by far Left blogger Markos Moulitsas Zuniga and backed by Planned Parenthood, the National Education Association, and card-check-promoting trade unions, was denied the congressional seat because movement conservatives refused to support Arlen Specter in a skirt. This is a victory of principle.
Better a donkey in office that acts like a donkey than a donkey in elephant’s clothing making a complete ass of the GOP.
Moreover, NY-23 is a victory for conservatives who refuse to be marginalized in the public square by either the unhinged left or the establishment right. A humble accountant from upstate New York exposed the hypocrisy of GOP leaders trying to solicit funds from conservatives by lambasting Pelosi and the Dems’ support for high taxes, Big Labor, and bigger government — while using conservatives’ money to subsidize a high-taxing, Big Labor-pandering, bigger government radical. The repercussions will be felt well beyond NY-23’s borders. Conservatives’ disgust with the status quo has been heard and felt. They have been silent too long. They will be silent no more.
The GOP leadership knows it cannot afford to rest on its laurels, continue business as usual, and bask in yesterday’s electoral victories without confronting its abysmal abdication of principled conservative leadership in NY-23.
As Hoffman said in his concession speech, “This is only one fight in the battle.”
Onward. Upward. Rightward.
“The message is conservatives... can’t win a general for Palin....”
How the F do you know Gov. Palin can not win a general election you don’t. Every election Sarah has run for herself she has won except one and that was her first state wide election. When Sarah is the messenger she wins. She can only do so much for candidates like Hoffman and McCain. It was up to Hoffman and McCain to close the deal and they are the one who came up short not Sarah. She did her part for them. If and When Sarah runs her own campaign with her own message it will be all positive and contrast in bold colors what the Rats policies are. For you to summarily dismiss Gov. Palin is proof positive you have no idea who Sarah is. Just wait and see she may just surprise you.
“WTF?
You do recall the following, don’t you?
1) There was no primary to allow people’s true positions to be aired — party officials in consultation with DC RINOs chose Scuzzy.
2) A month ago Hoffmann was mired in last place.
3) Sarah Palin spoke up, but did not campaign in person. A couple of Tweets and/or Facebook postings.
(Contrast this, by the way, to the multiple PERSONAL appearances that Obama(+) put in for Corzine and Deeds. FAIL.)
4) Hoffmann surged.
5) The RINOs did a double-pronged attack. The GOP hierarchy and heavy hitters — including GOP chair Steele and RINO-turncoat-Newt — publicly endorsed Scuzzy.
6) The GOP also spent $900,000 on Scuzzy.
7) At the last minute, Scuzzy dropped out. This had the effect of negating all of the GOP-cast absentee ballots, now guaranteed to be wasted for purposes of defeating the DEM.
8) To make the stab in the back DOUBLY sure, Scuzzy officially, and in public, endorsed the DEM. (WTF???)
9) Hoffman still came within 3% as a Third Party candidate, after coming from nowhere to remove the hand-picked GOP RINO quisling.
10) But all you can do is say “we lost, boo hoo.”
I beg to differ.
Cheers!”
So very well said that I just had to post it again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Let’s try again in 2010 !
Not my money — I quit donating to national organizations after 2006. I donate direct to candidates after discovering that about 60 cents on the dollar in 2008 was going to consultants for the national organizations.
Far cry from the days when Sen George Allen was in charge at NRCC and the number of consultants was really low. Saw results with Allen and every penny I donated was worth it.
Not donating to groups that waste money on special elections and don’t seem to learn. Save the money for primary elected candidates.
Bingo! That is exactly why the RNC needs to quit wasting money along with the NRCC on these special elections as the County Chairs in this instance didn’t even follow their own rules.
Save the money for the general election. If Dede’s had won, they would have been stuck with her for a long time and she had the capability to make Snowe look a lot more conservative.
Let the primary determine the candidate.
The clearer message is that when you run as a third party conservative at the last minute and the GOP spends buckets of money against you, it's tough to win. That Hoffman came this close is borderline miraculous. Still, we wanted this one badly and didn't get it.
The message conservatives should take from this battle is that we have to take over the GOP apparatus. It's the long war we've got to win.
Hoffman lost for the following reasons:
1.) He entered the race late. That hurt.
2.) Compared to Owens, Hoffman had zero name recognition.
3.) He was oustpent by Owens and Scuzzafava.
4.) He was undermined by Newt’s endorsemnt of Scuzzafava. Maybe just a little, but he was still undermined.
5.) He was fighting a three-front war against the RINO establishment, Scuzzafava and Owens.
6.) Scuzzafava had hard-core supporters that did a revenge-based vote against Hoffman.
7.) He did not have as much political expertise in running as effective a campaign as Owens did.
A year from now, Hoffman will be ready. For now, people need to rally around Hoffman, because the RINO establishment in NY will be seeking to undermine Hoffman running on the Republican ticket or any ticket. They undoubtedly are angry that him running forced the RINO’s tool (Scuzzafava) out of the race, and they won’t soon forget that.
I’d say that Scozzafava owes the NY GOP around $900,000 for fraudulently representing herself as a Republican and then endorsing the Dim BEFORE the election, out of spite. . .
NEVER, EVER, contribute ONE NICKLE to any GOP soliction.
Contribute ONLY to specific conservative candidates.
The BEST way to get rid of the RINOs is to fiscally strangle them and support conservative candidates.
An incumbent is an incumbent. If voters are likely to keep a RINO in place, they’re just as likely to keep a RAT in place. I’ll take the RINO, thank you. At least it’s one less RAT counting toward a majority. WE must get to a majority!!
That, too.
Had your attitude prevailed in Colonial Times, we'd still be serving the Queen, and Texas would still be a Mexican state.
I fully know that it will take another election cycle, or two, or three, for Washingtonian Republicans to relegated to the dustbins of history. Scozzafava was the second, following that great purveyor of Scottish Law, Arlen Specter.
IMO, "Washingtonians" are like the Eloi in Wells' "The Time Machine", and George Soros is the Uber Morlock. The Eloi have no principles, no honor. They worry only about their next election, and care not a whit for anything but their own survival and aggrandizement.
I WISH the RNC would call me and ask for money so I could give them a piece of my mind.
(Unfortunately, I probably made my position very clear the last time they called. ;^)
Thank you. rat...It's the new conservatism!
You're welcome, you Susan Collins butt-licker.
Rino City. Good living for the nutless wonders in the Republican ranks.
Sarah Palin: A Victory for Common Sense and Fiscal Sanity
Cheers!
Conservatism and GOP are not always synonymous. The victory you find off-putting is the highlighting of the chasm that the GOP has dug between itself and conservatism.
You only won the primary because it was stacked with RINO-friendly states to begin the process, and moreover, Dems crossed over to torpedo conservatives in early races; because Politico continued to spread rumors from "insiders" before two or three key primaries, such as Florida, that Fred was going to drop out if he didn't finish first or second; and you threw away the election and a tremendous groundswell caused SOLELY by Palin, first by running to DC in the financial crisis, thereby making Bambi look Presidential by comparison; by hiring Mitt Romney advisors who helped throw Sarah under the bus without sufficient coaching, and without sending her to friendly interviewers first; by refusing to attack Obama, even going so far as to tell people not to be scared of him; by having prior to all this repeatedly kicked conservatives in the teeth, and joined the gang of 14; and Palin was the only thing which kept YOUR sorry ass from being the recipient of a Carter-vs.Reagan-type landslide for the Dems; and conservatives did not win the NY GOP seat because the party insiders put in a pro-abortion, pro-stimulus, pro-cap-and-tax liberal who turned around after taking $900,000 of donations, resigned at the last minute, and endorsed the DEM; and Santorum was defeated by being backstabbed by the (probably Dem mole, maybe even closet homosexual like Foley) DC insisders; Hayworth was the result of a concentrated GOTV in Tempe (Arizona State University); George Allen was not defended by the GOP after a manufactured "race" scandal; etc. etc.
By comparison, you had the GOP insiders backing a locally-picked, Dem-friendly RINO, and give endorsements by Newt Gingrich AND Michael Steele; hand her $900,000; and run down the conservative challenger in public; and Scuzzy promptly slipped from "in the running" to "DEAD LAST". Palin just made a couple of Tweets and/or Facebook posts.
So whose endorsement was more powerful?
While we're speaking of endorsements, notice also that Obama appeared in person with Corzine 5 or 6 times, including the weekend before the election: in conjunction with huge get out the vote efforts, the strong union presence in NJ, and NJ's status as a solid blue state for a long time, AND the (likely enough) massive voter fraud; and the morning after the EPIC FAIL loss, the spin was that the Dems had been trying to nudge him out anyway, since he was a "weak candidate". Not.
How much is Axelrod paying you, Man-Child? Cause he's going to have to ask for a refund...
Cheers!
Cheers!
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