Boehner says NY GOP ignored warnings from NRCC (Wrong...)

Washington Examiner ^ | 11/4/2009 | J.P. Freire

[markomalley]

At a meeting of Washington conservatives this morning, House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, expressed pride over GOP success in last night's election. But questions about NY-23 remain -- so I asked him whether there was an effort to get New York Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava, the GOP nominee in that race, to endorse Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman.

"There was a huge effort," he replied. 

When asked about rumors that the New York Republican Party picked Scozzafava because of the advice of Washington insiders who felt she would be a more electable candidate, Boehner rolled his eyes. "We told them to hold off on a decision, to work with us, but they went ahead and did it."

 

So if she was a rotten egg, why spend money? "All the money spent on that race was anti-Owens money, not pro-Scozzafava money."

 

UPDATE:

Boehner's response obviously doesn't cover for the anti-Hoffman web ads put out by the NRCC, accusing the third-party candidate of only being in it for himself. Or the active ripping on Hoffman, like in this statement to National Journal: 

"[Conservative] Party bosses in New York have been sold a bill of goods in the form of Doug Hoffman's deceptive smoke-and-mirrors campaign, but fortunately they aren't the ones deciding this election," said Paul Lindsay, a spokesman for the NRCC, which has produced Web ads attacking Hoffman's conservative bona fides.  "We will continue to remind New Yorkers that a vote for Hoffman or Bill Owens is a vote for Nancy Pelosi and her far-left, radical agenda."

And any defense of Scozzafava's electibility should have to address the character issue: Her campaign was willing to smear Weekly Standard writer John McCormack. Even if it was someone "misspeaking," that someone should have been fired.

UPDATE 2:

Pete Sessions is playing "cover your assets" too. In a statement: 

"After two special elections in New York, there is no doubt in my mind that the candidate selection process lacks openness and transparency and should be changed to a primary system so voters can have a say in who their respective parties nominate."

[WellyP]

Dede Scozzafava was selected by 9 people in a back room. What were they going to gain or what DID they gain in nominating this unelectable liberal?

[BubbaBasher]

What was John Boehner doing at a meeting of conservatives?

[longtermmemmory]

STARVE THE BEAST!!!

We need to do our own mailing to the Republicans asking them to NOT donate to the NRCC.

GO RINO, go home.

[cripplecreek]

I wonder if this is a result of straight ticket voting?

The NRCC suddenly dropped Dede and endorsed Hoffman as if he was a republican but her name was still on the ballot as a republican and he was still on the ballot as a conservative.

Straight ticket GOP votes would have gone to her.

[Cedar]

Just say No to RINO’s

[rockrr]

Bump for ammo to use in future arguments with my brother...;’}

[DManA]

Note to GOP elite: Send us RINOs, we will make sure they lose. That is the lesson of the NY special election.

[Soul Seeker]

Please. They were involved and because of their poor judgement the seat was lost for a year. LOL

Good. Serves them right.

[LADY J]

"We will continue to remind New Yorkers that a vote for Hoffman or Bill Owens is a vote for Nancy Pelosi and her far-left, radical agenda."

What a 'NO COMMON SENSE' lame CYA statement.

How did he think the fat scuzzy one was going to vote - since she's a RAT fake Republican??

Even after this eye opening election - these guys are a lost cause & need to be dumped.

[BubbaBasher]

Note to GOP elite: Send us RINOs, we will make sure they lose. That is the lesson of the NY special election.

I think the real lesson is that RINOs can't be trusted. RINOs gave us Dede, Rinos endorsed Dede, RINOs gave Dede lots of money, and in the end a RINO quit and endorsed the democrat. Everyone knows that had Dede won she would have voted with rats too.

[chris_bdba]

Exactly! If you nominate two liberal candidates why not just vote for the one who calls themelves a democrat? DUH!

[Oldpuppymax]

And these arrogant hypocrites will still be sending me their yearly request for a donation. I wonder which two words I’ll write on the form before it’s sent BACK!!!

[bustinchops]

Bob and weave, shuck and jive as they may, Sessions has, in effect, admitted the party leaders screwed up and the process has to change. They are being dragged kicking and screaming, but we won that battle, no question, and they’ve as much as admitted it.

[jimday]

John Boehner, R-Ohio needs to go

[Conservative Vermont Vet]

Something smells and its not in Denmark!

The Establishment can spin this any way they want to try, but they went above and beyond simply supporting Scuzzy-Fatso when they ran ads attacking Doug

They can not defend the indefensible!!!

Throw the bums ALL out!!!

[bustinchops]

I don’t think it’s funny to lose a seat for a year. There is no short term benefit for us in the loss of NY-23. We can HOPE the loss is only for a year. We HOPE that the party leadership learned a lesson from this and it APPEARS they have, but we won’t know that for sure until we see a change in their process, strategy and ideology that is more closely aligned with the base.

[bustinchops]

The 6% for scuzzy were previously counted absentee ballots, not fresh votes from yesterday.

[Thane_Banquo]

NRCC probably thought Dede was too conservative.

[Gene Eric]

>> Straight ticket GOP votes would have gone to her.

I figured a good percentage of the votes for Dede were made in error, or out of negligence.

[tobyhill]

Leave a nice little message for the NRCC to quit nominating RINOs ahead of Conservatives.

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