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.
Get over yourself. You do not have a lock on any great electoral strategy. Rudy Guliani refused to endorse Scozzy even after encouraged to do so by Newt. I guess he shares some Republican death wish to alienate moderates.
By refusing to acknowledge the insuperable odds Hoffman overcame to lose by 3 in a district won comfortably by Obama reveals your agenda.
Umm..the ultra liberal GOP candidate dropped out because she fell behind in the polls to Hoffman.
“Headlines last week were Hoffman had more money than Scuzzy.”
Headlines also said Scozzafava received a staggering $900,000 for the GOP. That is far more than most House members receive during their campaigns, especially since the RNCC is reportedly left with only $4 million in their coffers after squandering their money on the ACORN backer, and still have 200 GOP congressmen to support in next years elections. Talk about stupid.
NAILED IT! RIGHT ON!!!
C’mon...I want to know who threw the election and can they go to jail for it.
Anyone have another link to the Republican video. It says “this video removed by user.”
According to Rove, such special election candidates are selected by the party leaders. in this case it was a private meeting in a pizza parlor.
A poster here said it was a red had society lady who tapped her dear friend Dede to be annointed. (if true this red hat society of old ladies not not as benign as one would have thought)
The NY23 GOP needs to oust their incompetents.
I don’t buy conspiracies and never have. I think the message here is that just as there are perhaps 5-10% of hard core pro-lifers who will not vote for any candidate even if he is 99% pure on other issues, so too there are a bunch of RINOs for whom abortion is their holy grail-—they want all the benies of GOP stability, national security, and financial soundness, without any of the social discipline.
..it may be just that simple
No, stop with the liberal/left spin. He “succeeded” by losing? No, he managed to show that he vastly out-pulled the RINO, and if the social-libs would have backed him, he would have won. But that’s a big “if.” The fact is, he lost-—Scuzzy would have lost BIGGER. So the issue isn’t whether a conservative can beat a RINO. The issue is, how do we as conservatives hold the line and yet STILL offer a package that allows the “social liberals” to ditch THEIR “principles.” It is an important question. Hoffman obviously didn’t have the answer, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t an answer.
So who got paid off?
Where'd YOU go? I said this already. I don't think "more conservatism" is the answer, but rather, how do you sell all the OTHER aspects of conservatism to social liberals so they will provide the winning margin? The problem is social liberals want all the benefits of conservatism (security through national defense, strong economy, safe streets) without any of the pain of discipline (man/woman marriage, no abortion, death penalty).
Clueless! Do you have a mirror handy.
This whole process wasn't about who was going to win this election. The Dems getting one more seat to add to the substantial majority means nothing.
This election was about sending a message to the GOP that conservatives are tired of contributing time and money to an organization that is going to send it to our ideological opposites. If the GOP failed to get that message, they will certainly lose a few more elections.
Yes, Owens will stand for reelection, and don’t forget, he ran against the public option.
and work on getting 51% of the voters to consider themselves conservative.
Yep..it went exactly as planned...45% of the electorate voted Conservative. 6% voted Republican. That 6% is what gave us the Dem. People who didn't want the Dem but did not pay attention to the news of her dropping out is what elected the dem....
The "GOP" can not be happy but the controlling Dem/Rep totalitarian oligarchy at the top is. Another loss for the people against a run away government.
“Scuzzy would have voted with the GOP 40% of the time.”
Evidence? She wouldn’t even commit to staying an R.
“I believe that. rat is the new conservatism at FR.”
Huh?
Until a Tom Delay is RNC chair...this stuff will continue.
“I’d like to know who had the idea to leave Scozzafava on the ticket. She drew more than enough away to put the Conservative over the top ...that is what gave the election to the dems. Someone should be taken to court over it. “
I am more interested in knowing rather than who in the local GOP got here on the ticket than who in the national GOP RNC gave her the $900,000 to run attack ads on Hoffman. My suspicion is Steele, but in any case, the GOP needs to investigate thoroughly and fire the people who did this.
It cost the GOP a seat in the House, was a terrible waste of money and will wind up drying up funds like mine who will refuse to contribute to the national party as they will likely do this again(like in Crist in Florida).
“Until a Tom Delay is RNC chair...this stuff will continue”
I think Dick Armey would be better.
Do you think it would be asking too much (before contributing $900,000 to an candidate) that the GOP have a minimum standard that the candidate vote with them 51% of the time?
Do you think it is a viable long term concept to support people who are going to vote with your opponent 60% of the time?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.