Winning, Defined
The race has now been called for Democrat Bill Owens.
This is a huge win for conservatives.
“Whaaaa. . . ?” you say.
There are two big victories at work in New York’s 23rd Congressional District.
First, the GOP now must recognize it will either lose without conservatives or will win with conservatives. In 2008, many conservatives sat home instead of voting for John McCain. Now, in NY-23, conservatives rallied and destroyed the Republican candidate the establishment chose.
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Secondly, and just as importantly, there has all of a sudden been a huge movement among some activists to go the third party route. We see in NY-23 that this is not possible as third parties are not viable.
Third parties lack funding and ability for a host of reasons. Conservatives are going to have to work from within the GOP. The GOP had better pay attention.
I’ve been going whole hog since February with my co-extremist, Bill Hennessy, since February. We didn’t do this to create some peashooter third party. We did it to help take over the GOP, to move this brick house back to its foundation. I am vehemently opposed to this movement being cop-opted into a third party and marginalized in the same manner that third parties are usually marginalized.
The GOP is a conservative party and that’s what this fight is to me, just as much as it’s about opposing the big government schemes oozing out of Washington.
We won in NY23. This blog served it’s purpose. Dede Scozzafava was dumped. She was dumped by the demographic to which she fronted, and when no one brought her Victorian freakshow, she removed the mask and revealed herself, lest any doubters remained. We won when we forced the GOP to concede support. We won when we showed them that good political sense and sharp strategy is an instinct, not exclusive to the beltway elite. We won because we wrenched the reigns from their hands.
We the tea party have been leading since February. In order to survive, the GOP must finally cash the promise its collective mouth has been writing about “we the people” and all that jazz: it must relent and let the people lead. Asking politely is a formality: NY23 has shown that we have the power to take it when we want.
Thank you for your support of this website. Thanks to all the true patriots out there, all of the fabulous people (except the obvious ones) linked on the sidebar over there. Thanks to Doug Hoffman for taking the heat and standing up to the GOP. Thanks to those in the GOP who risked popularity with the party’s elite by supporting Hoffman.
This site will remain up for some time, mostly as a catalog of blogger reactions and headlines, all it ever existed to be originally, a way to track, a way to send a message. The message was sent, the mission accomplished, the sentiment as present as ever: dump the RINOs or get dumped.
Today was a good day.
Scozzafava’s Husband Speaks
From the Washington Times:
If you believe this dude, one Ron McDougal … hey, interested in some property? I’ve a bridge for sale!
He didn’t know that his wife was in cahoots with White House political director Patrick Gaspard who ultimately pushed her to back Democrat Bill Owens against conservative Doug Hoffman?
McDougal is a union organizer and likely the reason Scozzafava (besides her embrace of liberal, big government policies) received any union muscle after going it with the GOP. Now that she’s backing Owens? Expect her husband to help put the full weight of big labor behind Owens as well.
No Oscars won here today.
White House Had Hand in Pushing Dede to Back Owens
Of course they did. From WaPo:
Steeped in New York politics, he [Patrick Gaspard] played a pivotal role in the effort over the weekend to persuade Republican State Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava to endorse the Democratic candidate in the special election in New York’s 23rd Congressional District, two senior White House officials said Sunday. One senior official added that Gaspard was the “air traffic controller” of multiple parties as events in the district unfolded. Scozzafava, a rare Republican who who supports same-sex marriage and abortion rights, endorsed Bill Owens rather than the Conservative Party candidate two days ahead of Election Day, a major victory for Democrats in arguably the most closely watched contest in the country.
Gaspard and Scozzafava have something in common: they both have relationships with ACORN.
Scozzafava Records Robocalls for Democrat Owens
Yeah … for the agenda people all right. Unreal. Again, I take back everything I ever said nice about her. Listen here.
Corrupt Bargain Between Dede and Rahm?
Reports of a “Corrupt Bargain” Between Scozzafava and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel:
One Republican’s political action committee on Sunday suggested Democrats enticed former Republican candidate Dede Scozzafava with “favors” in return for her endorsement of the race’s remaining Democratic challenger.
In a fundraising pitch to supporters this afternoon, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) through IssaPAC railed on Scozzafava for choosing to support Bill Owens over Doug Hoffman, the Conservative Party candidate who effectively forced her out of the race on Saturday.
Issa also called on Republicans to donate promptly to Hoffman’s war chest so that the party writ large could “send a message to Barack Obama that he can’t buy this election.”
“Just hours before [Scozzafava] endorsed the Democrat, she received calls from Barack Obama’s chief of staff Rahm Emanuel. She also received calls from the Chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Senator Chuck Schumer,” Issa wrote. “Was Scozzafava promised something in return for her endorsement of the Democrat? Time will tell.”
Plus – Robo calls from Scozzafava on behalf of Owens? [via TCOT Report]
How Scozzafava repays NRCC and RNC
Hey, how did that six-figure RNC donation to the NRCC plus $85,000 to the New York GOP plus nearly half-million-dollar investment in advertising and other independent expenditures on behalf of radical leftis Dede Scozzafava work out?
She repaid the GOP by endorsing Democrat candidate Bill Owens. Some gratitude, eh?
Scozzafava Endorses Democrat Owens
Is anyone actually shocked? Anyone? Bueller? From Watertown Daily Times:
Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., was among those who urged Dierdre K. Scozzafava to endorse Democratic congressional candidate William L. Owens, the senator’s spokesman said Saturday.
The spokesman, Maxwell Young, said the senator called a number of north country political leaders after Ms. Scozzafava suspended her campaign and had more than one conversation with the Republican candidate ahead of her announcement. He said the senator also called other Democratic leaders about the situation, including White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.
Mr. Owens said he was “honored” by the endorsement.
Newt Gingrich called us “divisive” and implied that we were just these crazy grassroots people who had no clue what we were talking about concerning Dede Scozzafava. I got hatemail from party loyalists who accused me and others of not supporting the Republican candidate. I wonder what they think now?
Add a little Frank’s Red Hot Sauce and I’m sure that crow will taste mighty fine.
BREAKING: Dede Dumps Herself *UPDATES BELOW
State Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava (R) announced on Saturday she would suspend her campaign to fill former Rep. John McHugh’s open House seat, citing dismal poll numbers just days before the much-hyped special election.
Her exit from the race offers serious momentum to Doug Hoffman, the Conservative Party candidate who has stolen from Scozzafava a slew of important GOP endorsements and donations in recent weeks.
“Today, I again seek to act for the good of our community,” Scozzafava wrote in a letter to supporters, obtained by the Watertown Daily Times. “It is increasingly clear that pressure is mounting on many of my supporters to shift their support. Consequently, I hereby release those individuals who have endorsed and supported my campaign to transfer their support as they see fit to do so.”
UPDATE: Scozzafava, the hand-picked choice of the New York state GOP in the key 23rd District special election, reportedly will throw her support to Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman.
Scozzafava pointed to another poll in the race showing her in last place while Bill Owens, the Democratic candidate, and Doug Hoffman, the Conservative nominee, are in a statistical tie. She also said her funding had dried up and would not be able to catch up, not to mention the rumors that the NRCC was cutting their losses and pulling out of the district.
Later in The Hill piece Scozzafava added:
“I am and have always been a proud Republican,” Scozzafava added. “It is my hope that with my actions today, my party will emerge stronger and our district and our nation can take an important step towards restoring the enduring strength and economic prosperity that has defined us for generations.”
I commend Dede Scozzafava for recognizing that the truly good thing to do is to bow out. It takes a certain level of humility to do so and I’m glad that she listened to the constituents.
Some facts to remember:
- Scozzafava was NOT a locally elected candidate. There was NO election; she was hand-picked in a backroom meeting attended by a small group of people.
- Scozzafava was tanking in the polls.
- Just because she was running with an R by her name doesn’t mean she was a Republican no more than me calling myself Jesus makes me Christ. She was an ACORN-backed candidate, supported by the Working Families Party, she may have signed the no-tax pledge and the beltway may have twisted the NRA’s arm for an endorsement, but she was a liberal – NOT a RINO. We don’t need another Olympia Snowe or Arlen Specter. I pointed this out in my Cavuto segment from 10/21 about NY 23.
- Party loyalists in the #ny23 stream are admonishing conservatives for not being big tent. Let me remind them that it has been the tea partiers, conservatives, et al. who have consistently attracted people of all religions, races, age, and both sexes who believe in limited government. It has been the tea party movement that has let the way in netroots with the RNC chairman JUST NOW starting his own blog (though he did call it “What Up” at first). Newt Gingrich and company’s limited view of narrow, Democrat-lite ideals are the antithesis of the big tent philosophy that they claim to support.
- I see some liberals and certain moderates and their Razzie-esque support of Scozzafava as some sort of women’s rights leader, Tweets such as “the GOP and big tent need more of her.” These were the same people who dumped all over Sarah Palin, the same people who dump on Michelle Bachmann, so no, “women’s rights” isn’t something that you can cherry pick and decide to support based upon whether or not you like the woman in question. Liberals don’t have a patent on women’s rights. No one does. To that extent, those saying that Scozzafava is a woman and should be supported because there is a lack of estrogen in the GOP, well, again, Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachmann anyone? Why are they unworthy of support – they’re women. Supporting a woman simply because she’s a woman – and allowing her sex to overshadow her credentials or lack thereof – is sexist in and of itself because it says that women aren’t capable of meeting a higher bar of expectations. I believe that women can meet those expectations which is why I like my candidates conservative and if they also happen to be women, even better.
This marks a huge turning point in conservatism and the tea party movement. We tea partiers and 912ers were called crazy – I even watched as certain left members of the GOP employed the leftist tactics of August and tried to neutralize the tea party threat by dredging up the old angry mob charge – but look at what has been accomplished.
I think this is the one of most important things, if not the most important thing, that the tea parties have accomplished thus far.
So what does this mean for NY 23? I’ll update in this space as information becomes available and keep a tally of blogger reactions and coverage.
Go Hoffman, go.
*NRCC To Officially Back Conservative Party’s Hoffman In NY-23 – if this is true, they may have redeemed themselves. Prodigal son?
*Sharp Elbows has Scozzafava’s statement, as does 73 Wire, who broke a lot of Scozzafava headlines.
*House GOP Chair to ENDORSE Hoffman
*As of 11:12 CST Newt Gingrich stands alone. Hi-ho the derry o.
*The GOP Establishment Must Be Purged as the GOP Loses in NY-23
*Oneida County GOP Chair backs Hoffman?
* Newt endorses? (Hard to admit he was wrong, as evident here.)
*Politico: Michael Steele says a win for Hoffman is a win for the GOP
* Dede’s speech, via American Power and Gateway Pundit:
*Michele Bachmann’s Statement on Dede Scozzafava in NY-23: GOP House Leaders Endorse Doug Hoffman
*Will the NRA now back Hoffman??
*Great post from Glenn Reynolds: It’s the follow-through that matters in New York’s special race
Though the media and the Democratic Party tried to portray the Tea Party movement as Republican-organized “astroturf,” the GOP only wishes that were the case. Tea Partiers are still reachable by the GOP, but if the GOP mishandles things, a Perot-style challenge is very possible.
*My piece for Blogher: Conservatives send message to GOP
St. Louis Tea Party: URGENT: SCOZZAFAVA QUITS NY-23 RACE!
Catholic Families for America Calls on Newt to Rescind Scozzafava Endorsement
Today the Catholic Families for America PAC, which endorsed Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman in next week’s special election for New York’s 23rd Congressional District, called upon former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich to rescind his controversial endorsement of liberal Republican nominee Dede Scozzafava. Gingrich’s endorsement has befuddled Republicans, conservatives, and even liberals.
“Mr. Gingrich has been such an important leader in the conservative movement, it is disappointing to see him bow to the blind party loyalty that has poisoned American politics,” said Dr. Kevin Roberts, executive director of the group.
NRCC Concedes defeat in NY 23
That’s what it looks like and it reflects what I’ve been hearing too.
The NRCC tells me directly that they are only spending money on anti-Owens ads. The anti-Hoffman YouTube? Gone. The anti-Hoffman press releases? Gone. The anti-Hoffman everything else? Gone.
The pro-Dede Scozzafava stuff? Gone too.
The RNC ground crews? They are pulling out to New Jersey.
The Dede Scozzafava campaign says this is all false. Then again, they say she is a Republican too.
