The shotgun wedding is officially off.
You guys will dump on him as a johnny-come-lately, but (a) his support for Scozzafava was always strategic, driven more by stopping the Democrats next year than stopping Hoffman and (b) as her most prominent Republican supporter, this is the most important endorsement Hoffman could have right now aside from Scozzafava’s (or maybe Snowe’s or Collins’s).
Yes, it’s kind of Allahpundit’s job to dampen any news that puts smiles on the faces of hardcore conservatives. Rabid Hot Air readers (like myself) know that’s just sort of what he does.
I’m not dumping on Newt as a johnny-come-lately, I’m dumping on him as representative of what no longer works in the Republican party. This has been a vehement, consistent point I’ve been hammering home here and on Planet Kruiser for a while, even more so since my experiences at Western CPAC two weeks ago.
Let’s be clear, I’m not one of those conservatives who is always prattling on about RINOs. In fact, this, I believe, is the first time the term has ever appeared in a blog post of mine. I have no problem with moderates in the GOP. What I don’t like is the idea that conservatives must be abandoned in the name of “electability”. It’s a load of garbage that’s been fed to us from party operatives, Democrats and the media. See anything wrong with taking advice from that group, kids?
Since last February a rather rapid shift has been taking place on the Right. Conservatives who used express their displeasure with the GOP by simply staying home on election day (see: 2006 & 2008) decided to get out of the house and start putting faces and voices on our angst at Tea Parties.
Nobody but us got it. Elected officials and GOP party insiders ignored us. With no support at all from within the ranks of establishment Republicans, the Tea Party movement has battled an unceasing barrage of lies and attacks from Democrats at all levels, the MSM and every entertainment industry lefty thought-barfer in America.
Despite the 24/7 exhortations to go away and let our elected officials decide what’s best for us we’ve managed to increase our ranks and grow stronger.
The problem in NY-23 wasn’t the voter demographics of the district, it’s that the NRCC is so out of touch and unimaginative that those demographics were all they could focus on.
The argument is always that the desperately needed moderates won’t be attracted to a conservative candidate, which is a truck load of manure we can no longer allow the GOP higher-ups to dump on us any more.
In reality, the GOP has the most success when it preaches AND LIVES the principles of fiscal conservatives. When moderates or cross-over Democrats vote for a Republican candidate it is almost always because their wallets told them to do so. (I’ve got a whole manifesto going on in my head about this but it’s a gorgeous Saturday afternoon so it will have to wait…) The GOP has gotten creamed in the last couple of national elections because, on fiscal issues, the Republicans on the ticket were indistinguishable from the Democrats.
Despite Janeane Garofalo’s protestations to the contrary, the Tea Party movement has been all about taxes and spending.
Where Newt and the NRCC went off the rails was in trying to convince us that a Republican candidate who wanted to spend our money just like a Democrat was the only way to go in NY-23. Exactly how in the hell does that help once said candidate gets to Washington. Newt? Anyone?
The momentum arrow on the Right runs from the ground up now. Newt didn’t (maybe still doesn’t) understand that. Neither did (do) the GOP party operatives. Whether Doug Hoffman wins or loses is almost irrelevant at this point. What’s important is that the alleged party elite begin to grasp the New Republican Order and decide they might want to win future elections by backing the correct candidates from the beginning.
Maybe, just maybe, we can get them to leave the 1980’s, step into the 21st century and take a look around.
Maybe.
“I have no problem with moderates in the GOP.”
That makes you part of the problem. Politicians are about shades of gray. That means compromise with evil and accept it.
US Citizens have been led down the primrose path that there is no such thing as good and evil for too long. Look at what Stalin, Lenin, Hitler, Pol Pot, etc. have done and then look at the type of government they did it with. That is where the ‘political compromise’ is leading us.
It’s time we grow up and realize that we can’t all play nice. We must call evil what it is and fight it. The murder of innocents is evil. The failure to punish criminals is evil. Taking a person’s property by force of government is evil and they all must be stopped.
If we don’t have enough adults to stop it – the United States of American is already gone.
[...] The Real Story Behind Newt & Dede’s Breakup Uncategorized all-levels,america-,and-every,industry-lefty,msm You can follow any responses [...]
Peter-If after reading and, hopefully, understanding this post you think I’m part of the problem I have to question your sanity and/or sobriety.
“I have no problem with moderates in the GOP.”
That makes you part of the problem. Politicians are about shades of gray. That means compromise with evil and accept it.
The only “moderates” in the GOP that I’ve ever seen are elected officials. No ordinary people living their lives could come to the kind of positions the “moderates” do, without their heads exploding.
Who is voting for Dede Scozzafava due to her positions?
[...] is almost irrelevant at this point. What’s important is that the alleged party elite begin to grasp the New Republican Order and decide they might want to win future elections by backing the correct candidates from the [...]
I don’t think anyone should be kicked out of the Republican party for being too moderate. BUT one should be denied leadership in the GOP if one is unable/unwilling to clearly articulate why Joe-random-voter should be a Republican. If you’re Joe-Random-Vermonter, those reasons may involve fiscal matters. If you’re Joe-Random-Alabaman, those reasons may involve matters of traditional morality.
How can the national party articulate reasons to be GOP in terms appealing to both Vermonter and Alabaman? Well, if Government leaves other institutions to solve some societal problems, it won’t spend money and it won’t contradict anyone’s moral convictions by what it’s not doing.
The Tea Partiers, like Perotistas, Reaganites before them, primarily advocate smaller government. It might make sense for the GOP to cultivate leaders that can articulate why this is better than the road to serfdom.
You are one of them. You think all conservatives must be republican. You still think in two party terms. I don’t like you, politically speaking, because you think you know me and my kind. You think we are just disaffected republicans. We never were. How many times do we have to say it to you? Stop trying to steal our movement! We are the real tea party people. We are the real grass roots movement. We don’t care if the republican party succeeds or does not. We have had it with two parties that can neither effectively represent our views. We are backing real candidates who have no true party allegiance. Oh, they may run in your party or the democrat party, or the constitution party, or the libertarian party. That does not matter to us. What matters is that they share our core values, and we mean more to them then their damned ole party. You suck for thinking you and us are the same, and that our movement is somehow your movement.
Paulsur-Enjoy your tantrum. My conservative credentials are more than solid and consistent over a long period of time. A conservative takeover of the GOP is the quickest way for conservatives to be in power, that’s a political reality. And also what I’m interested in. Third parties are vanity nonsense. If I, like you, simply wanted to throw an ideological fit and never win elections, I’d be a registered Libertarian. The difference between you and me is that I’m willing to do the tedious, difficult work of unseating the moderates in the GOP and helping conservatives become the power brokers in the party. The entire point of this post was to point out that this shift is happening now and happening much quicker than most people (you among them, it would appear) comprehend. I’ve been involved in the Tea Party movement since it was an idea in February and not a movement. I’ve spent money, time and effort on it and have been doing long before there were any crowds involved.
You’re more than welcome to disagree with me on anything but don’t question my conservative principles, commitment or credibility because I’ll shove a boat load of evidence to the contrary down your throat.
I deal with political realities and look for ways to make the reality more conservative. You seem to be content with pitching a hissy fit in an echo chamber.
But we’ll let even you come along when we’re done shaking things up.
“conservatives must be abandoned in the name of “electability”.”
Not in NY-23, but elsewhere. The problem is that instead of a spectrum; instead, you need two(+) more or less distinct *kinds* of Republican. That’s what the 3-leg chair was; that’s what the Democrats have now (there aren’t many Democrats who position themselves between Blue Dogs and the lefties; instead, they whole party is about 1:3 between them).
Even in all of *upstate New York*, let alone the west and northeast, Hoffman wouldn’t win. Someone between Hoffman and Scozzafava would and should run and win as a Republican elsewhere. This was the right result here; let’s see some flexibility on the other side in districts that legitimately *aren’t* winnable by anyone at or to the right of the center of the *Republican party itself.*
“The momentum arrow on the Right runs from the ground up now.”
This may be a concept the Republican elite has a real problem with, but hopefully, as the momentum becomes more dynamic and the voices a bit louder and more consistent, some candidates will feel that they will have support if they voice more hard-line conservative positions.
I hope!
Nice piece.
Wow, another Pharisaical-Ayatollah telling the Tea Party movement that they have to vote Republican if they want to win. This despite the evidence of the Hoffman third party insurgency. You preach in the face of contrary evidence.
In my city we have a flourishing Tea Party movement not committed in any way to the GOP. Zero! We refuse to take your advice and fully endorse someone simply because they happen to be a GOP member as we understand that is what got us in this mess to begin with. Principles first, party second.
You need to rethink attacking members of the movement who do not agree with your desire to further enrich the corrupt GOP. We now have the evidence that conservatives can compete without the GOP. THAT is the new reality.
[...] The Real Story Behind Newt & Dede’s Breakup [...]
As a voter in the 23rd District, and a supporter of Dede Scozzafava, I’m very disappointed with her withdrawal. I am a registered Republican but not overly conservative, and with Dede out I’m having a hard time with either of the other candidates.
This race is not all about what’s best for you and the rest of the US (though my thoughts on that would still result in a vote for Dede), but as OUR representative from this 23rd District, OUR local issues are a big deal to me.
Hoffman is an idiot who knows nothing about our issues, as was proven in the single debate he bothered to attend, because he doesn’t even live in our district. Should I vote for him just because he’s a conservative republican regardless of the fact that I think he has absolutely no substance and would do nothing to help this district?
I now find myself wondering if I’ll even vote, as the thought of pulling the lever for either Hoffman or Owens makes my stomach turn, but at this point I’m thinking I’d rather see Owens win this election.