What Does The Outcome of NY23 Tell Us?

Via Memeorandum:

This morning everyone and their brother has an opinion of what the Owens win in NY23 means. I'll throw in my two cents. I am of a Malkin state of mind:

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.

Conservatives won a huge victory yesterday. We showed that we are viable movement that the established GOP must deal with.

In 2010 social issues will not be in the forefront. The economy is in the tank and therefore, the economy will be THE issue. Conservatives will be looking closely at candidate's positions on taxes, Cap and Trade, ObamaCare, the Stimulus and programs that have killed employment and added to the deficit. In other words, this is not a good time to belong to the RINO wing of the party.

It is up to the GOP to decide if they want a repeat of NY23 in 2010. Only time will tell if they will take anything away from this loss or if they will wake up and start listening to the base. As I've said before, the ball is in their court.

More at:

The Other McCain
American Power
And So it Goes in Shreveport
Left Coast Rebel

Conservatives vs Moderates: Who is Purging Who?

Via Memeorandum:

Politico is calling it "an uncivil war." To understand why Conservatives are no longer in a civil mood one need look to further than the Marco Rubio/Charlie Crist primary race here in Florida.

...former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio, a conservative who is challenging Crist for the Senate nomination. “They want us to vote for their candidates, but they don’t want us to run for office.”

The boys over at the NRSC came in to Florida and chose Charlie Crist as their man without giving the voters in Florida a voice. They told us that Rubio was a great candidate with a bright future but that Florida needs someone with broad appeal (read: moderate) who could carry the state against Kendrick Meek, the presumed Democrat candidate. How's this for broad appeal: of the twelve straw polls taken in Florida, Rubio has beaten Crist in all twelve by wide margins.

But can Rubio beat Meek? The NRSC says no, but the most recent Rassmussen poll taken says, "YES, he can." The poll taken October 20, 2009 shows Rubio leading Meek 46% to 31%.

As Rubio said above the GOP wants our support. They want our donations and our votes. They don't want our voice. They don't want our vision. They don't want our candidates. Who is "purging" who? Conservatives have been shut out of the GOP.

Conventional beltway wisdom is that Conservatives can't win. We've shown otherwise in NY23 and we will continue to show otherwise in Florida and elsewhere. Conservative candidates offer voters a clear choice and energize elections. Conservative candidates embrace their principles, the GOP runs away from them.

If there is a civil war within the GOP party it lies solely on the shoulders of the party's tone deaf leaders. Conservatives are comfortable with the decisions they've made, it is up the party to decide what direction they want to take.

Who Calls the Majority "the Minority"?

Via Memeorandum:

Consider the following from the Politico post Conservatives take aim at leaders, Charlie Crist, other races:

Numerous GOP officials have told POLITICO they worry that the party has been hijacked by a noisy and powerful minority that will keep the GOP in a noisy and not-so-powerful minority for a long time.

So, are we fringe conservative wackos really the minority or, is it simply a matter of GOP officials believing that if they say it often enough it may come true? I can understand why they would want us to go away and let them get back to business as usual but are they really so delusional that they believe that the Conservative movement represents nothing more than a "small but vocal minority"?

The latest Gallup poll tells a different story:

On the question of political ideology, 40 percent of those surveyed said they were conservative, 36 percent were moderate, and 20 percent liberal.

Conservatives, contrary to the GOP line, are neither the fringe or the minority. We are vocal, we are activists and we are a force that the GOP needs to deal with. The least of the many lessons that the GOP should take away from NY23 is that they need us more than we need them.

The GOP's assertion that Conservatives may push the Republican party in to a permanent minority status only shows how little attention they are paying. We are more than willing to work with the GOP if they return to the Republican tradition of small government and fiscal conservatism.

Politico quotes Erik Erickson of RedState:

“Republicans are going to have to come our way,” he said, before going on to trash NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions and Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele for backing Scozzafava.

Their “level of disingenuousness ... is disgusting,” Erickson said.

Politico notes that Erickson’s bombast may seem overboard, but it captures the depths of anger over the handling of this special election. It’s not just that Scozzafava wasn’t conservative — she was very liberal on abortion, unions and gay marriage and even left the impression she might join the Democrats once elected.

The anger that Conservatives feel began building long before November, 2008. The GOP's backing of candidates like Scozzafava and Charlie Crist, not to mention Arlen Specter who they stood by right up until the moment he flipped on them, has only served to throw gasoline on the fire. We have decided that principle trumps party. The ball is in the GOP's hands now.

What is Scozzafava's Next Move?

Pat at And So it Goes in Shreveport is reporting that Scozzafava's next move may be to endorse the Democratic candidate in NY23:

Via Hot Air, Hotline reports that Dede Scozzafava and her husband are quietly endorsing Bill Owens in the NY-23 race. This comes as no real shock as they disagree on absolutely nothing with regard to policy issues.

Hotline quotes both the New York Post and the Watertown Daily Times:

First, in a Watertown Daily Times' editorial switching its endorsement from Scozzafava to atty Bill Owens (D), the Daily Times notes that Scozzafava "began to quietly and thoughtfully encourage her supporters to vote for" Owens after her withdrawal announcement 10/31.

And, according to the New York Post, Scozzafava's husband -- Central Labor Council pres. Ron McDougall -- wholeheartedly endorsed Owens late last p.m. McDougall: "As a life-long labor activist, I know that Bill Owens understands the issues important to working people. On the other hand, Doug Hoffman has little regard for the interests of workers. Hoffman's opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act, coupled with his support for the failed policies of the Bush Administration make him a poor choice to serve the citizens of the 23rd Congressional District."

Earlier I said that the voters turned to Doug Hoffman in NY23 because the Scozzafava/Owens matchup was viewd as a choice between the Democratic candidate and the other Democratic candidate. If Scozzafava endorses Owens, she will make my point for me.

Pat goes on to relate the NY23 race to the NRCC's monumental screwup in the Crist/Rubio matchup here in Florida. It makes one wonder how many "Specters" the RNC and NRCC will back before they come to their senses.

Read Pat's piece here.

How Big is the Gap Between the RNC and Reality?

Don Surber knows:

Liberals and conservatives can agree on one thing: The gap between the Republican National Committee and reality make the Pacific Ocean look like a pond.

Don gave the RNC his "Evil" rating. I'd go with evil and really, really, stupid.

Crist Provides Balance? What, Between the Left and the Far Left?

Pat reports the lamest quote of the day:

Lamest quote of the day? That would be from Brian Walsh, NRSC
communications director. When asked about the Jeb Bush endorsement of Marco
Rubio in the Florida Senate race and Jeb's criticism of the early NRSC coming
out for Crist, Walsh said, "the NRSC believes Governor Crist is the best
candidate to maintain the checks and balances needed in the Senate."

As a certain someone would say, "Snort worthy." But, back to Pat:

Larry Thornberry at American Spectator responds this way:

It's truly hard to see how a politician like Crist, who has supported
Obama's stimulus package, who's enthusiastic about cap and trade and other
costly enviro-disasters, and who's as silent as the tomb about conservative
social issues, could in any way be a check on the Obama socialist agenda. He's
more of an enabler. This is probably why a friend of Rubio's told me he had come
up with a great slogan for Crist's campaign: "Send Charlie to Washington --
he'll fit right in."

Apparently the NRSC believes that if Crist wins the primary, he won't, they can roll him out in the general election under the banner:

"At least he's not as far Left as Kendrick Meek"

Actually, once upon a time that would have worked. We might have grumbled and we might have held our nose but we voted for the guy with the (R) even if he wasn't 'our guy.' And when we finally had the presidency and both chambers what did our fealty earn us? Scorn. Our party used the opportunity to self deal and self promote. Does the NRSC think we forgot? If anyone did, the NRSC endorsement of Crist reminded them.

Little something the NRSC can take to he bank-we won't be fooled again.

Support For Marco Rubio Grows

Truth is, I was on the Marco for US Senator bandwagon when the possibility of a campaign was just a rumor. When I told a co-worker that I intended to back Rubio if he announced I was told that there was no way that Rubio could beat Gov. Crist outside of South Florida. Pat writing at both And So it Goes in Shreveport and Not Once Red Cent has the St. Pete Times of the straw polls to date:

Here are the votes taken so far:

Marion County GOP, Rubio 40, Crist 8, abstain 4;
Hernando County GOP, Rubio 46, Crist 0;
Gilchrist County GOP, Rubio 11, Crist 1;
Republican Women's Club of Duval Federated, Rubio 65, Crist 4;
Northwest Orange Republican Women Federated, Rubio 49, Crist 3;
Jefferson County GOP, Rubio 30, Crist 6;
Highlands County GOP, Rubio 75, Crist 1;
Pasco County GOP, Rubio 73, Crist 9;
Lee County GOP, Rubio 60, Crist 9;
Florida Federation of College Republicans, Rubio 19, Crist 6;
Bay County GOP, Rubio 23, Crist 2.

For those of you not familiar with the state of Florida, and as an "I told you so" to my co-worker, the above straw poll results show Rubio kicking Crist all over the state.

Adding to Crist's discomfort is this by George Will:

"In January 2011, one Floridian will leave for the U.S. Senate. He is
unlikely to be a former governor at odds with his party's nominating electorate,
or the probable Democratic nominee, Kendrick Meek, a hyper-liberal congressman.
Rubio intends to prove that 'in the most important swing state, you can run
successfully as a principled conservative.' He probably will."

Those of us who have had the privilege of listening to Rubio speak are taken by his message of smaller government, less taxes, term limits and support for the 2nd Amendment. Contrast this to Crist, who is a big government career politician who broke his promise to Floridians not to raise our taxes.

I can forgive my co-worker his short sightedness, but not the NRSC, who in the mother of all knucklehead political moves endorsed Crist despite their long standing habit of not pick favorites prior to the primaries. However, if Cornyn and the NRSC are inclined to offer a mea culpa (better now than after Rubio kicks their boy in the primary) I am sure it would be accepted with only a minimum of mockery.

However, the time for the NRSC to save at least some face is slipping away. We all make mistakes. It is time for the NRSC to admit to their's.

Huckabee Blasts NRSC Backing of Crist

As reported at Babalu yesterday, former Arkansas govener, Mike Huckabee, has formally endorsed Marco Rubio for the Senate seat being vacated by Mel Martinez. In an interview with The Hill, Gov. Huckabee had some strong criticism for the NRSC and its endorsement of Florida Gov. Charlie Crist in the same race:

“I’m disgusted that they would take a position in a hotly contested race when you have a quality candidate like Marco Rubio, who was the youngest Speaker in the Florida House,” Huckabee said. “This is not just some nameless, faceless guy that decided to throw his name in, who had no chance and no credibility.”

He continued: “I thought that their endorsement not only was premature, but was outrageous. And they ought to get behind the guy who would do a whole lot more, in my mind, to unite and fire up Republicans, and that’s Marco Rubio.”

Huckabee declined to comment directly on Crist, who has drawn some heat from conservative Republicans unhappy with his support for President Obama’s stimulus legislation and other centrist positions.

But Huckabee did allude to that support in talking about his endorsement of Rubio.

“The establishment Republicans have made this endorsement for the same reason that they’re in so much trouble,” Huckabee said. “They go out there and support stuff like TARP bills and stimulus packages, pork-barrel spending and huge debt, and they wring their hands and act like, 'This is not good, but we don’t have a choice.' "

Rubio, has also been endorsed by Sen. Jim DeMint, has strong conservative creditials in stark contrast to Crist, who bills himself as a “centrist”. Unlike Crist, he is an advocate of fiscal responsibility and is a critic of the stimulus package that Crist embraced.