Republican Infighting In NY-23: GOP Identity Crisis
It’s a rural part of New York State, right next to Canada. There hasn’t been a Democrat elected there since the 19th Century. But moderate Republicans are so out of favor these days that a party split may put a Democrat in office.
For starters, there are three unorthodox candidates: A pro-choice, pro-gay-marriage, pro-union Republican; a registered independent running on the Democratic ticket; and a Conservative who doesn’t live in the district and may well win — or play the part of GOP spoiler and help elect a Democrat to a seat occupied by Republicans since the 1800s — despite skipping most chances to appear publicly with his opponents.
John McHugh, a moderate Republican, was elected eight times, but has been tapped to become President Obama’s Secretary of the Army, vacting the seat.
Bill Owens, an attorney with left of center views, was the choice of the Democrats (above, left), while Dede Scozzafava, a moderate state assemblywoman from the district, was the pick of the local GOP. Doug Hoffman, an accountant living over the district line in Lake Placid, then declared his own candidacy with the backing of the state’s Conservative Party leaders, who had opted not to endorse Scozzafava. Now, Scozzafava has the support of the official GOP party establishment — including House Minority Leader John Boehner and Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele — while Hoffman has garnered endorsements from other prominent Republicans (and probable 2012 GOP presidential candidates) like Sarah Palin and Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, as well as conservative former U.S. senators like Rick Santorum and Fred Thompson. Hoffman is also a favorite of talk-show host Glenn Beck and tea-party activists across the country.
And Scozzafava is being portrayed as a leftist, which is a far cry from her ideology.
True, Scozzafava supports abortion rights, gay marriage and the pro-union legislation known as Card Check. But she’s also endorsed by the National Rifle Association, supported the Bush tax cuts, and opposes to much of Obama’s health care plan.
But Scozzafava’s candidacy is in trouble, while Hoffman is gaining ground, even though he isn’t from the district and doesn’t have a grasp of local issues.
In an interview with the editorial board of my old employer, the Watertown Daily Times, Hoffman was asked about a new super-highway that had been proposed years ago for the district but needs federal funding. No opinion. Where did he stand on the controversial idea of dredging the St. Lawrence River, which forms the district’s border with Canada? No comment. A subsequent editorial in the Times described Hoffman as “flustered and ill-at-ease” and said he “showed no grasp of the bread-and-butter issues pertinent to district residents.” It didn’t help that Hoffman brought along former House Majority Leader (and staunch conservative) Dick Armey with him to the editorial board meeting — Armey called the local issues “parochial” and said the editorial board ambushed his candidate.
So, may the best Democrat win.
what does living in your district have anything to do with modern politics…didn’t hillary choose to run in New York…then rent an apartment in New York.
atomaino Reply:
October 30th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
too true.
Lib Patriot Reply:
October 30th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
Points awarded to you on that, Guido. But Hoffman SHOULD have a grasp on local issues pertinent to the district he’s hoping to represent, would you not agree?
GuidoVanHorn Reply:
October 30th, 2009 at 5:54 pm
sure, I think it’s definitely a positive attribute to have (to have a grasp on local politics) but honestly he’s across the pond, it’s not like he’s coming in from kansas.
I have no idea who would be the best choice, it’s nowhere near my own district, and honestly I don’t care all that much.
EricG Reply:
October 30th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
It matters because in a local election people don’t want vague generalities about “fixing things”.
This is why I prefer local politics to national.
National politics is always about a general plan.
Local politics is about the waterways, streets, schools, programs and violent crime.
No time for ideological nonsense like they spit unto the floor in large pools of crimson at Fox and AM radio. You have to state clearly what you plan to do about X-Y-Z or people will call you out on it.
And Hoffman obviously knows nothing about the local politics and the GOP freaks still want to endorse him.
Let them, he will lose and then a Dem will get in there for the first time in a looooooooooooong time.
October 30th, 2009 at 11:16 am
This is awesome.
They are dying as a party.
I love it!
Let’s see the Democratic candidate win … and Hoffman get endorsed by all the squawk-box favorites. Show this country that these people are a failed, divided party that has no ideas, no solutions, and nothing to offer but bitter partisanship.
jasperjava Reply:
October 30th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
I think we’re witnessing one of those periodic historic re-alignments in American Politics.
The Theodore Roosevelt progressives split from the Republican Party under Taft and eventually migrated to the FDR Democrats.
Conservative Dems and Dixie-crats abandoned the Democratic Party after Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act. They eventually became “Reagan Democrats”, and now are reliable Republicans.
Now the Republican Party seems to be splitting up. The Ultra-right true-believers are on the warpath against moderate Republicans, and you’re going to see the hardcore get harder and meaner, forcing moderates to gravitate to the Democratic Party.
This has the potential to ensure Democratic majorities for decades to come. The danger is that the “loyal opposition” is no longer so loyal: instead of constructive criticism and new ideas, they will be rabid fanatics engaging in destructive zero-sum politics.
Lib Patriot Reply:
October 30th, 2009 at 2:36 pm
“squawk-box favorites”…I like that.
piffle Reply:
October 30th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
Yes, the Republicans are a dying party. They decided to act like liberals and waste money and be as corrupt as Rangel and Dodd and Murtha, and their voters unlike the lunatic leftists punsihed them for it. Conservatives want a conservative, and despite the media’s best efforts to try to convince Republicans to run as far left as possible to win, which everyone knows in a coutnry where the majority identifies as conservatives is a cover to make sure the choices are lib and lib lite so the lib always wins, the conservatives are saying enough. If the Republicans won’t be accountable to their base they will vote for candidates who reflect their values.
What Alan didn’t tell you: 1) Scozzafava is more left than Owens and many liberals are complaining Owens isn’t dedicated, 2) Markos Moulitsas endorsed Scozaffava as a more reliable liberal vote than Owens, 3) the Daily Kos poll shows Hoffman and Owens in a statistical dead heat with Scozzafava reduced to irrelevancy as nothing more than a spoiler.
Maybe you idiot liberals will understand (R) does not equal conservative, and that your efforts to try to drift the beltway establishment into unelectability will be circumvented by the grassroots which will put the ACORN criminals and Moveon.org thugs to shame in organizing and fundraising. The people are going to take this country back from the Marxists and corporate socialists, whether you like it or not.
October 30th, 2009 at 2:10 pm