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 Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2009 5:35 pm |
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the GOP is now purging members of their party, just as the nazis and
commies did:Republican leadership is becoming more and more extreme
and more and more marginalized
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_ny_special_election
Future of GOP and moderate Republicans uncertain
2009 file photos shows Congressional candidates in New York's 23rd …
By VALERIE BAUMAN, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 4 mins ago
ALBANY, N.Y. – In a Republican Party struggling to find its identity,
the surprise withdrawal of the chosen GOP candidate for a New York
congressional race — forced by a rising conservative upstart — renews
a lingering national debate: Are moderates welcome in today's Grand
Old Party?
The question became even more relevant Sunday when the ex-candidate,
state Assemblywoman Dierdre Scozzafava, threw her support behind the
Democrat in the race rather than the Conservative Party candidate
favored by fellow Republicans.
The GOP leadership insisted on Sunday political TV talk shows the
party is strong and inclusive while Democrats described a Republican
party out of touch with the people.
"We accept moderates in our party, and we want moderates in our party.
We cover a wide range of Americans," said Republican House Leader John
Boehner in an interview on CNN's "State of the Union."
But in New York's rural 23rd Congressional District, the message was
clear early: Scozzafava was too moderate; some even used the dreaded
"L" word — liberal. Her endorsement of Democrat Bill Owens over
Conservative Doug Hoffman only reinforced that perception — even her
former campaign spokesman, Matt Burns, said it was a mistake and urged
Republicans to back Hoffman.
During the campaign she failed to connect with voters, party officials
or, perhaps most important, campaign donors, largely because of her
support for abortion rights, same-sex marriage and union rights. That
opened the door for Hoffman, who took every opportunity to remind
people that Scozzafava was not the kind of Republican they wanted
representing their interests in a Democratic-led Congress.
Even before Scozzafava's fall, Republicans looking to broaden the base
by attracting more centrist candidates worried that the harsh tone in
the 23rd spelled trouble for the future, particularly the 2010 midterm
elections.
"If we don't get some adult supervision, basically the party could
explode and split itself up," said former Virginia Rep. Tom Davis,
chief executive of the Republican Main Street Partnership, just days
before Scozzafava withdrew.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich had the same concern, and that's
why he endorsed Scozzafava early in the race. As other Republicans
threw their support behind Hoffman's momentum, Gingrich argued that
the party needed to be more inclusive of moderates if it had a hope of
retaking the majority.
He told The Associated Press he was disappointed, and "deeply upset"
that Scozzafava endorsed Owens.
"How could she have accepted all that support?" he said, adding later:
"I'm very, very let down because she told everybody she was a
Republican, and she said she was a loyal Republican."
Gingrich now backs Hoffman.
Scozzafava's support of Owens is angering Republicans back home as
well. State Republican chairman Ed Cox said her endorsement is a
"betrayal" of the people in the district and the party.
A recent Siena College poll showed her finishing a distant third
behind Owens and Hoffman. And in this upstate New York district,
Republicans never finish third. In its different configurations over
the years, a Republican has represented this part of New York since
1852.
Scozzafava did not return calls Sunday. Her husband, local labor
leader Ron McDougall, said he's supporting Owens because of his union
positions. He said his wife had been treated "harshly."
During the weekend, New York Democrat Sen. Charles Schumer and the
White House reached out to Scozzafava urging her to back Owens.
Big-name Republicans including Sarah Palin, Minnesota Gov. Tim
Pawlenty and former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson weighed in early in
the race, giving their support to Hoffman. Money poured into his
campaign from all over the country. In the process, Scozzafava was
left behind in fundraising.
Democrats are seizing on the race as evidence that Republicans won't
be able to retake the majority with a far right agenda.
On CBS' "Face The Nation," White House senior adviser David Axelrod
addressed whether he believes conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh
truly represents the direction the GOP is going.
"That's for the Republican Party to decide," Axelrod said. "I think
we've seen an interesting development over this weekend in a special
election in upstate New York in a congressional district. The
Republican candidate withdrew because of the strong third-party
movement behind a very right wing conservative. And certainly Mr.
Limbaugh and others were behind that. And I think it sends a clear
message to moderates within that party that there's no room at the inn
for them. That's why you see Republican identification in polls at a
historic low."
And Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to President Barack Obama, said
Republican leadership is "becoming more and more extreme and more and
more marginalized."
John Brabender, a veteran Republican consultant, said it's dangerous
to lump people together by label and suggest there's no room for
moderates.
"I think it's about how moderate, and how likely are they to be voting
with Republicans," he said. "I think it would be too grand of a
statement to say moderates have a target on their back."
Brabender said the outcome of Tuesday's race will be key as Democrats
and Republicans fight for what will be perceived as message-sending
wins in this and other off-year races. Democrats will try to scoop up
any disenfranchised moderate Republicans, while Republicans will argue
that this is the year the political pendulum swings back to the right.
"There's a renewed belief that the Republican Party has a number of
principles and people are going to look at the candidates running and
look at the consistency of their principles rather than if they have
an 'R' after their name," Brabender said.
A Republican loss in the 23rdwould leave the party with just two seats
in the 29-member state congressional delegation. |
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