A new Research 2000 poll commissioned by Daily Kos shows that the mess in the NY-23rd special election is getting nothing but messier. Compared to the previous poll, Democrat Bill Owens is again statistically tied--but this time, it's with Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman. Owens takes 33%, Hoffman 32%, and Republican Dede Scozzafava has slipped down to a distant third with 21% of the vote. Scozzafava and Hoffman were nearly reversed in the last poll, with the Republican getting 30% and the Conservative 23% respectively.
Undecideds in the new poll clocked in at 14%, making the whole thing very much up in the air.
Clearly, Scozzafava has suffered under the combination of the constant teabagging, the far-right endorsements of Hoffman--who has now taken the lead among registered Republicans--and the failure of her campaign to manage events.
I'll tell you what Dede should have done: Run as a Democrat. God knows there's more tolerance for diversity of opinion and moderates over here than there is back in the Republican caucus.
NY Teabag Conservative Party Chairman Michael Long made an appearance on Hardball this Friday and did his best Sarah Palin impersonation, i.e. not saying anything of substance about ANYTHING.
This race just keeps getting more fun to watch. The late breaking news tonight is that Caribou Barbie herself has endorsed Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman. That's right. The GOP's most recent VP nominee just declined to endorse the GOP's candidate and went on and gave her blessing to the teabagger. The ever awesome Weekly Standard has the scoop.
THE WEEKLY STANDARD just received a statement from Sarah Palin endorsing conservative Doug Hoffman for Congress:
The people of the 23rd Congressional District of New York are ready to shake things up, and Doug Hoffman is coming on strong as Election Day approaches! He needs our help now.
The votes of every member of Congress affect every American, so it's important for all of us to pay attention to this important Congressional campaign in upstate New York. I am very pleased to announce my support for Doug Hoffman in his fight to be the next Representative from New York's 23rd Congressional district. It's my honor to endorse Doug and to do what I can to help him win, including having my political action committee, SarahPAC, donate to his campaign the maximum contribution allowed by law.
Our nation is at a crossroads, and this is once again a "time for choosing."
I wonder if she can see Watertown from her house?
I'm not kidding when I say that I'm going to be sorry to see this one end.
I feel badly for Dede Scozzafava, I really do. She's been stuck with the position of trying to run as a moderate Republican in today's GOP climate. If the GOP is ever going to regain it's former status as, well, a party made up of more than kooks and racists, then it's desperately going to need people like her leading the charge back to the middle.
Unfortunately for her--and for the future of the Republican Party--that doesn't look too likely at this point. Under barrages from both the right and the left, Scozzafava's campaign seems to be coming apart under the strain.
Although the story is from Politico (and thus untrustworthy until proven otherwise), the Scozzafava campaign confirmed that they did call the police on a particularly aggressive reporter from the Weekly Standard. Since we have no objective account of the incident, it's hard to tell whether the police intervention was justified, but either way it's not going to sit well with a conservative base that already wasn't happy with the candidate's moderate tendencies.
Today Scozzafava, apparently trying to regain the initiative, went to Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman's headquarters to stage a photo op, demanding that Hoffman engage in more debates.
This was one of the classic blunders.
Everybody knows that you don't go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line, but only slightly less well known is this: never give your opponent free advertising. Such as, say, allowing your photo op and couple of supporters to be overrun and hijacked by the medium-sized horde of sign-bearing campaign workers that usually are present in campaign HQs.
With election day less than two weeks away, little committment from the national party, and more missteps with the base, I don't envy Scozzafava the position she's in. It's not going to be pretty.
UPDATE: Just to complete the job of brewing up a civil war between the sane and lunatic wings of the GOP, Glenn Beck decided to stick his head in and declare that Scozzafava was "endorsed by... an arm of ACORN!" (Oooh, boooga booga!), and "isn't a Republican."
Of course, being Glenn Beck, he manages to sound bat-shit crazy while he's saying it, first claiming not to follow "local" elections, then pulling out Scozzafava's previous WFP endorsement which he'd obviously been prepped on, then saying he knew nothing about her (not even apparently knowing at first that "he" was a "she"). He rounded out his loonery by saying "She's John McCain or Barack Obama." Which doesn't even make sense as a sentence, but then again, it's Glenn Beck.
"The special election for the 23rd Congressional District is an important test leading up to the mid-term 2010 elections," Gingrich said in a statement to supporters. "Our best chance to put responsible and principled leaders in Washington starts here, with Dede Scozzafava."
There are conservatives who don't want anything to do with Scozzafava. But Republican Party leaders don't want to come off as abandoning their candidate. The problem, of course, is that the conservatives in the party are questioning why the party is backing someone who is pro-choice, pro-equality and closer to the middle than most of the party's current leadership.
It has been said that this race is a referendum on President Barack Obama. I actually think it is the opposite. It is a referendum on the Republican Party.
In NY-20, Republicans put up a fairly well known candidate (Assemblyman Jim Tedisco) who was, at the time, minority leader of the Assembly. His opponent was Scott Murphy, someone who had never served in elected office and had to build up a profile to be considered a serious candidate. With hard work, Murphy won.
There is a similar situation brewing in NY-23, although we aren't going to count our chickens before they hatch. An elected official, Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava, is running on the Republican and the Democrats put up another non-elected official in businessman Bill Owens. Scozzafava's support has been questionable and Owens has taken advantage of the conservative revolt and built up a lead in this race.
This isn't about Obama. This is about the Republicans. They have work to do and they are throwing their candidate under the bus.
The 23rd wasn't include for obvious reasons. That race can serve as its own post, since three candidates are vying for it and there is no incumbent.
One of the things that stuck out to me was the great quarter Eric Massa had. His district - NY-29 - is a rural district that isn't really a wealthy district. So when he can bring in over $289,000 in a quarter where most upstate representatives only brought in half of that amount, it shows that he is a strong incumbent. The Republicans are gunning for him, but he's tough.
Dan Maffei had a very strong quarter - the best of any upstate representative and fourth-best of any member of Congress in the state.
If there is one thing you can say about Rangel, he is a great fundraiser. He was second to Steve Israel in this quarter, but not by much. His expenditures were high, but he still has a lot of money in the bank (not that he needs to worry about that).
For the most part, these are solid and typical numbers. As a resident of NY-26, it is interesting to see Lee's numbers. I wouldn't read too much into his mediocre quarter, but the list of donors who have contributed to his campaign makes for a "Best of Wall Street"-type list.
Democrat Bill Owens has come from behind to open a slim lead over Republican Dede Scozzafava in the race for the 23rd Congressional District seat, according to an independent poll released today.
If he holds onto his lead, Owens, a political newcomer, would become the first Democrat to represent the rural 11-county district of Northern and Central New York since the Civil War era.
Owens erased a 7 percentage point deficit in the past two weeks and is now the frontrunner with 33 percent of likely voters, the Siena College poll found.
Owens leads Scozzafava by 4 percentage points and Conservative Doug Hoffman by 10 points, according to the poll taken this week by the Siena Research Institute.
The House GOP conference is bitterly divided over a centrist New York Republican's run for the House seat vacated by Army Secretary John McHugh.
Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava, who backs abortion rights and has voiced support for gay rights, has drawn a challenger from the right who is running on the Conservative Party line. And though House leaders have urged conference members to donate, many have pointedly refused to back Scozzafava.
The Club for Growth, Concerned Women of America, former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.) and evangelical leader Gary Bauer have all endorsed Doug Hoffman, the Conservative Party candidate.
The divide could foreshadow bigger troubles ahead for a party that hopes to make big gains in the House in 2010 and dreams of taking back the majority. Some members think that will be impossible as long as the party is divided over supporting centrist candidates.
"The Hoffman campaign is a real revolt against the Republican establishment and leadership, not just in New York but nationally," said a conservative GOP congressman, adding that Scozzafava's candidacy "could set off a civil war inside the Republican Party."
Bill Owens isn't a Democrat (not officially, anyway, until he votes in November) and since he wasn't an elected official, much isn't known about him. I started looking at Owens and came up with a number of different positions, but there were more questions that came from that post.
Obviously, health care is a big issue. There has been some debate about where Owens stands. But now, at least to me, his stance is clear.
The question about Owens and his support of a public option might seem complicated, but it really isn't. Owens isn't opposed to a public option. That, to him, isn't the biggest piece.
He has outlined his ideas for health care reform already. If a public option is in a bill that meets his objectives, he will support it. That has been repeated to me over and over again. It's not the public option that he is opposed to. He wants to see a strong comprehensive bill. I think we all can agree that there is a such thing as a weak health care reform bill even with a public option. Because if we don't reform the whole system and just throw in a public option as a deal sweetener, that's not much of a reform package.
Owens wants a strong comprehensive bill. I think that's something we all want.
The Owens campaign also confirmed that Owens supports climate change legislation. When asked specifically about the bill that passed the House earlier this year, Owens said he would have supported (and supports) that legislation.
It is easy to look at Owens and say he is going to be a "conservaDem" or a "Blue Dog." He doesn't see himself as conservative or progressive. He seems himself as a moderate independent. Is he going to be the next Alan Grayson? Probably not. But I don't see him as the next Mike Ross either.
With Bill Clinton and the Working Families Party getting behind Owens it is time that we get behind him. Is he the perfect progressive? No. But he is a moderate that we can work with. He's a vote for climate change and for health care reform. He is for job creation and ending regressive taxation and wasteful tax cuts. Those are all good things we can get behind.
Plenty of good news on the campaign trail for Democratic candidate Bill Owens. A key minor party backed him and a key Democratic figure sent out an e-mail blast for him.
The Working Families Party announced today that it has endorsed Owens in the 23rd congressional district race featuring Owens, Republican candidate Dede Scozzafava and Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman.
The importance of the WFP endorsement will be known later, as the party is still plotting its course forward with the New York City elections just around the corner (although, it's hard to imagine that any of the candidates they have backed in the city have the task ahead of them like Owens, but I digress) and a number of issues they were going to be active on. It is key that they endorsed Owens when you consider that in 2004 and 2008, they supported Scozzafava. Of course, Scozzafava ran unopposed in both elections and there was no alternative.
Also helping Owens out today is former President Bill Clinton, who sent out a fundraising e-mail for Owens.
Here is part of the e-mail:
Every once in a while, a special election comes along that's bigger than just one candidate or one office. Such an election is taking place right now in Upstate New York. It can expand our Democratic Majority in Congress this year.
With the media closely watching this race, victory or defeat will also be seen as a referendum on President Obama's agenda for health care and on our entire progressive agenda. So it's critical that we stand together as Democrats behind our candidate, Bill Owens.
With just 26 days left before the November 3rd special election, Republicans and their conservative outside groups are expected to spend over a million dollars attacking Bill. Our top strategists just briefed me on this race. They said that Bill needs to raise $83,000 before Friday to stay on the air combating the more than $500K Republicans have already spent attacking him.
There is a lot going on in NY-23 today and in recent days. I'll have more on this race later.
The other day, I shattered the ugly belief that the Republican candidate in the 23rd congressional district, Dede Scozzafava, was the most liberal. That post was a direct response to Markos' post Thursday, which also included a critique of Democratic candidate Bill Owens.
One of the arguments made by Markos is that Owens is a "conservaDem" and that he would be just another member of the Blue Dog Coalition should he win in November. Owens, who was an independent but has changed his party affiliation to become a Democrat, was picked over two Democrats to run.
This doesn't surprise. A lot of people, including people here in New York, have made the same argument. Part of it has to do with a lack of research on Scozzafava. The other half of it is a lack of information on the Democratic candidate Bill Owens, who conservatives call "liberal" and some progressives like Markos have called a "Blue Dog."
After reading Markos' post multiple times, it seems he uses the following as important points for his "liberal" labeling of Scozzafava.
I find myself nodding and shaking my head in agreement with a lot of the latest commentary on the 23rd special election from Markos. I've said from the beginning that I was uncomfortable with Owens, a lifelong independent who doesn't seem to support a progressive agenda or even a mainstream Democratic agenda. All signs say that we would be better off with the most liberal Republican in the country than another conservadem in a Congress that already has too many conservadems. This blog is not simply a Democratic blog; it's a progressive blog, created by progressives who want to take back Albany. In the same way, that alliance towards the progressive agenda can and should take priority over an alliance to a subpar Democrat facing a quite decent Republican.
With nearly a month to go before the special election in the 23rd congressional district, Siena has released a poll showing Republican candidate Dede Scozzafava with a seven point lead over Democratic candidate Bill Owens.
Scozzafava comes in at 35 percent with Owens behind her at 28 percent. Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman, who has been trying to tout himself as the conservative option to Scozzafava, stands at 16 percent.
Some of the other highlights of the poll include:
- The poll asked respondents who would be the best candidate on six different issues: The economy, health care, wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, education, homeland security and bringing federal dollars to the district. Owens won or is tied with Scozzafava on five of the six issues. The only issue Owens lost to Scozzafava was the economy (25 percent to 23 percent, according to the poll). Those surveyed said that Owens would be best to address health care, the wars abroad and homeland security, while he tied with Scozzafava on education and bringing money to the district.
- An endorsement from former Congressman John McHugh might be helpful in the eyes of some voters. Of those surveyed, 40 percent said an endorsement from McHugh would make them more likely to support a candidate. Only seven percent said McHugh's endorsement would make them less likely to support a candidate.
Here are some other details from the press release:
Scozzafava leads Owens 53-23 percent, with 10 percent for Hoffman in the western North Country counties (Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence). Owens's largest lead is in the Central New York counties of Madison, Oneida and Oswego, 30 percent to 20 percent each for Scozzafava and Hoffman. The Democrat and Republican are virtually tied in the five counties of the eastern North Country (Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, and Hamilton), 32 percent for Owens, 31 percent for Scozzafava and 18 percent for Hoffman.
Scozzafava is viewed favorably by 33 percent of voters and unfavorably by 20 percent, with 47 percent not having an opinion. Owens has a 23-12 percent favorable rating, with 64 percent of voters undecided, while Hoffman has a 16-13 percent favorable rating, with 71 percent of voters undecided.
The good news for Owens is that he is still in this. He also has a good showing when it is broken up into issues. Being able to be trusted on certain issues is key and when voters trust you more than the Republican on most issues, that says a lot (even though he still trails in the overall poll).
Keep in mind that Owens has stayed out of the limelight for most of this. He has a few TV ads out, but he's let Scozzafava and Hoffman duke it out. That has its advantages. But he will need to get this party going if he plans on winning next month.
Governor David Paterson made the official announcement today setting the special election in the 23rd congressional district for November 3, this year's Election Day.
Governor David A. Paterson today issued a proclamation calling a special election to be held Tuesday, November 3, 2009, to fill a vacancy in the 23rd Congressional District due to the resignation of Congressman John McHugh.
"This special election will ensure that the residents of all or parts of Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Oswego and St. Lawrence counties are represented in the U.S. House of Representatives," Governor Paterson said. "I encourage all eligible voters to come out to the polls on November 3, 2009 to select their Member of Congress."
Governor Paterson issued the special election proclamation pursuant to Section 42 of the Public Officers Law. The Proclamation orders and proclaims that an election for a Member of Congress be held in the twenty-third Congressional District, including all or parts of Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Oswego and St. Lawrence counties and shall be conducted in the manner prescribed by law for elections in New York State.
This election is unlike any other. You have what conservatives are calling a liberal Republican - Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava - running on the Republican line. You have a moderate independent - Bill Owens - running on the Democratic line. And then you have a conservative Republican - Doug Hoffman - running on the Conservative Party line. It really is an odd election, to say the least. But it is an election nonetheless.
The Republican-conservative battle in the 23rd congressional district race is fun to watch and there is more coming out about the extent of it.
Republican candidate Dede Scozzafava's campaign passed along an e-mail to the Watertown Daily Times and in that e-mail was a message from Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman offering his support.
Jude Seymour from the Watertown Daily Timeshas the story:
Doug Hoffman pledged to help Dede Scozzafava in an e-mail sent two days after the Republican Party passed over the Lake Placid accountant for the nomination.
The e-mail, sent from Mr. Hoffman's business account on July 24 and provided by the Scozzafava campaign, states in full: "Hi Dede, Congratulations and the best of luck in your candidacy. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help. Doug."
...
I asked Mr. Hoffman today - through his spokesman - to explain why he told Ms. Scozzafava one thing and me another.
Here's the response I got from Rob Ryan, Mr. Hoffman's spokesman: "Like most Republicans, Doug Hoffman had no idea how liberal Dede Scozzafava is. The fact that Scozzafava has voted for higher taxes, increased spending and gay marriage proves she is way to liberal for the voters of upstate New York."
So Hoffman is one of two things: Either he is an opportunist who first promised support only to get backing from the Conservative Party in a run for Congress OR he really didn't know what Scozzafava was all about.
If it is the former, that wouldn't be surprising. It wouldn't be the first time a candidate saw an opening and realized that with the Conservative Party's help, he could run to the right of all candidates and try and rally the base for an upset victory.
But if it is the latter, it should raise questions about how just informed Hoffman is. He says he didn't realize just how "liberal" Scozzafava was and yet, she voted for the marriage equality bill in the Assembly back in 2007. Since Scozzafava has been labeled as "liberal" for only being pro-choice and pro-marriage equality, you would think that would have been a wake-up call for Hoffman. That's a vote everyone knows about, especially in political circles. He could have looked it up or he could have already know about it.
This whole battle has been all about ideology and nothing else. Hoffman, a fellow Republican, has gone after Scozzafava and labeled her as a liberal even though she isn't a full-blown liberal. Being left-of-center on two issues doesn't make her a liberal. Being left-of-center on ALL or MOST issues does.
With the NRCC posting stories that are more anti-Republican candidate Dede Scozzafava than anything, one has to wonder if there are Republicans who are quietly trying to sabotage Scozzafava and get behind Conservative Party candidate (and registered Republican) Doug Hoffman.
Also on the conservative front, former Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson endorsed Hoffman as well. In endorsing Hoffman, Thompson makes it clear why he did so.
"Doug is a conservative, who understands that our freedom is our greatest strength, that life is a precious gift, and that getting back to our founding principles will ensure our nation's security and prosperity for us and for our children and grandchildren."
Notice the use of "conservative" at the start and this phrase: "That life is a precious gift." That is a slight jab at Scozzafava for her pro-choice positions. Hoffman has noted many times that he is against abortion.
This is an odd race. The Republicans picked a candidate who is pro-choice and pro-equality, clearly a sort of change of pace from what the GOP normally nominates. Then the Conservative Party, angry at the GOP pick, selects a conservative Republican to run on their line. The Democrats followed by selecting a moderate independent to run.
Now, there is clearly a battle between the conservative wing of the Republican Party and the Republican Party. Conservatives seem to be making it their goal to elect Hoffman instead of the "liberal" Dede Scozzafava.
This is interesting for many reasons. For starters, it shows a great disconnect in the Republican Party. Conservatives have dominated the party for years and when that is challenged, they get outraged. So much for moderate Republicans being able to stand up and be counted too. (Of course, we all remember how John McCain was received by the likes of Ann Coulter and company.)
Letting Hoffman and Scozzafava go at it could benefit Owens. But Owens needs to show Democrats that he is on our side. Picking an independent has its advantages in this race, but for the party loyalists and progressives, it raises some questions. For example, people want to know whether or not Owens is pro-choice. That hasn't been made clear. We shouldn't have to dig too far for those answers, yet those answers haven't been given. We need to know.
All eyes are on this race. It's going to be a heck of a ride.
Earlier this week, I wrote about the NRCC posting a story on their website from Human Events that labeled Republican candidate Dede Scozzafava as "too liberal" and questioned her ties to ACORN because of past endorsements by the Working Families Party. If you go to the page on the NRCC website where the story was posted, it has since been removed.
Today, the NRCC posted a this story from The Hill on their website. The piece describes Doug Hoffman, the Conservative Party candidate, and his labeling of Republican candidate Scozzafava as "liberal."
Conservative Party special election candidate Doug Hoffman is up with an ad in the race for former Rep. John McHugh's (R-N.Y.) seat, and it takes square aim at the GOP nominee.
Hoffman, who has garnered plenty of attention as a little-'c' conservative alternative to centrist GOP Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava, uses the ad to push Scozzafava to the left.
The ad features a series of costumed characters and suggests Scozzafava is trying to hide her real ideology. The last costume features a suit and a Ronald Reagan mask.
"Pretending can't make you a Reagan Republican," the narrator says.
Look for Hoffman and Democratic nominee Bill Owens to continue to focus their message squarely on Scozzafava, who enters the race as the frontrunner.
The NRCC posted this story on their website. However, as you will notice if you follow the link, they have since taken the story down.
It makes you wonder where the NRCC stands. Do they support Scozzafava, who is the Republican in this race? Or do they support Hoffman because he is the conservative (ideology, not party) in the race?
It raises this question again: Do the Republicans support the Republican Party or do they support the conservative ideology? Would they rather go for ideology or the win for their party?
I know that there are progressive Democrats who would put their ideology first. But they would never put a Democrat in danger of losing to a Republican. The Republicans are throwing their candidate under the bus in the name of the conservative movement.
Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava, the Republican nominee, leads with 20 percent. Democratic candidate Bill Owens comes in at 17 percent and Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman also has 17 percent.
In case you don't know who the Club For Growth is, they are a pretty conservative group that wants to see the Bush tax cuts made permanent and believes in expanding free trade. So having this group come up with a poll that has such a diverse opinion of all three candidates is worth noting.
But like any of these polls, take it for what it's worth. There were only 300 people polled and the margin of error was over five percent.
The poll summary also shows the problems that the Republicans and conservatives (and perhaps Conservatives) will have as this race progresses. Those who are conservative Republicans might abandon their party and put ideology first by supporting Hoffman, who has separated himself as the conservative in this race while labeling Owens and Scozzafava as "liberals."
It does open up a chance for Owens to take the moderate vote (and apparently just as much of the conservative vote as Hoffman has) and win this election. I know people have certain opinions of Owens, but after learning more about him, he's not a bad candidate. (More on Owens later.)
Also out today is a new ad from the DCCC targeting Dede Scozzafava. This is in response to the ads sent out yesterday by the NRCC tying Owens to Pelosi in an attempt to, like Hoffman, make Owens look liberal.
One of the common critiques of the Republican Party is that they have gotten away from Republicans like Barry Goldwater or even Ronald Reagan. Instead of being for the Republican Party, they are instead a front for the conservative movement. It has worked in the past, but it only works so long and so often. With such a focus on conservatism (especially neo-conservatism), you are going to alienate certain moderates that consider themselves Republicans but aren't welcomed into a party whose leaders only want conservatives.
The NRCC has posted a story from Human Events on its website that reads, "Scozzafava Too Liberal for New York Conservatives." The piece highlights conservative outrage over Republican nominee Dede Scozzafava running on the Working Families Party line in the past, or as the piece called the WFP, "a wholly-owned subsidiary of ACORN."
Now, with the special election for McHugh's seat likely to be held November 3, will Scozzafava become the first Republican U.S. House hopeful to run with the ballot line of the Working Families Party -- whose co-founders include veteran leftist organizers Dan Cantor and Bob Master, the United Auto Workers and ACORN?
When I mentioned the endorsement of the WFP in the House race, Scozzafava spokesman Matt Burns told me "there has been no discussion of this." Asked about the party's ties to ACORN, Burns said that had Scozzafava been in Congress during the vote last week, "she would have voted to defund ACORN." He added that she has "straight As" from the National Rifle Association and voted against Democratic Gov. David Paterson's "bloated" budget this year (Burns conceded there were other issues on which the Republican has problems with conservatives in her party: she is pro-abortion, voted for gay marriage and, while not endorsing the controversial "card check" provision in the Employee Free Choice Act, she does support "reform in workers' ability to organize" -- a stand not too different from that of AFL-CIO President Rich Trumka when he said he could support EFCA without card check).
Regarding Scozzafava's ties to the WFP and the recent attacks from Hoffman and the Conservative Party, Burns and other Republicans in upstate New York reminded me that this is a "first," that since 1998, more than eighty Republican candidates have sought office running with both the Conservative and WFP ballot lines.
"Yes, and when I have learned about candidates who have the Conservative Party endorsement and then allow themselves to be corrupted by accepting the Working Families endorsement, I try to strip them of our ballot line," New York Conservative Party Chairman Mike Long told me, "Running with the WFP and our line is totally unacceptable."
...
Given the Working Families Party's ties to ACORN and the furor over tax dollars to the community action colossus, it will be interesting to watch whether Dede Scozzafava pursues their endorsement once again.
While I would love to see the Working Families Party endorse someone else, I don't really see why the NRCC would endorse this piece by posting it on their website nor do I see the logic of Republicans jumping on board with this. The Working Families Party is a ballot line. If Scozzafava has it, that means no one else has it. She gets the votes on that line. Who wouldn't want that?
But this willingness to essentially throw their candidate under the bus could come back to bite the Republicans. They are already facing heat from conservatives for backing Scozzafava and the Conservative Party in New York has gone with their own candidate, Doug Hoffman. There are duels going on between conservatives and conservative Republicans. Some Republicans support Scozzafava, but others are siding with Hoffman based on ideology. If that holds up heading into this election, it could be trouble for both.
I like this ad because it gives you that personal side of a candidate while mixing in a strong policy issue (jobs) and that closing line ("right now, we need to fight for upstate New York") is a very good one.
