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EDITOR OF REDSTATE

On Newt Gingrich’s Endorsement

By: Erick Erickson (Diary)  |  October 16th, 2009 at 10:45 AM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

A lot of people have called me and emailed me to say that the original post that was here was too rough on former Speaker Gingrich. I’ll concede that this could be the case and replace the text with this instead.

For several weeks conservative leaders have been asking Mr. Gingrich to sit out of NY-23, knowing Pete Sessions and others were pressuring Gingrich to get in. I’ve been told by several that they thought they had an understanding with the Speaker. Today’s endorsement took many of them by surprise and a number feel betrayed.

An unconfirmed rumor is that the endorsement was in exchange for Dede Scozzafava pledging to support tax cuts. That should tell you all you need to know.

The conservative movement has made NY-23, like the Florida Senate race, a Hill to Die On. Here, in New York of all places, the conservative movement will tell the GOP that it will either win with conservatives or lose without them. Conservatives across the spectrum of conservatism from Fred Thompson to Mike Huckabee and on and on have told the GOP it is time to turn back to limited government and will fight the GOP in NY-23 for supporting a woman who embraces large government and destructive social policies.

It is unhelpful when people like Newt Gingrich break away from the movement to endorse candidates who are also supported by Planned Parenthood, NARAL, ACORN, unions,, etc. and a woman who has several hundred thousands of dollars of tax liens and business failures galore to go with them.

Perhaps I said more than I should have in my earlier post as I was rather angry about this turn of events when I wrote it. So let me now say that, at least, along with a great deal of the movement that has felt Newt to be one of us, I am disappointed.

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  • penguin2

    past year shows him to be nothing more than an out of power politician, looking to make a comeback and find relevancy again. He is definitely not the face the GOP needs in 2012. His time has come and gone, and he has squandered any capitol he had with Conservatives.

    We may be a long time in the wilderness.

  • Xasteius
  • Xasteius
  • Bobcat51

    when he sat on that d** sofa with Pelosi ! The man is becoming a menace, could never vote for this Chameleon.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qi6n_-wB154

  • pirate55

    There is a reason for this title. This is why we are at our current juncture. The terms “out of touch” and “indifference” and “unreasonable sense of privilege” come to mind. That, and I would feel badly if conservatives looked back to Gingrich, rather than forward to the new conservatives who realize that politics is merely the vehicle, not the desitination.

  • penguin2

    story is about the NY-23 race. Interesting take on our movements involvement with the races. The old GOP guard is having a difficult time coping with the people who want principled conservative candidates. We may lose this race to the Democrat, but at least the GOP will know that it can no longer be business as usual.

    Here is the link.

  • Spartan4Life

    He has no personal appeal and will be outed as a phony conservative.

    Maybe we can end the myths about Gingrich once and for all and move on.

  • http://www.libertylives.org madnorskie

    So it goes with Republicans who start to see themselves as important, rather than the principles and ideals which they are supposed to be championing.

    Keep it up Erick… soon the power hungry will find no shelter among the free.

  • ciscoguy

    They certainly have the credentials, acumen and leadership skills necessary for the job (at least in contrast to the do-nothing gasbag we hired last November). I know they have expressed no interest in seeking office, but let’s hope they change their minds.

  • A_Texan

    Erick,

    I strongly disagree. Endorsing her can be fairly seen to be a strategic decision–not some abdication of principle.

    I disagree with such a strategy. I think our cause is better off with a Dem rather than a RINO unti 2010, when a genuine conservative will win in the NY 23rd.

    Still, I can’t say that Newt is crazy (let alone cowardly or craven) in his assessment. He no doubt believes that Scozzafawa is the best the GOP can do in the district, and therefore more likely to get the GOP to 218. And yes, a 218 composed of some RINOS is better than 210 of the pure. For instance, it was better that Specter and Chafee voted “R” from ’02 through ’04 in the Senate.

    Newt should be able to reasonably disagree with me (or you) on this matter and not be subject to anathema.

  • Spartan4Life

    She didn’t explicitly say so but it was pretty clear she was swept up into Obamaphoria before and after last year election. I think she was pretty average SoS and no idea what her domestic ideas are.

    Petraeus has at least shown superior leadership skills. He deserves credit for not getting up and walking out of those silly Congressional hearings.

  • USNJIMRET
  • http://www.erickerickson.org Erick Erickson

    Not in this. You are outright wrong.

    All the polling shows Hoffman making big inroads and gains. All the polling shows Scozzafava collapsing.

    Likewise, when your political enemies are supporting a candidate, it is a huge flag that there is something wrong with the candidate.

    This was not a strategic decision, this was classic beltway thinking wherein the establishment detached from reality and its base decided to go with the person who the party chairs labeled an “R” instead of the actual “R.”

    Better the Democrat win than Scozzafava. Besides, and this is a key point, this district is only around for another year then goes away because of redistricting. Why waste the political capital?

  • Read Chesterton

    But when a political party stands for nothing, it fails to stand.

    I thing it was Father John Corapi who said it best… “If you stand for nothing, you’ll fall for anything.”

  • Old_Dominion

    become such a bad thing? Moderates are always asked to suck up our differences with conservative nominees…why isn’t the same demanded when, God forbid, a moderate gets nominated–especially when the election happens to be in a deep blue state?

  • penguin2

    If this does not work, go to WJS today, front page below the fold “Tea-Party Activists Complicate Republican Comeback Strategy.”

    http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125564976279388879.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLETopStories

    If you see this TNJim, I don’t know why the toolbar link failed, I pasted the URL in the box, clicked ok and the whole URL showed, not just the text. And then failed :(

  • http://www.therightscoop.com therightscoop

    Newt can’t be like Colon Powell.

    He’s a rock star of the conservative movement.

    wowza.

  • Old_Dominion

    Better the Democrat win than Scozzafava. Besides, and this is a key point, this district is only around for another year then goes away because of redistricting. Why waste the political capital?

    The district won’t disappear until the 2012 election. The 2010 race will still be under the old lines.

  • proudgop

    How do we know if this district is erased? GOP could regain State Senate and Rudy could win Gov mansion and we control redistricting then

    The thought of NY only having 2 Republicans in DC representing her is scary

  • E Pluribus Unum

    If you read Senator Coburn’s book, you get a somewhat different picture of Gingrich than you do from the standard party line.

  • randy streu

    the only reason New York is deep blue is New York City. Period. NY-23 is NOT New York City. We CAN elect a Conservative here. And, BECAUSE of how liberal NYC is, we ought to elect Conservatives where we can to offset the damage.

    Which is why I’m voting for Hoffman, supporting Hoffman and denouncing Scozzafava every time I can.

  • randy streu

    I’m looking into this, and soon to be working like hell to get a campaign going to stop it. I don’t know if it’ll do any good, but this area is already underrepresented. Redistricting would be spitting in the face of every resident here.

  • proudgop

    who won seat in 2010 Obama or McCain?

    I thought it was close? 52% one way or the other

  • Common_Cents

    Throwing him under the bus for an endorsement?

    Yeah, I was outraged when he did some ad with Pelosi but I’m going to judge him on his overall body of work.

    How about some activism on keeping Newt on the straight and narrow? A few calls, emails keeping him in check rather than throwing him under the bus.

    We don’t have many prospects at the moment who can take on the LameStreamMedia like Newt can. Let’s point his ability in the right direction rather than run him over.

    Obvious extreme RINOs do need to be dealt with but Newt gets the benefit of the doubt from me.

  • Old_Dominion

    in the next redrawing. Given the upstate population losses, this district is either going to have to go, or be so reconfigured as to make it, at best, competitive if not Dem-leaning.

  • Common_Cents
  • randy streu

    You can’t use last election as the measure of areas like this. Frankly, some folks who should know better stayed home, or voted for Obama out of spite against the GOP. And believe me, I understand the frustration.

    this place tends to lean center-right. It’s not a libertarian area by any stretch, but in a center-right place like this, Conservatives CAN and DO get elected. A Hoffman victory is still very possible here.

  • Old_Dominion

    and President Bush carried it by slim margins. It’s not, say, Jose Serrano’s district, but it’s not even the most Republican district in the state. A moderate Republican can win–but not if the party base decides to support a third party candidate.

  • DavidSage

    Newt is undeniably brilliant, and I think he has done more to advance conservative policy than any single man save Reagan. I don’t consider this one Republican endorsement to have undone all that. The former Republican Speaker of the House endorsed the Republican nominee.

    That being said, the man could never win the White House anyway. Too many people vote on the man, not the ideas or policies, and Newt has more baggage than an airport.

    Newt is best as an activist, consultant, and policy wonk behind the scenes.

  • Old_Dominion

    What kind of redrawing would help upstate NY get adequate representation? It’s really a shame what has happened to that region.

  • JX12

    Oh, wait. I’m not a site administrator.

    Oh well – it was fun to pretend for a moment.

  • Read Chesterton

    Man am I glad to see you write that. We have so much of this “Scozzafava” phony R type stuff going on at the local level in NJ (and I’m sure other places) that party registration probably seems a meaningless exercise to most people. The worst part is the “tradition” in many towns, boros, and most counties, of not even advertising party affiliation, which allows for much mischief. It’s not uncommon for popular figures to get into town council and literally maneuver local governement into disincorporation, first via attempted “shared services” agreements, and privatizations, in the interest of merging with a neighboring town where they do business with Party cronies.

    The democrats, w/r/t the above practices, are bad. But the liars who paint themselves as fiscally conservative (faux R’s) are the most insidious.

  • yabadabadoing

    He never seemed to realize that he was in a war, and that the enemy, was trying to kill him and anyone else they could get to.

    He was always trying to befriend them. Bring them over to a cooperative relationship. Every time he did so, they cut another chunk out of him and he never learned anything from it.

    Now I hear he’s done these things, which are unfathomable, except if considered in light of the unfathomable acts and omissions, of other republicans. It does sometimes seem that some of them are “owned” and not by the republican party.

    It troubles me that such things are very much, a part of the operational processes and principles, of those enemies.

  • http://andrightlyso.com/ civil_truth

    Thank you for confirming what posters at RedState have been saying for at least the past year

    And we advocate should blindly endorse the judgment of the local party leadership (remember this was not a primary vote)? Especially when there is a viable conservative alternative.

    McCain wasn’t enough tribute for you – you want to actively sabotage every conservative Republican’s campaign?

    What will sink our country in the end will not be the radicals on the left, now that they have dropped their drawers and exposed themselves – it will be the opportunistic and unprincipled P?tains in our midst who put personal power before country.

    And yes, Vichy France is an appropriate historical analogy – because those are the ones who will enable the left to consolidate its grip on power and destroy the institutions that protect us from tyranny.

  • randy streu

    And again, Hoffman can still win.

    For the record, Dede is not a moderate. She’s left of center. If she were a Democrat, she’d be a moderate — but frankly the (D) choice is MORE Conservative than she is.

  • ciscoguy

    I know that in the few times she’s spoken out since the election, she’s defended the Bush anti-terror policies pretty vehemently.

    Come to think of it, I thought I remember her being asked who she was supporting in the election, to which her response was that she was a Republican and they could draw their own conclusions – or something to that effect. If that’s all it was, that’s a pretty weak endorsement of Obama if you can call it that. The way I read it was that she just wanted to stay out of the political fray.

    Agreed about first knowing what their domestic policies/domestic policies would be.

  • Richard Mullins

    Really, the number hasn’t really changed since 1911 and frankly it’s making districts that have representatives that don’t care about their constituents. Large spreadout districts have this problem. We might want to take a cue from our state houses on the amount of districts. I’m not sure about NY state but here in Texas an average district has slightly less than 140,000 people in it. Not too bad, but the average house district is about the size of a mid-sized city(Amount seems to equal a city like Austin[650,000+]). It’s only going to get worse as time goes along.

  • mikefisk

    After all, it seems like there are quite a few people that have been deemed anathema along similar lines in the past, only to have somebody on the site apologize for ragging on them when they do something right.

    Simply put, if you’re going to start throwing everyone under the bus for something that you don’t agree with, sooner or later there’s just a pile of bodies.

    While I can’t fathom what in the blazes Newt’s thinking, and probably wouldn’t have voted for him in 2012 anyway, this sort of logic just boggles the mind.

    Then again, it seems more and more that I’m anathema to a lot of the site…

  • mschmitt

    I don’t think the silence you heard coming from Secretary Rice was an endorsement of Obama. I think she just had enough of the national politics scene and wanted to go off into the academic sunset as uncontroversial as possible.

    I don’t know if she is a conservative, I don’t know if she was as brilliant in that role as she seemed (although certainly so in comparison with her predecessor and successor), but I’m fairly certain that she’s an honest person; and I’d be satisfied with a few more people like that in Washington regardless of ideology. Either way, I’d be shocked if she ever went back.

  • randy streu

    If ANYTHING, it ought to be split into two districts, rather than absorbed. I’ve seen some of the redistricting plans. They create an even larger and more underrepresented district.

    Upstate/Northern NY has become essentially a plaything for Albany’s corruption.

  • Read Chesterton

    not no way, not no now.

    That said, she never claimed to be. Competent? Yes. Principled? Yes. Conservative? No more so than Peggy Noonan.

  • Old_Dominion

    McCain wasn?t enough tribute for you – you want to actively sabotage every conservative Republican?s campaign?

    What I want is to support the party’s nominees. Not just the nominees so long as they fit a pre-determined ideological profile. Either there’s a big tent, or there isn’t. I prefer that there be one.

  • http://impudent.blognation.us/blog kyle8

    you said:”And yes, a 218 composed of some RINOS is better than 210 of the pure. For instance, it was better that Specter and Chafee voted ?R? from ?02 through ?04 in the Senate.”

    On what planet? In case you didn’t notice here is what that got us. Lots of debt, lots of bad legislation, and republicans being blamed for it all. Then a bunch of democrats got elected. I see no advantage whatsoever to rino’s and I am sick and goddamn tired of the old arguments that we ought to put up with them for the sake of party unity.

    The principle is clear, Republicans do much better in this country, and as a party when they stick to conservative, especially fiscally conservative principles and whenever they backslide they get a shellacking at the polls.

  • Read Chesterton

    And yes, a 218 composed of some RINOS is better than 210 of the pure.

    If we’re talking about choosing power over principles, you are correct. Step right over here and stand next to Mr. Gingrich.

    What you are saying is just a sweetened up version of “The ends justify the means.”

  • http://michigantaxes.com/wordpress/ Jason Gillman

    I have had my concerns about Newt ever since the first time I saw him sitting with Pelosi on the couch supporting “green” BS.

    This makes it even more clear.

  • randy streu

    she was selected by eleven people in a closed room.

  • http://impudent.blognation.us/blog kyle8

    The big tent argument is valid only if it includes, Conservatives, Libertarian conservatives, and moderate conservatives, and conservatives who differ on one or two issues.

    It does not, and cannot include outright liberals, We already have a party for liberals, or for opportunistic squishes who have no real ideology but getting reelected. That party is the Democratic party, go there if you are not some sort of a genuine conservative.

  • Read Chesterton

    My comment was directed at whoever you quoted, not to you.

  • http://www.erickerickson.org Erick Erickson

    Let’s hold NO ONE on our side accountable.

    Who cares that the conservative movement has made this a hill to die on between principle and sheer politics!

    Who cares that the Democrat is to the right of the Republican.

    Who cares that the conservative is actually viable.

    Heyyyyy. It’s okay. We’ll just ditch our standards and say “You did good a decade ago. Never mind the global warming nonsense, the make nice with Nancy Pelosi, the hurting the Republican candidate in MD-01 because he dared beat your friend, it’s all ok.”

    I venture to say I’m more pragmatic than most of you, but when we’re fighting the good fight, being knifed in the back by “allies” is not helpful and they should be called to account.

  • http://andrightlyso.com/ civil_truth

    My McCain statement was in response to your line:

    Moderates are always asked to suck up our differences with conservative nominees?why isn?t the same demanded when, God forbid, a moderate gets nominated?especially when the election happens to be in a deep blue state?

    I’m noting how the NRSC in particular is actively trying to sabotage the primary campaigns of notable conservatives – they failed in Pennsylvania, but are working hard in Florida, etc.

    But now you’ve compounded your illogic by objecting to “a pre-determined” ideological profile. But tell me, if your party’s candidates in toto are holding every political position, why have a party?

    The Democrats allow their people to say what they will to get elected but when voting time comes, they have to support the hard left position – and then talk their way around it.

    On the other hand, the Republicans refuse to have party discipline for fear of “pushing out” the representative, and then you wonder why people get tire of voting for the same old mush.

    As a military strategy, your attempt with outnumbered troops to encircle the enemey from both flanks is a recipe for disaster; you lose the center and then its mop-up time. And this is exactly the strategy debate that’s going on now with our two parties. And it’s the “moderates” who want to pursue a doomed strategy.

  • mikefisk

    …but, as I’ve said in the past, and will continue to say, we should be focusing our fire on those who are truly opposed to our principles. Scozzafava is one of them… like you, I don’t care that they have an R next to their name; if they’re as bad or worse than the Democrat, then they shouldn’t be allowed near the halls of power.

    My main objection is to tar and feather anyone in the proximity of them with the same brush. While Newt is really an entity in and of himself alone, he is, on balance, on our side. I cannot, and will not, write him off solely on the grounds of this particular (albeit idiotic) decision on his part.

    I guess I have to agree about the feeling of betrayal of Newt backing this individual, but I’m going to concentrate my fire on those who are actively opposed to our respective causes.

  • Finrod

    Condi wisely kept her mouth shut.

  • yabadabadoing

    At least we better try to be! All and all, I’d rather it was me running things! Since I can’t do it, I want someone just like me! I know what I believe and if you don’t think the same way, I won’t vote for you. It’s that simple. And don’t tell me that we have to be satisfied with what we’ve got or are given. That washes only with those who don’t see what is happening.

    The democrat party was never a Marxist party and now it is. It is because the Marxists took it over and became the leadership of that party and will never let go. We might now notice a certain leftward tilt to the republican party of somewhat recent development. I don’t believe in accidents in politics, especially when dealing with Marxists.

    I have my litmus tests and most of the republicans are failing them. You best believe in and support the Constitution and Bill of Rights, without reservation or attempt at evasion if you want my vote.

    I understand the political animal and they better understand me. I don’t like being lied to by republicans anymore than democrats.

    And one more other thing. It would be in your best interests to relieve me of my concerns regarding the voting process and or the counting and corruption thereof.

    Think they’re listening? You know the answer to that. That little voice inside you is giving you the answer, followed by a whole bunch of questions that you also know the answers to, and they aren’t very pretty.

  • Finrod

    One of my Modest Proposals of how to fix the Congress is to limit House districts to 50,000 citizens. Sure, this would make the House have somewhere just over 6000 members, but I don’t have a problem with that.

  • http://andrightlyso.com/ civil_truth

    Without heating or air conditioning we’d have very short sessions, and we’d all be better off for it. :)

    Seriously, how could you possible have a republican form of government with a 6000-member assembly? That’s a complete set-up for a putsch.

  • shadowtax

    Newt Gingrich was Speaker of the House. For better or worse that means he has unique experience with the management of a governing GOP majority. He is an articulate man of ideas, good and bad. I want men and women like him to be part of the GOP establishment.

    This is a special election for an open GOP seat. The party has an interest in retaining that seat. A candidate was selected by the local party to run in the special election. It is unfortunate that there was no primary, but the rules were followed. A liberal was nominated. Conservatives lost. Conservatives are free to vote for the Conservative nominee, but should not be surprised or outraged when the GOP backs the GOP candidate.

    Like it or not there is need for an establishment for the party to function. I understand that there will be conflict with that establishment.

    If the Dems pick up this seat, the media will use that victory to distort the message of the 09 elections. I can already hear the talking points and see the headlines for Nov 4: Mixed Signals – GOP Wins Govs – Dems Win In House.

    Ronald Reagan recognized that a party must project an image of strength and unity when he wrote his 11th Commandment. Instead we engage in unconstructive Red on Red violence.

  • mom2oneson

    I don’t know why republicans were not outraged by his child welfare (child protection, adoption, foster care) work. I would never vote for him ever.

  • wgsampson

    What does Hoffmann have to do to win. Does he need to win a majority in a run off, or will a plurality do? And, given the increased motivation of conservatives, doesn’t this endorsement help him? Liberals hate Newt, so they will down on Scozzafava. Conservatives will see this as further abandonment by GOP establishment types. Result – Hoffmann wins. Or is it not that simple in NY?

  • mom2oneson
  • Richard Mullins

    that being about the present 139,000+ not the possible 160,000, that would work. For some districts, it would make more representation in other districts, it would make it were there was less pork sent from the congresscritter(here in TX-02 most of the pork that he’s been placing is in Beaumount and not around here). We can’t have this go on and expect any good representation.

  • http://andrightlyso.com/ civil_truth

    Spinning this as a victor for a Republican strategy of moving to the left and castigating conservatives as having lost their influence.

    The point is that conservatives will lose big in the eyes of the media if either the D or the R wins.

    Whereas, if the Conservative Party challenger would, that would send a message to both national party leadership- but especially the Republican leadership – that they would hear, even as the media bury the story.

    We can’t ever expect favorable press from the MSM. So let’s not skew our stategy in a misbegotten effort to gain a favorable story – that’s a fool’s errand and how we lose elections.

  • farstar99

    he was as dead to me as John McCain is.

  • Richard Mullins

    of course, we could convert the office buildings to meeting areas for congresscritters and have video conferencing so they can see it and vote on it. We can do that here in the 21st Century.

  • http://www.redstate.com/tnjim TNJim

    there are 2 http://’s at the start of the URL. When you create a hyperlink the drop down box already has one http://. It is usually highlighted so that when you paste in your link just one shows. It must have become un-highlighted so that when you pasted in your link you got http://http:// at the start. A link killer :)

    Proofreading works even with the toolbar. :) Happens to me too sometimes, so I just delete one http://

  • Achance

    Might be a good time to move the place where at least the House meets as well. There really should be at least some likelihood of a Member of Congress having to actually rub elbows and stand in line at the grocery store with a constituent. Most Members live in a bubble surrounded by staff and sycophants and never have to sully themselves with contact with mere mortals.

    We have the same problem with our much too small State legislature. Even in a state with a very small population, a member of the Legislature can pretty much avoid mere constituents if they choose.

  • Martin Knight

    She was selected by a bunch of principle-free establishment who wrongly concluded that a conservative or conservatism “cannot” win.

    Considering that we nominated one of your vaunted “moderates” for President last year, and the fact that he not only failed to make any inroads in Purple states as the “Conservatism Can’t Win” establishment promised, he also lost reliably Red states (including a state (VA) no Republican has failed to carry for 44 years!), having a “moderate” on the ballot is now frankly a lose-lose proposition. They don’t win. And even if they do win, they go on to vote with the other side.

    And those that do manage to get into office invariably swiftly go on to confirm exactly what was feared about them.

    The ones in executive positions are almost always incompetent and unable to make decisions and stick by them because they lack the principles and conviction to withstand opposition – so time and again, they adopt the other side’s agenda as their own.

    The ones in judicial and legislative positions regularly whore their votes out for headlines and cheap praise from liberal columnists. Let’s be honest; what is recognizably Republican about Schwarzenegger? Olympia Snowe? Arlen Specter? Lincoln Chafee?

    One gets the feeling that if Nancy Pelosi were to call herself a Republican, you’d be falling all over yourself to endorse her for President in 2012.

  • Richard Mullins

    and it would be perfect for a legislature that size. I would make think a little more and hopefully they could look for their constituents every chance they got.

  • A_Texan

    If you favor the advance of the principles, it is immoral to refuse to be prudent in pursuing them. If 218 stops Cap and Trade, and whatever else the liberals have cooked up from now until 2013, then it’s worth pursuing. For the 218 will give the conservative majority of the Republican Party control of the House agenda.

    There’s nothing immoral in choosing allies who are not allied with you in everything. It was not immoral to ship tons of armaments to Stalin in order to defeat Hitler. And it’s not immoral to give an endorsement to a RINO to defeat Pelosi (and no, this is an ANALOGY, not an EQUIVALENCE–note to potential liberal morons).

    As I said, I don’t think all things considered, Newt is being prudent. But it’s a reasonable disagreement.

  • Common_Cents

    You call for activism by people emailing, mailing, calling congress, a great thing. Why not with Newt? He is a huge resource and a great weapon against the left. He might need some redirection at times and on certain issues like any other conservative but to go all or nothing on someone like that will leave our tent nearly empty. Are you saying he is a radical RINO that needs to be dealth with?

  • http://andrightlyso.com/ civil_truth

    At best, the “moderates” will have the whip hand – which will make things worse because they will blame conservatives for being unable to rule.

    Or you may even have what transpired in TN House (until the recent special election) where an opportunistic R voted to keep the minority Democrats in charge of the legislature.

    There’s nothing magic about 218. After all, the greatest damage to the Republican Party occurred when the Republicans were in charge and acted like pigs rather than conservatives – and got their bacon fried.

  • Martin Knight

    Where are the limits of your Big Tent?

    Understand, a political party is not a sports team or mutual admiration society. You’re not supposed to be a Republican because you like elephants or because red is you favorite color.

  • Vegas_Rick

    that’s a huge IF A_Texan. And, since those are the big issues that the RINO’s typically bolt on, (stimulus?) I don’t want to take the chance on “bipartisan” destruction of our country. I’d rather leave it to the statists to do on their own.

    Besides, with a little support, the conservative, Hoffman could win this thing.

  • Vegas_Rick
  • Vegas_Rick

    She’s a freaking liberal, not a moderate. Look at her record and her positions.

    What good is the R if she votes against us on the important issues?

  • mikefisk

    We’re aware Scozzafava is nobody we want to side with… what we’re saying is that is an association with her enough to cause us to disassociate from people who have done a great deal for our side over the years?

    I’ll express my displeasure, sure, but I’d rather be gunning for Dede than Newt.

  • Read Chesterton

    There?s nothing immoral in choosing allies who are not allied with you in everything.

    My allies will identify as allies. If they identify as compatriots and then vote to let down the drawbridge and open the gates to the enemy, I couldn’t well feel good about myself for garnering their support in strengthening the castle walls.

  • Joshua Persons
  • penguin2

    to go in my folder of helps. I always appreciate your assistance, kind sir.

    Thank you, from a tech challenged penguin :)

  • Common_Cents
  • http://hillbillypolitics.com Steph C

    Before we can see them, we have to clean out the clutter of the establishment. Petraeus isn’t running and Condi is part of the establishment.

    It’s time to look forward, not backwards.

  • Read Chesterton

    just that he said it best.

    Just sayin’.

    Thanks for the source. :-)

  • JadedByPolitics

    I am not quite sure how he slid into everyone’s good graces since that time but he has been a forgotten candidate for me from that moment forward and I see that I was correct.

    Newt is a waste of money and time for anyone who wants to see the Republican Party become more Conservative!

  • dagnyt

    I believe Newt is going to run in 2012.

    I am not qualified or interested in explaining his motives but this DOES appear to be a strange endorsement (he has been going around the country supporting SOLID conservatives) and I wonder whether there is more to this endorsement than meets the eye.

    Since Scozzafava is the “establishment” candidate (wretched as that is) I wonder whether or not he’s busy collecting chips from the various local powers that be……

    He has also been running around with Al Sharpton to talk abt education and regularly speaks about “tri-partisanship”.

    Is this perhaps just another ugly political move that is offensive to those, like myself, who believe in the core principles of conservatism, that is perhaps a necessary evil for him?

    There may be more on the ground locally than we can tell.

  • proudgop

    then defeat her in the next primary by all means but do not allow the headlines to read

    “Dems Expand House”

  • http://andrightlyso.com/ civil_truth

    And at its heart I don’t think that Erick is saying that this in isolation would merit such a sentence.

    But I do think Erick is making two points:

    1) If you step back and look at the larger picture, we see that Newt historically has been one of the more articulate expounders of conservative principles, but on the political tactics front, he is increasingly taking an accomodative position towards liberals and Democrats even as the latter move further and further left. That leaves us chasing our tail.

    And in that Erick and others of us see a pattern developing of pushing the Republicans to the left and sabotaging conservatives, that does not exactly give us any reason to want this fellow to lead our troops. Newt may still have a role as a theoritician, but not as a leader.

    2) Erick sees this election as a particularly egregious example of this running to the left strategy, even such that the Scozzafava is to the LEFT of the Democratic opponent. Normally we might just hold our noses, but since a) this was an insider nomination and b) there is a legitimate 3rd party conservative contestant, this is a rare case where conservatives have an alternative to holding our noses.

    So while it may be a bit much to demand that party officials and would-be leaders support Hoffman, it does seem reasonable for them to at least keep neutral – or even to not publically go our and endorse Scozzafava.

    For Gingrich to thus stick his finger in conservatives’ eyes will have the natural consequence that conservatives will not find him a credible political leader of conservatism.

    Not to mention reminding us how once Newt got into power, he snatched defeat out of the jaws of victory – and wants to do that preemptively again in 2009-10.

    That’s the problem, not just a failure to pass a single litmus test.

  • Vegas_Rick

    He’s certainly not helping us now.

  • shadowtax

    The Republicans have their nominee. If being a Republican means anything it means supporting the nominee of your party against the Democrat. For millions of Americans elections, come down to D vs. R. Like it or not. And in real terms a vote for

    My point is that this election is already lost to conservatives. The attacks on the NRCC and Gingrich do more harm than good.

    If you choose not to support the GOP, that is fine. However, it is foolish to expect and demand that GOP politicians do the same. Conservatives can go vote for the Conservative Party in droves. I would! But I do not expect the GOP establishment figures to do likewise.

    This level of rancor is foolish outside of a primary fight. The special election is being blown entirely out of proportion here. The GOP has already lost this election by picking a bad candidate. Why beat up good allies with the Rod of Authenticy in a losing effort?

  • http://andrightlyso.com/ civil_truth

    I was specifically addressing your argument as to how the media would view a Democratic victory as a reason to support Scozzafava over Hoffman.

    I said nothing about you spinning, rather criticizing your basing your position (in part) on how the media would spin it.

    Rather than respond to that, you revert to the “support your party” argument. I’ll let others more versed in New York politics address that further – that is a whole separate discussion.

    However, I’d still want to know – are you still going to allow the media to shape your position, or are you backing off that line of argument?

  • Joe Rivers
  • Joe Rivers
  • Old_Dominion

    wouldn’t win a Republican primary for president. I’m talking after the nominees are decided.

    Democrats didn’t get to their majority by running people like Charlie Rangel in marginal and conservative districts. They did it with unabashed liberals in blue areas, and guys like Travis Childers and Bobby Bright in red areas. You can vote for the third party candidate and beat your chest over how you took a stand on principle (as another GOP seat becomes a vote for Pelosi for Speaker), or you can take the R where you can, get closer to 218 Republican seats, and relegate the Democrats to minority status. And if Scozzafava turns out to be the dud that so many fear, primary her in 2010.

  • Old_Dominion

    But I don’t think being a liberal or moderate Republican is on par with being a communist or fascist. There are political realities in the northeast, and just as the Dems adjusted with their southern candidates who probably made the Kos Krowd go nuts, the GOP is going to need to accommodate the Jim Douglas / Susan Collins / George Voinovich flank to grow the party. That doesn’t mean running Scozzafava-types in South Carolina, but it does mean not running Sen. Jim DeMint-types in the northeast.

    Even if you believe that Doug Hoffman is a viable option, he isn’t running with an R next to his name–Dede Scozzafava is, and as the former titular head of the Republican Party and Speaker of the House, I think Newt Gingrich was right to stand behind her.

  • randy streu

    I’ve said over and over, with absolutely NO response, there is NO point in having a Republican, if she just acts like a Dem. Owens is MORE Conservative than Scozzafava, and Hoffman can win. I simply refuse to let alarmist stupidity pull the lever for me in the voting booth.

  • http://xmmlbchat.blogspot.com katesmith

    I agree with those who say the media is the biggest problem in this country. As bad as Gingrich is, he is worse because the media is attached to him. It would be nice if it were one or two isolated incidents such as this endorsement. Those in the Beltway cannot get it through their heads that Gingrich and his pals are an embarrassment and responsible for the loss of our country. Lifetimes of work and sacrifice have been trashed under their parasitic tenure. As a Beltway parasite Gingrich has been in a position to know about and stop the sub prime scam and failed to do so. I could have told you people with no job couldn’t pay a mortgage. He knew about the ascendancy of Goldman Sachs and George Soros over a period of years and did nothing to stop it. These 2 entities are a big part of why this country has been lost. Gingrich could have done anything-he had the media at his command. It is much worse today than anyone is saying. Many businesses are bankrupt although not officially so because the banks are bankrupt themselves.
    Gingrich and the GOP viciously mischaracterize people who want to save our country by sneering that they’re ‘ideological purists.’ Cap and Trade, Goldman Sachs and Soros are not ideologies. They are slimy vehicles with which to break our legs. I remember Gingrich’s delivery at the convention where Rush spoke earlier this year, The camera showed him looking deeply and caringly into the eyes of people in the audience, dropping his phony pearls. Then back to the media and the human garbage that is Al Sharpton. Anyone who would support this deadly duo is dangerous as they are.

  • IJB

    Believe it. It’s only a matter of time until NY’s political map is as all-Blue as MA’s, RI’s and CT’s.

    As such, we shouldn’t waste much in the way of resources on this, regardless.

  • IJB

    I dislike him probably more than most around here. I’ve never liked him much, certainly not after his ‘backbencher’ days…

  • randy streu

    I appreciate your willingness to write us off.

  • randy streu

    We need to work to hold every piece of ground we can get. Which means fighting for places like NY-23. It isn’t a waste of resources to fight for the ground we have.