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EDITOR OF REDSTATE

Leader Boehner Should Have Led

By: Erick Erickson (Diary)  |  November 2nd, 2009 at 03:48 PM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

These guys keep shooting themselves in the foot.

“This lady clearly has as agenda that’s different than most Republicans, she was out there promoting herself,” Boehner said, noting that he has encouraged all members of the GOP conference to support Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman.

Mr. Boehner, with respect, this was blindly obvious to all of us outside the Beltway. You guys have spent $900,000.00 on a leftist who returned the favor by stabbing you in the back.

If you are clueless as to who you are backing for office, exactly how can we trust you on the bigger issues? The character of a man is best revealed in how he handles the small things.

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COMMENTS

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  • Dana Watts

    U.S. Rep. John A. Boehner, the House minority leader, said Thursday he’ll push for state Assemblywoman Dierdre K. Scozzafava, R-Gouverneur, to be put on the House Armed Services Committee if she’s elected this fall.

    http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20090917/NEWS09/909179997

  • JohnRichardson

    FYI, Newt speaks:
    Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, one of the few high profile Republicans to support the GOP nominee for a New York House seat, says he’s deeply upset that the candidate is backing her Democratic opponent over the conservative after pulling out of the race.

    http://www.cnycentral.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=370759

    Awwww, did big, bad Dede make you look like an a$$, Newt?

  • http://www.ssce.net/Web-Articles/Web-articles-indexed-authors.html#authors-l JLenardDetroit

    When will you actually stop ignoring the facts of history?….

    [from Conservative Candidates (the Diary)]
    the “Republican Revolution” of the 90′s was mislabeled, it was really the “CONSERVATIVE Revolution” and it brought Republicans to power; likewise, it was the “Reagan Conservative” Revolution, not a Republican Revolution. Many Republicans forgot that along the way. That led the way for CINO Democrats to lie their way back into power, but it was a “Conservative” co-opted (read: they lied about their intent) that voters allowed themselves to be duped into. Republicans need to REMEMBER that! Conservatism did NOT lose Elections, bad Politicians (with R’s beside their name) did!

    The Conservative (or if you ONLY care about the REPUBLICAN BRAND, you can replace the word Conservative with Republican in this case…. any Republican) Revolution will ONLY be repeated by Conservatives working within the GOP (and its Conservative Platform) and ensure its Leadership is controlled by fellow Conservatives and/or the GOP putting forth Conservative Candidates in Districts anything short of uber-Liberal (and even then, why would we support someone that doesn’t agree with ANYTHING!!!! in the GOP Platform?!?!). We aren’t stupid, we’ll bend and give a little in the Districts and/or Races where it really requires bending (but only with/when/where real/honest Campaign handicapping factors (Analyzing Campaign chances by more than “gut feel,” hope, desire, preference, of outcome (see too: Confirmation bias (Pollyanna principle))) dictate such!!!!

  • Tbone

    but he really never had much help from the Republican Congressional leadership, did he? What, you think these guys all kicked over to stupid last when GWB left office?

    What I am saying is that the reason the Republicans aren’t in the majority is that they failed to connect with the 40% of Americans who say they are conservatives and GWB wasn’t going to make them do it.

  • http://www.leadingstrategies.net Mike Friesen

    Why is it that most of the comments from the positional GOP leaders sound so politically calculated? We the the people need to keep fighting to take back our party.

  • http://www.ssce.net/Web-Articles/Web-articles-indexed-authors.html#authors-l JLenardDetroit

    demonstrates the point being made over and over and over again here at RedState that we Conservatives MUST work harder WITHIN the GOP ranks (especially stepping up) in the Bluer areas in order to control it and bring it to the Right where it belongs. This is NOT a stretch by any means, the GOP Platform is still Conservative and needs Conservatives in the GOP to continue to fight for it and for Conservative Candidates that agree with that Platform.

    GET INVOLVED in your local Party politics folks!!!! The meetings can be VERY BORING at times, but it is where the real hard work gets done!

  • samdallas

    We won round 1. Now we have to convince our candidate to stick to real conservative principles. He needs to come out in favor of closing the pork base in his district. That will lose some votes but will gain others and show it will not be “more of the same”. Send him mail! Without the help he has gotten from the national base he is hosed, and he needs to hear that he needs to get that seized taxpayer wealth drain closed or he will lose our support.

  • http://www.theprecinctproject.wordpress.com ColdWarrior

    Much has been reported, here and elsewhere, about the “Gang of 11″ and the NRCC back room pressures, etc. I spoke with one of the county chairman up there and he explained to me how the precinct committeemen were allowed to vote (some at meetings, some were polled by phone (which, of course, is fraught with problems of verifiability of the actual results)). Regardless, the precinct committeemen were allowed to express their wishes as to who they wanted to be on the ticket.

    Regardless, where actual meetings were held, where precinct commiteemen voted in person, the conservatives were outnumbered (or at least did not have strong majorities). And, I assume, there are many vacant precinct committeeman slots in NY-23, probably like the national average (about half the slots are vacant nationwide). (If someone from the NY-23 precinct committeeman ranks can provide info on this, that would be much appreciated.)

    Bottom line: we get a more conservative Party by having more conservatives in its voting ranks. That means going to a local GOP meeting and volunteering to become a precinct committeeman. And you better do it soon, as in some states the deadlines for becoming one for the next round of leadership elections will soon hit.

    Thank you.
    ColdWarrior
    www.theprecnctproject.wordpress.com

  • MacAoidh

    …but he ought to be upset with himself. Because he got taken to the cleaners by Dede and her people. He jumped in without getting all the facts and he went out on a limb against the very people who represent his base of national support.

    Newt makes a lot of good arguments and I still think he can craft an agenda better than anybody in either party. But he makes tactical mistakes that a hack ward boss wouldn’t make; sometimes you’ve just got to scratch your head at the stuff he does.

  • MacAoidh

    …you think they have any closet conservatives in positions of leadership over there? Hell, no. You’ve got to be able to recite Mao’s Little Red Book from memory just to be able to answer the phones over there.

    The issue isn’t that we’re going to purge moderates from the GOP – it’s that we need to purge them from the LEADERSHIP. Where they go from there is up to them; when Joe Lieberman finds a home in the Democrat Party, then it’ll be safe for the Arlen SPECTRE’s in the GOP.

  • http://www.ssce.net/Web-Articles/Web-articles-indexed-authors.html#authors-l JLenardDetroit

    if folks (us Conservative folks) don’t step up and be truly involved in even the mundane boring things that need to be done to have Conservative Candidates (http://tiny.cc/RepConNom if that newer tiny url service is working today, they are not completely reliable yet) on the ballot come Election days. It is like the Legislative process (making the sausage) it is not glamorous and often boring/ugly but for anyone that really wants to ensure the GOP stays on its Conservative GOP Platform message and has Candidates to match – YOU MUST BE INVOLVED in that process – whatever little you can and being a Precinct delegate and/or Committee member is the best degree (but, at least, show up as an interested citizen until you are comfortable to do those things).

  • smagar

    Please clarify.

  • MacAoidh

    That’s the lesson we have to take to heart.

    Our ideology and our lifestyles teach us to regard government with suspicion and disgust, and as such we gravitate toward the productive economy. The problem is by doing so we abandon the public sector to those who recognize its power and the potential to abuse it for their own personal ends.

  • smagar

    The character of a man is best revealed in how he handles the small things.

    Actually, good leaders focus on the BIG things, and know how to prioritize.

    I can think of a few things that, IMO, Leader Boehner should have been more focused on in the past few weeks that NY-23:
    - Health care
    - Cap and trade
    - Afghanistan funding

    Here’s a rational alternative explanation: John Boehner, from Ohio, chose to prioritize the NY-23 election below those items I’ve listed above. Maybe he decided to, oh, delegate the matter to Pete Sessions. Especially since we’ll be reelecting the seat next year anyway.

    this was blindly obvious to all of us outside the Beltway.

    Well, perhaps it wasn’t blindly obvious to Boehner because he’s busy trying to hold Pelosi at bay! Shouldn’t SOMEBODY be doing that?

    Maybe that’s not what happened. I’ll admit—I don’t know. But, I’d like to see some more evidence that Boehner knew what Dede was really all about, before we add him to the pile of They Who Must Be Purified By Fire.

  • Ausonius

    Too many Republican politicians are afraid of offending somebody….unless they are liberals!

    Then they make sure to offend Catholics, Jews, conservative Protestants, etc. by aligning with immoral leftists.

    As a Liberal…

    You cannot offend, are never allowed to offend: homosexuals, atheists, environMENTALists, foreigners legal and illegal, Socialists, Communists, etc etc etc.

  • http://www.gopmom.com GOPMOM

    so do Tea Parties. Hoffman’s victory will be a painful but valuable lesson for GOP leadership.

    Eh, who cares what the NYT says anyway?

  • http://www,livingfortruth.wordpress.com livingfortruth

    This hits the nail on the head. It is also why I am no longer a “republican”, they support the wrong people. They dissed Sarah Palin. They pay to get liberal DeDe elected.

    Crazyness.

    www.livingfortruth.wordpress.com

  • SoulEspresso

    Has Newt?

  • Ausonius

    never really looked into Scuzzie Baby, and just assumed she was okay.

    The danger of trusting the GOP Establishment! Especially on the East Coast! :)

  • http://cooperscopy.blogspot.com/ cooperscopy

    It’s obvious the republican hierarchy misstepped big time with this one. The selection of Scozzafava was the most ill advised and destructive act the republican bigwigs have done in NY 23rd. First of all this a such a conservative district, and no democrat has held this seat since the civil war. Did they think they needed to go liberal, to win? Why was Newt so tone deaf as to not see the conservatives were going to revolt over this selection. Seems the Republicans have beltway fever and are listening too closely to the David Frums of the world. Those republicans that believe the republican party has to moderate seem nto to understand that conservatives are energized and looking for it fight. Hopefully it will be against the democrat party, but if the GOP wants to continue it’s slide to democrat light they will do as an under card….

  • JadedByPolitics

    ..

  • shadowtax

    To which is a NY-23 victory more efficacious, making a bold statement rejecting the leftist agenda or proving the GOP leadership is inept? Is it possible to break eggs while at the same time wringing chicken necks?

    Many conservatives say we can. I honestly don’t know.

  • carlsbadd

    Boehner admitted he was wrong, he has bigger things on his plate than NY 23.
    He is doing the best he can against the majority and I support him for his efforts, lets focus on what we can do to support those like him and bring others into the fold.

    Like I have read here countless times, there is no cavalry coming over the hill to help us, we are the calvary!

  • samdallas

    We need to eliminate all bases that are not critical to national defense. Those bases are just socialist welfare for the people of that district. If our candidate is a true conservative, and not just talking the talk to get elected, he will say he will at least have an independent commission advise him on the advisability of base closing with ZERO consideration of local economic impact (i.e., no welfare considered relevant).

  • conservativemusician

    As Erick notes in this post, even the average person could see Dede for who she really was. She had no demonstrably conservative views. Frankly, I think Rush hit it on the head today on his show. This woman did us all a favor for showing us who RINOs really are…and apparently this includes Newt as well.

    Such a disappointment that the architect of the 94′ Contract With America that ushered in the GOP takeover of the House has forgotten what conservatism really is.

  • popdaddy

    I recieved today with a 3 cent and two 1 cent hand posted stamps, a “letter’ from John Boehner’s office “End of Nancy Pelosi’s Reign” crap he shold be standing before Congress saying when there are actual butts in their seats.

    Of course it has the reply BS wanting money while asking questions any Conserative doesn’t need to be asked Hey John – you are part of the problem – check back Nov 4 2010 for the solution – good thing for you, I can’t add you to my ballot of choice!

    People who attend “tea parties” will implement change, where it needs to be!

  • http://www.ssce.net/Web-Articles/Web-articles-indexed-authors.html#authors-l JLenardDetroit

    Not A Republican Any Way Measured – n. (Nay – rahm) ;-) lol — I’m so tired of hearing people trying to claim she is MODERATE!!!!! Not even close!!!! The McCainist’s wanted her because she would make them look more Conservative.