After accepting the fact that she was outed as the liberal that she is, Assemblywoman and 
Republican nominee for Congress in New York’s 23rd Congressional District, Dede Scozzafava, ended her campaign. She saw the writing on the wall and realized that her liberalism did not appeal to the people of the 23rd C.D..After third party Conservative candidate Doug Hoffman took more than half of the support that Scozzafava had, away from her, it was clear that Dede was going down.
So she closed up shop three days before the election.
Initially, she neglected to endorse either of her opponents. Instead, she released her supporters and said they were free to do as they please. I personally felt that was a genuinely decent thing for her to do. As a campaign manager and someone who has had all of my being invested in the political beliefs that I campaigned for, I am well aware of the hard feelings that can exist towards those who derail the advancement of your cause. The wounds can be deep and they can hurt and so I am sure Dede was hurt.
Yet she refused to show bitterness. In suspending her campaign, Scozzafava used phrases like “in the best interest of the people of the district” and “for the sake of our community”. All responsible remarks from a political figure, and considering the hurt she must have been feeling, they were commendable and I gave her credit for that.
Then on Sunday, she came out and endorsed her Democrat rival Bill Owen.
This liberal Assemblywoman who was trying to represent one of the most conservative districts of New York’s North Country, actually came out and endorsed the one person in the race, who she tried to claim was to the left of her, came out and endorsed that same left leaning person.
Was this because she, a supposed Republican , suddenly found out that the liberalism of a Democrat was better than the conservatism of the Republican Party of which Scozzafava claims to be a part of? Or was it because she hates the fact that conservative Doug Hoffman proved that Scozzafava was too liberal for the 23rd district?
Scozzafava’s endorsement of Democrat Bill Owens is a great example of how birds of a feather flock together. Scozzafava is at home with her liberal counterpart, Bill Owens, and she also has more ego than sincerity.
While she licked her wounds, rather than simply continue with her initial statements stating that her stepping aside was “best for the community” and staying on the sidelines, she jumped right in for revenge. She jumped back in for revenge against the man who defeated her even before the first ballots were cast. There was nothing sincere about the move. It was nothing but vengeance and vanity, neither of which has anything to do with decisions sincerely based on the best interest of the people.
Before Dede Scozzafava pulled out of the race, former Speaker of the House and the leader of the ‘94 Republican Revolution, Newt Gingrich, declared his support for Dede Scozzafava and reminded us of the following……
“The Republican Revolution in 1994 started very much like what we see today,” the former speaker said. “Like then, our country is reeling from misguided liberal policies, high taxes and out-of-control spending. This special election in New York’s 23rd Congressional District could be the first election of the new Republican Revolution, but we need the momentum to get it started.”
I am glad Newt realizes that. But now I must ask if his original choice in New York’s 23rd Congressional District understands that? Obviously not, because she just said “screw the next Republican Revolution”. And why? Because Scozzafava is more concerned with self than principles. She was never a Republican. She just couldn’t defeat other Democrats who sought the nomination for State Assembly in her assembly district. She became a Republican simply because in her A.D., winning the Republican nomination was tantamount to winning the election for Assembly.
So I would like to remind Newt and other establishment Republicans of something. The steps we take in the coming months could generate “the momentum to get the next” Republican Revolution “started”. But that will only be the case if we nominate real Republicans to positions of power. For too long, Republicans have tried to be politically expedient by moderating themselves to be like, and appeal to, Democrats. That has only helped to make us the minority party in the halls of Washington, DC.
Speaker Gingrich must remember that the most successful revolutions begin with the sincere belief in a specific idea and in specific values. Revolutions based upon such heartfelt beliefs are the most enduring while those revolutions based on ones greed and need to have power simply for the sake of having power, often achieve the least results and are the least enduring causes. That is why we can not build the momentum for a Republican resurgence by simply winning with any old smiling face or good name. We must build the momentum to Republican victory based upon sound, consistent policies rooted in Republican principles.
That is why Scozzafava never should have been nominated by the establishment Republican leaders in New York. It is why Newt Gingrich, who knows better, should never have backed Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava for Congress in the first place and it is also why we must now insure that Dede Scozzafava is not reelected to her seat in the New York Assembly next year.
She should be “Scozzafavrized” and purged out the party that she does not like and that she does not believe in.
After endorsing a liberal over a conservative because the conservative outed her as closeted liberal, Scozzafava needs to face a real moment of truth. She must be forced to deal with a primary challenge for her nomination to the State Assembly and she needs to lose it.
The next Republican Revolution must be fought under a big tent but that tent can not have room for fakes, frauds and feckless politicians.
Dede Scozzafava is free to take revenge and endorse Democrat Bill Owens for Congress in New York’s 23 Congressional District, but we the people are free to make sure that Dede Scozzafava does not again represent the Republican Party that she opposes. We must make sure that Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava is given the boot.
In 2010, Republicans need to nominate a real Republican for Assembly in the 122nd A.D..
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