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Brian4Liberty
10-21-2009, 01:57 PM
I find it frustrating when the media attempts to paint the entire movement as "angry white men".

Also, they like to add things like "abortion-rights", to further paint and divide. As far as I know, there is no consensus on abortion in the Tea Party or Liberty movements. The common thread is always government spending, and a bloated, bankrupt government.


http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125564976279388879.html

Tea-Party Activists Complicate Republican Comeback Strategy

By NAFTALI BENDAVID

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. -- The rise of conservative "tea party" activists around the country has created a dilemma for Republicans. They are breathing life into the party's quest to regain power. But they're also waging war on some candidates hand-picked by GOP leaders as the most likely to win.

In upstate New York, Dede Scozzafava, 49 years old, is the choice of local party leaders to defend a Republican seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, an abortion-rights candidate who could appeal to independents. Doug Hoffman, 59, is a local accountant backed by tea-party activists who has jumped into the race declaring himself the real conservative.

Conservative politics has been given a boost with the rise of "tea party" activists. But WSJ's Naftali Bendavid says the support could backfire on the Republican Party, as opposition mounts to a number of the party's midterm election candidates.

Mr. Hoffman has siphoned so much support from Ms. Scozzafava that their Democratic rival has vaulted into the lead, according to a poll released Thursday. The election is Nov. 3.

"I am not your run-of-the-mill politician, and maybe that's why the Republican bosses didn't like me," Mr. Hoffman told a recent health-care forum sponsored by the Upstate New York Tea Party. In an interview, Ms. Scozzafava acknowledged her discomfort at the event. "I knew it wasn't going to be an easy audience for me," she said.

Republicans are poised to pick up a number of seats in next year's congressional elections, pollsters estimate, on the back of a deep recession, public unease about the growth of government and the size of the nation's deficit. Anti-Obama activism manifested in rallies and town-hall meetings has galvanized conservatives, injecting enthusiasm into the Republican base.

But these newly energized conservatives present GOP leaders with a potential problem: The party's strategy for attracting moderate voters risks alienating activists who are demanding ideological purity, who may then gravitate to other candidates or stay at home. It's a classic dilemma faced by parties in the minority -- tension between those who want a return to the party's ideological roots and those who want candidates most likely to win in their districts.

"The potential that the Republican Party puts up candidates that fail to excite the support of this movement is very real," says Lawrence Jacobs, director of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance, University of Minnesota.

The race in upstate New York is a somewhat extreme example of this phenomenon. No one is suggesting the tea-party movement will cause the GOP to lose seats overall next year. As one of two congressional elections this fall, the race stands an early test of the party's ability to navigate these conflicting impulses.

When Democrats were in the minority, they turned more pragmatic in their choice of candidates starting in 2006, and were rewarded with two election victories. In preparation for 2010, many of the picks of Republican leaders in key races have records designed to appeal to middle-of-the-road voters, which also make the party faithful cringe.

In Florida, Republican leaders were elated when popular Florida Gov. Charlie Crist agreed to run for the Senate. He has adopted policies such as an aggressive approach to global warming that appeal even to Democrats. Those very policies infuriated conservatives, as did Mr. Crist's decision to campaign with President Barack Obama on behalf of the president's $787 billion stimulus package.

"He was Judas to the Republican Party in the state of Florida and across the country," says Robin Stublen, 53, of Punta Gorda, co-state coordinator for the Tea Party Patriots, a loose national coalition. "He sold us out for 13 pieces of gold."

A spokesman for Mr. Crist said the governor made sure stimulus dollars went to items important to Florida voters.

Mr. Crist has drawn a primary challenge from Marco Rubio, a former Florida House speaker, who is aggressively seeking tea-party members' support.

The GOP scored another potential coup when Republican Illinois Rep. Mark Kirk decided to seek Mr. Obama's former Senate seat, now held by Democratic Sen. Roland Burris. Mr. Kirk, however, voted for a Democratic climate-change bill in the House, prompting about 30 people to hold a tea-party protest at his office. Many activists vow never to support him.

In New Hampshire, Republican leaders praise Senate candidate Kelly Ayotte as a new breed of telegenic Republican, even while some conservatives attack her record as state attorney general. Former Rep. Rob Simmons, who is seeking a Senate seat in Connecticut, and Rep. Mike Castle, who just announced his Senate candidacy in Delaware, face similar scorn.

"Personally, I'm just as fed up with the Republican Party as the Democratic Party," says Catherina Wojtowicz, coordinator of the Chicago tea-party group. "The Republican Party looks great on paper. But the people who call themselves Republicans, with a few exceptions, have no idea what the party stands for, or don't care."

Brian Walsh, spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, a group that coordinates GOP Senate campaigns, says the party has chosen strong candidates. "It's healthy to have debates about the future direction of the party," says Mr. Walsh. But he adds, "We want to make sure we have candidates on the ballot in the best position to defeat the Democrat candidate."

Republican leaders in Washington, such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio, are trying to align the GOP with the protesters' frustrations, praising their actions and echoing their arguments.

But the tea-party movement appears aggressively nonpartisan, much like Ross Perot's supporters in 1992. "The tea-party movement, in my judgment, has proven to be very real, but it's precisely the fact that it's real that makes it difficult to take advantage of," says Vin Weber, a former Minnesota congressman and now a top Republican strategist. "They don't want to be co-opted by the Republican Party."

New York's 23rd Congressional District, which borders Canada, comprises roughly one-quarter of New York State. Sparsely populated, it is dotted by small towns and dairy farms and stretches across much of the Adirondack Mountains. The district leans conservative, with some 46,000 more registered Republicans than Democrats. Mr. Obama, however, captured it with 52% of the vote.

The special election was prompted by the president's June appointment of the district's Republican Rep. John McHugh as Army secretary.

The next month, the district's 11 Republican county chairmen gathered at a pizzeria in Potsdam to pick a nominee. They were looking for someone with name recognition who could prevail in a shortened campaign when the economy was voters' top concern. Ms. Scozzafava, a former small-town mayor who has served for a decade in the state legislature, seemed the right choice.

Ms. Scozzafava spent 20 years as a stockbroker. Her family has owned the same auto-parts store in Gouverneur, N.Y., for decades. In March 2008, upset at the sex scandals surrounding former Gov. Eliot Spitzer and his successor, David Paterson, Ms. Scozzafava sent a letter to her colleagues blasting an Albany social life "that is somewhere between 'Girls & Boys Gone Wild' and a sorority-fraternity style mixer."

She appealed to the Republican chairmen. "We asked, is it possible to put in place a Republican candidate that uniformly stands for all the conservative values of the far right, but is unelectable?" says William Farber, the Hamilton County chairman. "I would much rather have a candidate like Dede Scozzafava that I don't agree with 100% of the time, but always has been honest and forthright."

Mr. Hoffman, who'd been passed over, was rankled by his rival's ascent. He teamed up with the Conservative Party, which has a long history in New York. After growing up in Plattsburgh, he had parlayed an accountant's degree into a flourishing financial firm and branched out into other businesses. He opened a campaign headquarters on the site of a former gas station where he'd pumped gas as a 14-year-old.

Ms. Scozzafava, he noted, was pro-choice, backed gay marriage, supported Mr. Obama's stimulus plan and favored making it easier for unions to organize. The New York Conservative Party gave her a rating of 15 out of a possible 100, based on her votes in the state assembly.

"I really felt that the Republican bosses who selected her were misrepresenting her as a Republican," said Mr. Hoffman in an interview. "I felt the voters in this district, number one, deserve to know what her real record is, and number two, deserve a choice besides a liberal Republican and a liberal Democrat that's going to support Nancy Pelosi," the Democratic House Speaker.

GOP leaders were outraged, especially since Mr. Hoffman, like other congressional hopefuls, had pledged to support the nominee. "He did say it repeatedly," said Sandra Corey, the former GOP chairwoman of Jefferson County. "And then all of a sudden, it's a no-go, like he hadn't understood her background, which is a falsehood. I would never, ever trust him."

Mr. Hoffman says that during the selection process, he didn't realize that Ms. Scozzafava was as liberal as she is.

The contest, the only congressional race to be held this Election Day, is attracting attention from the national parties. Democrats have spent $130,200 to run ads blasting Ms. Scozzafava for voting for "more taxes" 190 times. The Scozzafava campaign dismisses that claim, saying it includes routine sales-tax rate extensions requested by counties.

Mr. Obama is scheduled to hold a fund-raiser for lawyer Bill Owens, the Democrat in the race, in New York on Oct. 20. The Republicans have shelled out $247,332 for ads painting Mr. Owens as Ms. Pelosi's "gift" to upstate New York.
[The candidates]

The Club for Growth, a fiscally conservative group, has announced it's spending $250,000 -- and may spend more -- in support of Mr. Hoffman, depicting Mr. Owens and Ms. Scozzafava as equally contemptible liberals. Mr. Hoffman has attracted the endorsements of several conservative and antiabortion groups.

"The fact that [the tea-party groups are] out there is going to help my candidacy, because there are people just like me that are feeling the same frustrations and the same disappointment with our leadership and doing something about it," says Mr. Hoffman.

A poll released Thursday by the Siena Research Institute showed Mr. Owens leading Ms. Scozzafava 33% to 29%, with Mr. Hoffman at 23%. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points. In a poll released by the same organization on Oct. 1, Ms. Scozzafava had led her Democratic opponent 35% to 28%, with Mr. Hoffman garnering 16%.

Republicans, worried a winnable seat is slipping away, are scrambling. Mr. Boehner, the House Minority leader, promised to support Ms. Scozzafava for a seat on the House Armed Services Committee -- important in a district that's home to Fort Drum, an army base.

The Scozzafava campaign issued a flier headlined: "What conservatives need to know about Dede," including such points as "Dede believes government spending is out of control." She's touted her conservative credentials, including an endorsement by the National Rifle Association. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is endorsing her, according to a letter provided by her campaign.

Mr. Owens, the Democrat who would benefit if his rivals split the Republican vote, has largely stayed out of the fray. He didn't appear at the candidates' forum sponsored by the Upstate New York Tea Party.

Throughout that event, Mr. Hoffman sought to make a virtue of his awkwardness, saying that unlike Ms. Scozzafava, he wasn't a professional politician. "If you want polish and pizazz, I'm not your guy," he said. Ms. Scozzafava assured the audience she was just as fed up with government spending as they were.

Even before the forum began, it was clear which candidate had the audience's heart. "I've never met the man, and he's got my vote," Gary Barber, 69, a retired schoolteacher from nearby Au Sable Forks, said of Mr. Hoffman. "He's conservative and he's not a lawyer."

Elwar
10-21-2009, 02:12 PM
Sounds like if the Republicans want to win they should have Ms. Scozzafava step down from the race.

FSP-Rebel
10-21-2009, 02:18 PM
Sounds like if the Republicans want to win they should have Ms. Scozzafava step down from the race.
Totally, they need to revert back to their strategy which helped them take control of Congress back in '94. They talked about balanced budgets and ending many federal departments. When they act and talk like real conservatives, they get more support.

klamath
10-21-2009, 02:37 PM
yes, then we elect the same type of republican congress as we had before. Nobody is ready for that again.
I will vote for partisan gridlock but not if I have a choice of a real conservative(for lack of a better label) against a Sen. Snow type. A lot of good she has done the republicans.

HOLLYWOOD
10-21-2009, 02:38 PM
What comes into play here is the Good Ole: McCain-Fiengold Campaign Financing Reform Act, which allows tons of loopholes, where if a candidate of a party can't raise money for a number of reasons, LIKE THE PEOPLE DON'TWANT THEM... BANG, in comes the DNC, DNCC, RNC, RNCC, etc... have big fund raisers, then funnel the money independent of the politician and they spend millions separate to the candidate.

Obama raised $3 Million yesterday for democratic campaigns last evening in Manhattan.

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/20/the-chief-fund-raiser/?hp

Very difficult to beat the 2 Party Duopoly-Monopoly of money raising. This is the message that needs to go to the ignorant boobtube people.. it's fixed by the 2 parties. Just like that TEA PARTY EXPRESS is a GOP NEOCON/Lobbyist/PAC funded Marketing organization, hijacking the Grassroots.



The contest, the only congressional race to be held this Election Day, is attracting attention from the national parties. Democrats have spent $130,200 to run ads blasting Ms. Scozzafava for voting for "more taxes" 190 times. The Scozzafava campaign dismisses that claim, saying it includes routine sales-tax rate extensions requested by counties.

Mr. Obama is scheduled to hold a fund-raiser for lawyer Bill Owens, the Democrat in the race, in New York on Oct. 20. The Republicans have shelled out $247,332 for ads painting Mr. Owens as Ms. Pelosi's "gift" to upstate New York.
[The candidates]

The Club for Growth, a fiscally conservative group, has announced it's spending $250,000 -- and may spend more -- in support of Mr. Hoffman, depicting Mr. Owens and Ms. Scozzafava as equally contemptible liberals. Mr. Hoffman has attracted the endorsements of several conservative and antiabortion groups.

"The fact that [the tea-party groups are] out there is going to help my candidacy, because there are people just like me that are feeling the same frustrations and the same disappointment with our leadership and doing something about it," says Mr. Hoffman.

A poll released Thursday by the Siena Research Institute showed Mr. Owens leading Ms. Scozzafava 33% to 29%, with Mr. Hoffman at 23%. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points. In a poll released by the same organization on Oct. 1, Ms. Scozzafava had led her Democratic opponent 35% to 28%, with Mr. Hoffman garnering 16%.

angelatc
10-21-2009, 02:40 PM
She's touted her conservative credentials, including an endorsement by the National Rifle Association. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is endorsing her, according to a letter provided by her campaign.

Unfortunately, Gingrich won't be able to pack up his credentials and make a personal appearance on her behalf because he's touring the country with Al Sharpton and Arne Duncan, on behalf of the White House's plan to "fix" education.

angelatc
10-21-2009, 02:42 PM
Very difficult to beat the 2 Party Duopoly-Monopoly of money raising.

If we did, anybody can do it.

jmdrake
10-21-2009, 02:57 PM
I find it frustrating when the media attempts to paint the entire movement as "angry white men".

Also, they like to add things like "abortion-rights", to further paint and divide. As far as I know, there is no consensus on abortion in the Tea Party or Liberty movements. The common thread is always government spending, and a bloated, bankrupt government.

Well if we take the consistent position that the federal government shouldn't abrogate the rights of the states based on rights that judges made up out of thin air then whatever you think of abortion Roe was a bad decision. Besides being against bailouts and abortion were both part of the official GOP platform.

I haven't looked too much Ms. Scozzava's campaign, but if she's going to call the cops when a reporter asks her if she'll vote for abortion to be part of healthcare or if she supports higher taxes for healthcare then she is in trouble.

at http://www.politico.com/blogs/scorecard/1009/Scozzafava_calls_the_cops_on_reporter.html

The GOP needs to face up to a fundamental question. Did they loose independents because Bush was too "conservative" or did they loose independents and conservatives because people looked at "nation building", exploding deficits, new entitlement spending (prescription drug benefit), the push for amnesty and the "North American Union", stimulus packages that helped create the subprime mortgage crisis and the bailout itself and decide Bush was too socialist? If independents are moving away from Obama does the GOP really need to move toward him?

georgiaboy
10-21-2009, 03:07 PM
It's amazing how backwards all this seems. I hope this guy Hoffman wipes the floor with those other two. Go, upstate NY teabaggers! For Liberty!

HOLLYWOOD
10-21-2009, 03:19 PM
If we did, anybody can do it.

well yes... with a Judge Nap,Nader, or Schiff, or RPs... but Hoffman's name isn't a household name to freedom liberties and against the parties fraud.

I hold he has good SALES & MARKETING staff to coordinate a campaign that goes beyond the district, since the other 2 candidates have the backing of 50 states of party donors through the loopholes. Obozo exploited this, AFTER, he received the big bucks for his masters like the Pritzker's and Soro klans.

specsaregood
10-21-2009, 03:31 PM
Sounds like if the Republicans want to win they should have Ms. Scozzafava step down from the race.

It sounds to me like the GOP is showing its contempt for its voter base. Gone is the illusion/delusion of "choice" of candidates in the primaries.

Brian4Liberty
10-21-2009, 03:37 PM
Besides being against bailouts and abortion were both part of the official GOP platform.

I was talking about Tea Parties and the Liberty movement (not the GOP), which includes Republicans, Democrats, independents, libertarians and assorted others...


The GOP needs to face up to a fundamental question. Did they loose independents because Bush was too "conservative" or did they loose independents and conservatives because people looked at "nation building", exploding deficits, new entitlement spending (prescription drug benefit), the push for amnesty and the "North American Union", stimulus packages that helped create the subprime mortgage crisis and the bailout itself and decide Bush was too socialist?

And the choir says "amen"! ;)

Of course Lyndsey Graham claims he is "conservative" and his only bone fides are abortion and the NRA...he supported all of the items in your list above.

HOLLYWOOD
10-21-2009, 03:49 PM
It's amazing how backwards all this seems. I hope this guy Hoffman wipes the floor with those other two. Go, upstate NY teabaggers! For Liberty!


Jesse Ventura, Cody Willard, and/or Judge Nap... should pay a visit or two and get the voters away from the Grabage Spamming airways of the 2 party regime.

That's were the campaign controller/marketing/sales staff need to reach out to independent, liberty, freedom based J6P people.

Brian4Liberty
10-21-2009, 03:49 PM
I didn't properly read the story...so this is to replace a Congressman who stepped down, and instead of having a GOP Primary where Hoffman may have won, the GOP County Chairmen picked Scozzafava to run as the Republican. So now Hoffman is running as a "Conservative" Party candidate. A little complicated...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York%27s_23rd_congressional_district_special_e lection,_2009

HOLLYWOOD
10-21-2009, 03:54 PM
I didn't properly read the story...so this is to replace a Congressman who stepped down, and instead of having a GOP Primary where Hoffman may have won, the GOP Country Chairmen picked Scozzafava to run as the Republican. So now Hoffman is running as a "Conservative" Party candidate. A little complicated...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York%27s_23rd_congressional_district_special_e lection,_2009


Why doesn't hoffman reach out to all the 3rd parties... imagine the impact on residence/voters... the following endorses me for Congressman because we REPRESENT the people FIRST:

Independent Party
Tea Party
Libertarian Party
Constitution party
Conservative party
Tax Payer party

etc...

Imagine the commercial you can convey to the voters of the rigged Big Fascist/Socialist/Corporate communist Clowns running their Controlled Duopoly rigged gameplan campaigns.