Prayer And Action

Politico Allen’s Idea Of ‘Real Toss-up’: Hoffman Ahead By 17%

When you’re an MSMer, you’re an MSMer all the way–even when faced with facts that might make you like, well, ridiculous . . .

Mike Allen, appearing on Morning Joe, has declared the NY-23rd race a "real toss-up" despite a new poll from a respected organization showing Doug Hoffman with a 17-point lead.

The claim by Allen, Politico’s chief political correspondent, was so absurd that, on the spot, host Joe Scarborough offered 3:1 odds to Allen and anyone else wanting to place a few kopeks on Dem Bill Owens.

MIKE ALLEN: This is a real toss-up, because there are a lot of absentee ballots that are already in, we don’t know who those are for. And this could be the race that keeps Democrats from having a real black Tuesday.

JOE SCARBOROUGH: Would you do me a favor, Mike? As we show this poll that came out last night from Public Policy Polling. If you could find all, gather up all the people that say this race is a toss-up now, and give them my email address, and tell them I will give them 3:1 odds, I will be glad to take any bets–if that’s legal–any bets on this race. It’s not a toss-up. You know my email: tell your friends, anyone who wants to bet, they get 3:1 odds, and Joe’s the bookie.

A long–and I mean protracted–silence from Allen ensues.

MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Mike?

ALLEN: We’re in.

So Allen rates the race a "real toss-up" based on absentee ballots he admittedly knows nothing about?  This is wishful MSM thinking at its worst.

As per its website, Public Policy Polling was rated by the Wall Street Journal one of the two most accurate pollsters in its analysis of swing state polls in 2008. It’s story on the 23rd is entitled "Hoffman Primed For Dominant Victory."

So, Mike’s "in" on Dem Owens. For how much?

Glenn Beck interviewed Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman who is running for a U.S. House seat in New York state against a Democratic candidate and a liberal Republican candidate, Dede Scozzafava, who in the past has been endorsed by ACORN’s political party, the Working Families Party.

Beck said

The Republicans have put their support behind a candidate who is pro-choice, was for the stimulus, has accepted endorsements from ACORN, and also for the Working Families Party, but, hey, you know, she has a chance to win, so who cares, apparently. The Democrat is basically the same as the Republican.

Beck introduced Hoffman as “a true conservative candidate.”

Hoffman said he never thought he would get involved in politics, but ”quite frankly, I was fed up.” He said he was fed up with ”the out-of-control spending, taxes, government regulations on us and businesses, and I thought somebody had to step up and do something about it.”

Hoffman also said he “didn’t like the candidates that were chosen, and I thought that I should step up and say something about it.”

The Republican candidate, Dede Scozzafava, was endorsed by Markos Moulitsas, the founder of the far-left hate site DailyKos, Beck noted.

Elsewhere, political journalist Michael Barone described Scozzafava as “a pretty dodgy character from a Republican point of view.” Barone said

I mean, this is a woman who was endorsed by the Working Families Party, which is basically front for ACORN … As we’ve seen, it’s an organization whose organizations have systematically aided and abetted child prostitution, as reported in the videos that Fox News ran — that other networks were finally forced to run, that Andrew Breitbart put on the Big Government website. There is some reason for principled Republicans not to back the Republican nominee in a situation like that.

On Thursday, the Nationwide Tea Party Coalition called on the Republican Party to denounce the New York Republican Congressional Committee’s selection of über liberal Dede Scozzafava and their crusade against Doug Hoffman, bona fide conservative, backed by the Conservative Party. Tea party groups, frustrated after carrying the water for a hibernating party only to be ignored and attacked as “divisive” by certain GOP leaders, have demanded that Republicans “put up or shut up” when it comes to conservative leadership.

On Friday, at noon central, myself and fellow St. Louis Tea Party organizer Bill Hennessy will hold a short press conference announcing the reclamation of the Republican party from those moderates who falsely espouse “big tent” philosophies, but have little actual record of drawing in independents, Democrats, Libertarians, minorities, women, and youth – a record like the tea parties possess. The big tent already exists; the limited scope comes from leaders like Newt Gingrich who persist in the belief that Democrat-lite is the only way to win a race. Conservatism, when presented in full strength at the ballot, wins at the ballot. To suggest otherwise is to discount the millions who’ve taken to the streets since February in this new conservative revolution.

Tea Parties Call on GOP to “Dump Dede”

October 22, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

While the Nationwide Tea Party Coalition endorses values and not candidates, choosing instead to focus on education and action, it is clear that in the NY-23 race for Congress, there is only one candidate that embodies the traditional American values for which the Tea Party movement is fighting. The only acceptable candidate is Doug Hoffman.

Because the Tea Parties are about action, the most powerful action Tea Partiers could take is to donate time or money now to the Doug Hoffman for Congress committee and/or go to the District and volunteer on the campaign.

We are extremely disappointed that the Republican Party (and leaders like Newt Gingrich) has missed the message of the Tea Parties and continues to take conservative voters for granted. We applaud all courageous statesmen (Fred Thompson, Michelle Bachmann, and Dick Armey) and call on other GOP officials to put America’s values over traditional, often corrupt and morally bankrupt, power structures.

Scozzafava is an imposter in this election insofar as she does not fit the values of the district or the center-right country. The honorable move would be for her to remove herself from a race she cannot win. In choosing not to do this, she and her supporters are casting their lot for party loyalty as opposed to loyalty to conservatism or to the prosperity of their country.

Tomorrow, beginning in St. Louis at noon, several tea party cities will publicly demand GOP denunciation of the nomination of Dede Scozzafava and demand support for conservatism. We will call upon all Republicans to either join us or stand against us.

We ask that all Republican officials decide now: do they stand for principle and limited government or are they party loyalists? They or the voters decide, it’s their choice.

http://www.nationwideteapartycoalition.com http://www.dumpdede.com

Politico aptly notes that this is a test of tea party muscle. Rallies, marches on Washington, protests, et al. are pointless if there is no action to make them mean something. Faith without works is dead just as a movement without works is also dead. It’s time to hijack the GOP away from those who wish to make it a watered-down version of the Democratic party. Just as we told our Democratic elected officials during that long, hot August: “You work for us!” – so also, do those officials in the GOP work for us. Turning their back on your base will afford the GOP the same barn-burning criticism and persecution that the Democrats saw all summer.

We’ve led the way in social media for the GOP since February; we’ve led them in big tent; now it’s time to lead them back to the base.

It’s time for the people to put their feelings of disenfranchisement to action; act now, donate to Hoffman; make your feet hit the pavement in New York’s 23rd District; this is a watershed moment in the conservative movement.

How serious are you in taking it back? Serious enough to stand for action?

Once upon a time, ‘Republican’ Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava was the front-runner in the special election to replace actual Republican Rep. John McHugh. That was then, the video below is now:

In politics, a good rule-of-thumb is that the candidate calling for more debates is the candidate that is losing. It usually means they are just about out of money and need staged, public events to even hope to get their message out. For a big government liberal like Dede, it figures she would resort to this. It seems noone is buying what she’s selling, so she’s trying to orchestrate her own bailout. That is fairly typical.

What isn’t typical, however, is her campaign’s apparent–and total–lack of competence. Who stages a press conference and fails to control its visuals? City council races in Nebraska have more discipline.

Dede will not be going to Congress. That institution is already over its quota of stimulus and bailout-supporting, ObamaCare-cheerleading, tax-hiking,  ACORN-allied politicians. The next Congressman will either be Democrat Bill Owens or Conservative Doug Hoffman.

Dede is now just a spoiler. There is no need to reiterate the problems with Dede’s platform. Those have been well-documented by Big Government contributor Dana Loesch. Dede says she is committed to voting for Rep. John Boehner as Speaker. Hoffman will make the same vote. Owens will vote for Rep. Nancy Pelosi. If Dede wants Boehner to be Speaker, she should drop out of the race.

Dede, nothing personal, but your candidacy is simply a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. There is simply too much at stake in our nation to indulge your personal ambition. Please end this. Now.

"Hello, 911? This is the Dede Scozzafava campaign. Could you send a police car over to the Elks Lodge? There is a reporter here asking our candidate uncomfortable questions. Thank you."

Something like this call went out last night when a reporter committed the "high crime" of asking Republican congressional candidate, Dede Scozzafava (endorsed by the Daily Kos), questions that she obviously felt very uneasy about answering. Scozzafava, who was recently the subject of an Open Thread here on NewsBusters, is running in the special election for the open seat in the NY 23rd congressional district. She was being questioned last night by John McCormack of the Weekly Standard when the police were called with a complaint about him for making Scozzafava uncomfortable with his probing questions. Here is how McCormack describes the scene:

Lowville, N.Y.
Tonight, Dede Scozzafava, the Republican candidate for the November 3 special election in the 23rd congressional district, spoke to about 100 Republicans at the Lewis County GOP dinner at the Elks Lodge 1605. After a dinner of turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing, Scozzafava fended off criticism that she wasn’t as conservative as third-party candidate Doug Hoffman and urged her supporters to vote for her in order to keep her Democratic opponent Bill Owens from serving as a rubber stamp for Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama’s agenda in Washington. It was a fairly typical evening–until the speech ended and someone with Scozzafava’s campaign called the police. On me.

Uh-oh! McCormack continues to regale us  with his "criminal" activity:

Earlier today Lindsay Beyerstein reported that Scozzafava responded to an AFL-CIO questionnaire by saying she would support card-check legislation that eliminates the secret ballot requirement for organizing unions. As Beyerstein notes, this contradict statements made by a Scozzafava spokesman in September.

So after the dinner, I asked Assemblywoman Scozzafava if she supports card check. "Yes, yes I do," she replied. 

Eek! How dare McCormack ask questions of a candidate! An attempt was made to stop this criminal activity but it seems to have failed:

At that point someone from her campaign placed himself between Scozzafava and me and told me I should direct all my inquires to the campaign’s spokesman. I nonetheless asked Scozzafava if her signing of the Americans for Tax Reform pledge not to vote to raise taxes means she would oppose any health care bill that raises taxes. "What kind of taxes?" she replied. Then another couple of gentlemen interposed themselves between Scozzafava and me as Scozzafava headed for the door.

McCormack later continued his criminal assault outside:

I spotted Scozzafava later as she was walking to the parking lot, and asked her: "Assemblywoman, do you believe that the health-care bill should exclude coverage for abortion?" She didn’t reply. I asked her twice more. Silence.

Finally the police ride to the rescue:

Minutes later a police car drove into the parking lot with its lights flashing. Officer Grolman informed me that she was called because "there was a little bit of an uncomfortable situation" and then took down my name, date of birth, and address.

"Maybe we do things a little differently here, but you know, persisistence in that area, you scared the candidate a little bit," Officer Grolman told me.

"[Scozzafava] got startled, that’s all," Officer Grolman added. "It’s not like you’re in any trouble."

Having escaped the long arm of the law, the alleged perpetrator ponders the situation:

But I do wonder if it’s the Scozzafava campaign that’s in trouble–with a candidate who supports card check, who is unwilling to say she’d oppose a health care bill that raises taxes or includes abortion coverage, and who is so reluctant to answer questions that she has someone with her campaign call the cops when she’s questioned by a reporter who is (if I may say so) polite–if a bit persistent.

You can find out more about Dede Scozzafava and the New York 23rd CD campaign at Michele Malkin where she has been blogging extensively about it or by watching this Neil Cavuto report.

And as for the suspect in this case, John McCormack, here is a serenade for you if you are ever again caught in the act of committing journalism.

Tea Partier and blogger Michael Leahy reports:

In an exclusive interview with the TCOT Report, George Joseph, Republican Party Chairman of Oneida County, one of the eleven counties in New York’s 23rd Congressional District, today slammed Republican Party nominee Dede Scozzafava. This damaging news comes on the heels of Scozzafava’s ill advised attempt to intimidate a reporter from the Weekly Standard by calling the cops on him after he asked persistent questions about her position on card check legislation at a meeting held last night in Lowville, New York. Lowville is located in Lewis County, immediately to the north of Oneida County.

According to Joseph

“ I wasn’t sold on Dede from the beginning. That race represents 8% of Oneida County. Throughout the nomination process, I would have thought there would have been more sensitivity, in light of what happened with Tedisco in NY 20, who was the annointed front runner. [Republican Tedisco was defeated in a special election for an open Congresssional seat earlier this year]. Just with [Dede] coming out of Albany — any legislator in Albany is so tarnished why would we nominate them ? We acted very tone deaf in how we selected this nominee.”

Joseph also took a shot at Clinton County Chairman and Assemblywoman Janet Duprey, who threw the nomination to Scozzafava despite the fact that the majority of the Clinton County committee members who attended a candidate forum voted for the ideologically conservative Paul Maroun, and not for the ideologically liberal Scozzafava.

“I would be as much offended if I was a resident or committee person of that county. This process, that started in an honorable fashion has turned into a tainted runaway election.”

Joseph conceded that because of this, Scozzafava is almost certain to lose the election.

Whole interview here. And, keep clicking around. The site has lots of great info on the New York 23rd special election.

Another national political figure has thrown backed a candidate in New York’s special congressional election.

Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas) endorsed Doug Hoffman, the Conservative Party candidate running against centrist Republican nominee Dede Scozzafava. The two are vying for now-Army Secretary John McHugh’s vacant seat.

"We win when we are us. We lose when we are Democrat lite," he told RedState’s Erick Erickson.
“We attract people by being small government conservatives," Armey continued. "Big Government Republicans, though they call themselves Big Government Conservatives, do not win. I would tell the Republican Party leadership it cannot win if it insists on recruiting and supporting candidates out of step with the voters."

With his endorsement, Armey broke with his co-engineer of the 1994 Republican Revolution, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), who backed Scozzafava last week.

The choice of Armey — who is now the chairman of conservative group FreedomWorks — helped further the intra-party divide in New York’s 23rd district.

Most national conservatives have shied away from Scozzafava, instead choosing to back Hoffman or stay out of the race.

The winner of the Republican primary will face lawyer Bill Owens (D-N.Y.) in the general election.

The GOP candidate is the most liberal in the race. As Big Government readers know, there is a philosophical battle brewing in upstate New York. A special election to replace departing Congressman John McHugh features a GOP candidate, Dede Scozzafave, backed by national GOP ‘leaders’, DailyKos and ACORN’s Working Families Party, a Democrat, Bill Owens and a Conservative Party Candidate, Doug Hoffman.

National GOP figures claim Dede Scozzafava is the best candidate hold the seat for the GOP. If that is true it begs a question, is it worth holding? Dede Scozzafava has supported higher taxes, increased government spending, the stimulus bill, bailouts, Card Check…oh, lets just stop there. Newt Gingrich has called her “the future of the Republican party.” Well.

I call upon my fellow tea partiers, if you think the GOP should be commited to limited government, individual liberty and lower taxes, join with me in the DumpDede campaign. To act as a clearinghouse and mobilize our support, I’ve created the following website:

www.DumpDede.com

Pass it on to your friends. Battle is engaged.