Posts Tagged ‘robert stacy mccain’

Who is responsible for NY-23?

Posted: November 3, 2009 by datechguy in elections, fun
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There are several people who the results in NY-23 can be directly traced to. When the history of this election is written it is they who will be responsible.

1. Barack Obama and his political team:

They saw that he won NY-23 by 52% and saw a no lose situation. He appointed the Republican John McHugh to be Army Secretary. It was a no lose situation. If a democrat won, great another pickup for the party, but even better a liberal Acorn supporting, Card Check supporting republican. They don’t even have to PAY for this person the foolish NRCC will finance that campaign and once she wins presto all of those house votes are suddenly “bi-partisan”. The payoff for the Obama team was MUCH higher with a Scozzafava win than with an Owens one. Kos didn’t endorse that lady for nothing.

2. Doug Hoffman

It’s one thing to object to a RINO, it’s another thing to be willing to put yourself out there. He put himself out there and is poised to reap the rewards UPDATE: or even in defeat prevent the disaster of the “bi-partisan” house votes

3. The Tea Party Movement:

It is the Tea Party movement that provided the energy that made the difference , it kept the story of NY-23 alive and pushed it on the web and on blogs. Hoffman is their candidate and their willingness to highlight it drew the attention of bloggers and politicians to this race.

4. Sarah Palin

Her selection was considered a high risk/high reward move by McCain. She did the same. If Scozzafava had won the media would have trumpeted this as the defeat of Sarah Palin, if Owens wins they will still do that. But Palin got out in front of every other major republican and conservative and put it on the line forcing others (Hi Tim Pawlenty) to follow. The created a domino effect of money and attention eventually forcing the withdrawal of Dede the angry and the deployment of the Vice president turning a Doug Hoffman victory into a not only a win for the Tea Party/conservative movement but becomes a loss for the Administration. Update: And even a Owens win becomes small as it is simply one more democratic vote in a large majority, a vote that will have to be defended in one year. She will take the media hits but she did the party a huge favor.

When we look back at what begins after this election don’t forget that these were the people who made it happen.

Honorable Mention:

The bloggers:

Erik Erickson

Erik Erickson on Red State was the 1st to suggest 3rd party:

Conservatives and Republicans should rally around Dough Hoffman as a viable alternative to Dede Scozzafava. Hoffman has more in common with the people in NY-23 and is closer to the Republican Party on issues across the board.

We don’t need a third party in this country. And it is too hard to set one up anyway. But there is a viable third party in New York that conservatives can use to remind the GOP what happens when the local Republican Party rejects the Republican platform. Above all else, we must make sure Scozzafava is defeated.

Robert Stacy McCain:

From his first post on the subject on Oct 14th he has OWNED this story and not only has he owned it, he managed to get himself up to NY-23 twice and was on site for both the Palin Endorsement and the Scozzafava withdrawal. He has done this both on his blog and for the American Spectator. For example:

Ah, Election Day at last! In 24 hours, you’ll be reading my Wednesday article about what happened in the crucial upstate New York special congressional election. And tomorrow morning, God willing, I’ll be taking a shower, packing my bags, checking out of a hotel in Saranac Lake, N.Y., and heading back home to try to recover from the insanity of it all. Meanwhile, people way above my pay-grade will be on TV telling you What It Really Means.

Nice work, if you can get it.

McCain went all in and was one of the first prominent bloggers to call for a Palin endorsement.

Other than the wear and tear on his car McCain is one of the biggest winners in this whole event.

Dana Loesch:

The Dump Dede web site went online Oct 17th:

One of the biggest lies ever told is that the biggest threat to conservatism lies outside the invisible boundaries of the GOP. I disagree; the biggest threat to conservatism is an unchecked Republican party – just as I think the biggest threat to Christianity is a false prophet. There are some false prophets leading the GOP right now: the RNC has an incompetent leader; Newt Gingrich demonstrates that his “American Solution” is to push the GOP center left by backing an ACORN candidate in New York’s 23rd. There are false prophets leading and cowards following: aside from a few Republicans like Michelle Bachmann, few others have denounced the nomination of Dede Scozzafava or Gingrich’s ridiculous proclamation of a “new revolution.” Please. He apparently doesn’t recognize a new revolution when it marches by the millions on Washington.

I’m tired of consequential fear motivating my vote. Too many in the Republican party have used this as a tool with which to manipulate voters. The Democrats have the race card; the Republicans have the fear card. They know that voters will choose the lesser of two evils – sometimes that’s a decent strategy when the alternative is decent. I wouldn’t define the situation in New York’s 23rd as such and because this seems to be indicative of a trend in the GOP – and with Gingrich’s call to shift the party further away from its base – I say it’s time to reclaim the party, give some true conservatives within it time to redeem or prove themselves, or bury it altogether.

The site hit this meme over that last 3 weeks, she was right in front and pressed this race. When Scozzafava dropped out Dump Dede became a blog that served it’s purpose.

If you want a little more history All American Blogger has an updated timeline and Accuracy in media give credit for what has happened.

There is no greater high for a history guy like me to watch it happen.

Update: Welcome Big Government Readers and thanks Dana for the link. Take a peek around. Discover if Sarah Palin is damaged goods and what the religion of Peace has been up to while we were voting. Learn the dangers of public wi-fi, the first rule of Republican Victory and how my father knew Al Capone’s cousin. And watch me explain why Dr. Who is a lot more conservative than Wired Mag thinks.

Scozzafava pulls out! Biden to Ny-23 Palin & McCain in catbird seat

Posted: October 31, 2009 by datechguy in elections, internet/free speech
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I was in the middle of writing a birthday post for my late father when I got a call from a friend in PA who told me to turn on the TV and that Scozzafava had pulled out of the race in NY-23.

This doesn’t guarantee victory for Hoffman (that’s WHY you have the election) but it means the following.

Big Winners:

Sarah Palin: She was the republican who was willing to put herself on the line with the race was “over”

Robert Stacy McCain: He was the blogger/Reporter who pushed this story and took the time to visit the district twice. That meant he was on hand for BOTH the Palin endorsement and the Scozzafava pull out.

Rush Limbaugh: He pushed and pushed this race and hit republicans for dissing conservatives.

The Tea Party Movement: They got behind Hoffman and have proved their power. Lets see the MSM spin that one.

Northeastern Conservatives: All it takes is one win to give others the courage to try.

Dump Dede blog: Need I say why?

BIG Losers:

Newt Gingrich: He stuck his neck out for the GOP rather than conservatives and got it chopped off. Say goodbye to 2012 but as long as he opposes conservatives his place on the MSM rotation gravy train is assured forever.

GOP Establishment: They attached the conservative and gave us a RINO and end up with a zero.

NRCC: Good luck raising money from conservatives now. I suspect the funds will go directly to the candidates.

Democrats: They are in a no win situation. They don’t get the cover that a Scozzafava win would have allowed them (bi-partisan votes, a House version of Olympia Snowe) and even if Owens wins they get nothing they didn’t already have, an overwhelming house majority and a new blue dog.

The MSM: They have to deal with a Palin win and or a Hoffman win. Their RINO’s who have been proclaiming that the GOP has to tack left shows its weakness. They will play the GOP civil war card but not no effect.

RINOS: They lose their argument

Tim Pawlenty: Sloppy seconds

And to Charles Johnson he gets a Nelson award:

Vote Hoffman!

Update: CNN is reporting the breaking news that a poll says Palin is not electable? Doesn’t mention NY-23 news today. Do you want to know why they are in 4th? Memorandum is on it however. CNN’s breaking news still isn’t covering it.

Update 2: Second big winner Bill Quick, two instalances on one post!

Update 3: Michelle Malkin knows who to thank. Meanwhile according to Sister Toldjah CNN discovered the story while I went down the street for breakfast and she breaks some news:

Chair Pete Sessions is now set to endorse Hoffman. Politico’s Jonathan Martin reported via Twitter that Newt Gingrich, a staunch defender of Scozzafava against conservatives who accurately described her as a liberal in sheep’s clothing, is now endorsing Hoffman and urging others to vote for him on Tuesday.

A tad late isn’t it? Meanwhile Marc Ambinder makes a good point:

Where do the rest of her votes go? CW says that most go to Hoffman, but I’m with Jonathan Martin: I think half go to Democrat Bill Owens or they stay home.

Ed Morrissey does show the race looks good for the white hats:

According to the poll, Hoffman had attracted 50% of the Republican vote, while Owens had 2/3rds of the Democrats. Hoffman leads Owens among independents, 40%-35%, and the remaining 15% supporting Scozzafava will almost certainly break more towards Hoffman than Owens. Owens will likely get more of Scozzafava’s Democratic supporters, but she only had 11%, while 14% have already gone to Hoffman. Hoffman and Owens had a near-even split of the opposition in Scozzafava’s regional stronghold of Jefferson/Lewis/St. Lawrence counties, but I’d be surprised if Hoffman didn’t pick up more in those areas of disaffected Scozzafava voters, too.

The race isn’t over until the people actually vote. Various bloggers point out that it’s all down to the voters now. Meanwhile the democrats make a tactical mistake:

Politico reports that the Biden rally will be Monday in Watertown:

The visit by Biden underlines how badly national Democrats want to snatch this seat, Republican-held since before the Civil War, from the GOP. But it also reflects Democrats’ 11th-hour efforts to avoid a clean sweep Tuesday of the three mostly closely-watched races.

By deploying Biden it makes any defeat an administration defeat. This is a lot of risk for little reward, this suggests fear of giving Sarah Palin any kind of victory.

Update 4: Robert George gets it:

Outside observers who want to dismiss Palin do so at their peril. But, there appears to be a reason that her basketball-playing nickname was “Barracuda.” Recall she was the one who coined (or at least made viral) the phrase “death panel” during the health care fight during the summer — forcing Democrats and the White House onto the defensive. Whether Palin is doing all this for PR purposes (her book comes out in three weeks) or being reckless in her political rhetoric, the fact is she is having an impact on the broader debate — and continuing to resonate with her party’s base.

Mitt Romney? Not so much. His voice hasn’t been heard during the battle over health care. And then, Thursday he gave the vaguest statement on the race:

“I have chosen not to endorse the Republican candidate in New York’s 23rd District,” Romney told reporters while campaigning in Virginia for Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell. “That should speak a certain amount of volume. I can’t endorse our candidate in that race.”

Yeah, Mitt, that does speak “a certain amount of volume.” It says that you’re willing to campaign for a gubernatorial candidate who has had the Virginia race in the bag for months — but not make a controversial, yet, dynamic decision in a race that would have significant ripples across the country. Palin (and Tim Pawlenty quickly following the former Alaska governor) recognized where the base’s train was going and quickly got on board. Romney missed the train — and missed the opportunity to take a significant role in a tough internal ideological debate that his party is undergoing. Even if Romney endorsed Scozzafava (as former Speaker Newt Gingrich did), at least he would have made a principled decision and could have articulated his reasons for it.

Instead, he looks completely wishy-washy.

Edisto Joe does too:

Anyone who doubts Sarah Palin as an up and coming major player on the political scene better find a doctor for a reality check.

Conservatives for Palin should be talking victory laps, Intrade sure looks good too. Meanwhile Riehl World view spares some sympathy for Dede:

I’ve no ill will toward her. She had a long, productive career as an elected official. I won’t knock her for that, even if I found some of her thinking to be wrong. Hopefully she can carry on in her career at the local level for now. I don’t see why not. These must have been incredibly stressful times for her.

She might be a nice lady and good to kittens, she was just the wrong choice for this position. David Frum’s new majority links to the Politico story but hasn’t been heard from in two days on the race. There is news; David Frum has joined CNN.com and CNN is now in last place. Make of that what you will.

Speaking of Frum et/al National review has a bonanza, the biggest piece is a word from Rush Limbaugh:

“Hmmm… I thought the Era of Reagan was over? Who was it that said that? Oh yeah, the smart people on our side who told us the only way we could win was with moderate/liberal candidates like Scozzafava. Hmmm…”

Jim Geraghty sees good signs too:

A guy in the know, who’s helping out with pro-Hoffman efforts up there, tells me, “Of the 20 percent or so who supported Dede, we think 70 percent are registered Republicans. We are focusing on them. Hoffman has run an anti-Washington, stop Nancy Pelosi/Harry Reid campaign, so that’s the message we’re continuing to push.”

He adds, “All the Dede resources from RNC et al got pushed to New Jersey, by the way, they didn’t stay around to help.” (Christie probably needs it more.)

While Hoffman reaches out to Dede:

“I will value a relationship with her, using the knowledge and experience she has to help me in representing this district,” says Hoffman. Working with Scozzafava, he adds, is akin to working with all Republicans to help forward conservative and fiscally-responsible policies. “In the last week, I’ve had many senior Republicans come to my aide and endorse me,” he says. “Over 25 congressional Republicans have helped and endorsed me, plus numerous presidential hopefuls.”

And Rich Santorum tries to extend the metaphor to Jersey.

We are faced with another three-way race for the governorship of New Jersey. The state of New Jersey is in a free fall under the inept leadership of Jon Corzine. Would I ever consider supporting the Independent candidate Chris Daggett there? Perhaps, if I thought, in these final days, the situation there were anything like it was in NY-23. But it is not. If you take a look at the Real Clear Politics poll average, Daggett is at 12 percent while Corzine and Christie are tied at 41 percent. What has been clear in all of the polls is that Corzine can’t break out of the low 40s in support.

Daggett, meanwhile, isn’t a Libertarian or a Socialist. He isn’t carrying the banner for a cause or a party that he has embraced. He is running, I suspect, because he knows that another four years of Corzine would be a continuing train wreck for New Jersey and he thinks he could do a better job than Chris Christie.

Like Scozzafava, Daggett was a liberal Republican in the Tom Kean mold (Daggett worked for Kean) in New Jersey. Unlike Scozzafava, he left the party to join another cause, his own. Like Scozzafava, Daggett is not going to win the election on Tuesday. Scozzafava withdrew because she put what is best for her district and her country above her personal aspirations. Let’s see if Daggett can exhibit the same selflessness.

I wouldn’t bet the farm on it.

Q: How do you know that Robert Stacy McCain is happier than Charles Johnson these days?

Posted: October 31, 2009 by datechguy in internet/free speech
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A: Robert Stacy McCain still gets instalances.

In fact not only does he still get instalances the lance goes to his American Spectator stuff which is a direct source of income and raises his stature and value at the magazine. This is due to his key work in the Ny-23 race (Vote Hoffman).

Meanwhile Mr. Johnson is reduced to soliciting donations on every single post rather than doing something like, helping to raise funds for Project Valour-It. (Donate at the link at the top BTW) Alas how the mighty have fallen!

And his foes don’t just get instalances they get Rush Lances too, and not secondary ones like I did.

Charles please look at yourself and see what you’ve become.

The difference between an enemy and someone you don’t care for

Posted: October 29, 2009 by datechguy in Afghanistan war, internet/free speech
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My mother is the quintessential Sicilian. There are people she doesn’t like or care for, but she is very proper in public concerning them as long as she isn’t questioned directly. She always taught me the value of being able to publicly associate with your enemies. And with enemies you need to establish “neutral ground” such as Church or a funeral where you can be friendly and not let your personal enmity harm or inconvenience others.

There were also other bounds, you would not hurt a foes family or attempt to cost them their livelihood. On shared occasions such as sporting events when you both cheered for the same team it was even acceptable to celebrate together and most importantly there were some rumors and accusations that were so beyond the pale that you didn’t repeat them even about your foes. I saw her do this with people that had directly hurt and insulted her publicly. It was amazing to see.

Most of this was taught by example. Unfortunately (or fortunately) for me I tended to take my fathers example instead. He liked and got along with everyone and as long as they didn’t mean harm to his family he would help anyone. At his funeral I never saw so many people and neither did the funeral home guy for any non celebrity. (He even cooked his own funeral dinner but that’s another story…)

This is one of the reasons why I have taken such a hard line on Charles Johnson and lgf. His accusations against Robert Stacy are not only contrary to the personal experiences of people with actual expereince but it puts his ability to support his wife and family at risk.

Banning people from comments is childish, the comments on Jumping in Pools are childish an revealing, but the actions on the gentleman from Maryland are despicable and continue to be. (This doesn’t even count his actions against Pam Geller, Gates of Vienna et/al).

As I’ve said I’ve never met Charles so I don’t know his motivations, how he thinks, if he is having personal problems that lead to this stuff or anything, but right now I must say I don’t care much for him.

That said he has not yet crossed two particular bright lines that are significant.

He has not crossed over to opposition to Israel vs the Palestinians.

He has not crossed over to the defeat caucus concerning the radical Islam in general and the war in particular.

These are both important lines not only because of what they represent but because unlike some who support the above positions he has the facts and without a question knows better.

As long as those two lines are not crossed his chance of redemption is still intact and I will hope for it while still teasing him over his foolishness and chiding him severely for his offensives against a man I call friend.

Once those lines are crossed, once he actively supports the other side in war then all bets are off. Over time this will be the true test of him and if he just being petulant or if he is doing wrong.

I hope I’m wrong but I have a horrible feeling that this administration will very soon put this to the test.

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