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A desperate struggle to control the narrative of the crucial special congressional election in upstate New York's 23rd District has broken out in the wake of Republican Dede Scozzafava's concession yesterday.
The Watertown (N.Y.) Daily Times -- which previously endorsed Scozzafava -- stirred the pot this morning with an editorial backing Democrat Bill Owens and claiming that this was also Scozzafava's agenda:
During the day Saturday, she began to quietly and thoughtfully encourage her supporters to vote for Democrat William L. Owens.That single sentence sparked online commentary and inaugurated a race by reporters to confirm or refute the newspaper's assertion. Kerry Picket of The Washington Times was first to follow up:
Former Scozzafava campaign spokesman Matt Burns seems to distance himself from Ms. Scozzafava's latest reported actions. He sent the Washington Times Water Coooler the following statement:Meanwhile, Democrats continue pouring on TV ads attacking Hoffman as a greedy millionaire whose agenda is to export jobs to India and China. Anti-Scozzafava TV ads -- purchased by outside groups not under control of the Hoffman campaign -- also continue airing.
"As of yesterday, I am no longer affiliated with the campaign. Dede knows the most about the district and would have represented it well in Congress, but I am not familiar with her current thinking or decision-making." . . .
Ms. Scozzafava has yet to release a statement on the Watertown report.
Ali Akbar of 73Wire's Campaign Trail will be riding with me to Watertown this afternoon, and we will continue to pursue the story.
UPDATE: 73Wire now has their own report up. We're hitting the road to Watertown.
UPDATE II: (Smitty) TCOT Report points to the NY Daily News:
At 10 p.m. last night - right in the middle of the Halloween festivities - Scozzafava's husband, Ron McDougall, president of the Jefferson/Lewis/St. Lawrence Central Labor Council issued a statement through the AFL-CIO that he is endorsing Owens against Conservative candidate Doug Hoffman.Hopes for reconciliation dim.
...
Now that Scozzafava has bowed out of the race, her union backers are rushing to endorse Owens, which could prove crucial to him in the final hours of the race when it all comes down to the kind of GOTV that unions (or some of them, anyway) excel at.
UPDATE III: (Smitty) The hits just keep on comin'! Here comes the Puffington Host:
In the White House, at the very least, officials are bracing themselves for a loss, calling Scozzafava's departure bad news for Owens. The one hope, they say, is if Scozzafava -- who has more philosophical similarities with the Democratic Party than Hoffman's brand of Republicanism -- was to formally endorse her former rival.If Dede keeps up the good work, she's a shoo-in for the Arlen Specter Award for Deeply Held Principles.
"This hurts," one administration official told the Huffington Post on Saturday, "unless we can get her on board."
And on Sunday, the White House all but confirmed that it was after Scozzafava's endorsement. Appearing on ABC's "This Week," Obama's senior confidant, Valerie Jarrett said the administration "would love to have -- of course, have her support."
UPDATE IV: (Smitty) Couple of posts at NORC,
UPDATE V: (Smitty)
TCOT Report points to the Watertown Daily Times, where, at 1406 local, Dede laid it on the line, emphasis mine:
You know me, and throughout my career, I have been always been an independent voice for the people I represent. I have stood for our honest principles, and a truthful discussion of the issues, even when it cost me personally and politically. Since beginning my campaign, I have told you that this election is not about me; it’s about the people of this District.I, for one, hope that the people of NY-23 form the bolded words into a polite suppository on Tuesday.
It is in this spirit that I am writing to let you know I am supporting Bill Owens for Congress and urge you to do the same.
So now it becomes apparent that RINOs really are Democrats using NRC money?
ReplyDeleteRegarding Hoffman "export[ing] jobs to India and China", I wouldn't be surprised. Here's my take on a related issue. Do his supporters know that he seems to support actions that would raise their taxes (through increased spending) and reduce their electoral power? That would be a good thing to ask him.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great posting.
ReplyDeleteSomeone needs to tell Newt he screwed up.
Molonlabe28
Maybe Joey Plugs brought the company checkbook up there on his little road trip... and made her an offer?
ReplyDeleteObama's got a lot riding on this- and of course has no scruples whatsoever.
Who'd be surprised... nobody I know.
Agreed, Adriane :(
ReplyDeleteWatch and listen to the rhetoric coming from the left and the farther left (the WH)... then substitute Hoffman for Palin. Haven't we seen this smear campaign before?
I have to day this. If I'm Dede I'd have a very hard time endorsing Hoffman just because in her mind he cost her a congressional seat that she figured was hers in a walk.
ReplyDeleteAnd from what I can see the party didn't offer her a carrot.
But this shows that she would have been the MSM darling the "bi-partisian" republican on every TV show for the next year. Even if Doug loses this race we will never realize how big a pit we avoided on this race.
Gee. The NRCC's hand-picked candidate jumps the fence. I for one am shocked, shocked! to find there is idiocy going on in that place...
ReplyDeleteCan we (NRCC) get a refund?
ReplyDeleteheads need to roll.
Some threads back everyone was kumbya about Dede, she did the right thing, leave her be.
ReplyDeleteMy response was the only reason Dede got out of the race was because of MONEY, she was out spent she would have been happy to split the vote looks like she is still trying.
And as before some people are being suckered by politicians, and at least Dede can take some consolation in her Margaret Sanger Award.
Some people understand a Leopard doesn't change it's spots.
Here's a question we need to ask after DeDe's didi-mau...
ReplyDelete@Keyboard Jockey,
ReplyDeleteThere is a time to be diplomatic, and extend the olive branch.
And that branch, when used as a club in return, is an indicator.
Whether Doug Hoffman wins or not, we (1) will have prevented a RINO/DIABLO from holding office, (2) will have learned some lessons for the coming battles [this is a long war we're in], and (3) will have positioned a conservative to win in NY-23 in 2010.
ReplyDeleteIt's win-win.
Smitty -- this is why no one talks about extending the axe-handle...
ReplyDeleteAnd quick, someone call Allahpundit, we need to understand why spending a million dollars of our money to run two Democrats against one conservative was a brilliant mainstream GOP strategy...
Both Sun Tzu and Clausewitz, opposite in vision as they are, would both admire what Scozzafava represents. An infiltration of the enemy camp and then havoc unleashed. All of this whining by Jarrett et al and the incessant psy-ops from the White House is painting Scozzy in an unflattering light as a shill and dem plant from the get go.
ReplyDeleteDear Dede
ReplyDeleteNobody trusts a traitor
Nuf Said
Quoted from and Linked to at:
ReplyDelete23 SKIDOO X: DON'T GET OVERCONFIDENT Edition
Smitty: As a protologist during weekdays [Dr. Clyde 'Fingers' Proctor], I would like to help administer it.