Sunday, October 25, 2009

NY23: Pawlenty and Huckabee MIA?

Rachelle Friberg points out:
Tim Pawlenty and Mike Huckabee have something in common other than the fact that they are prominent Republican men. The commonality these men share is the fact that they have yet to endorse the third-party Conservative Party candidate, Doug Hoffman in New York's 23rd District Race. . . .
Read the whole thing. I don't know what Pawlenty's excuse is; perhaps Huckabee's Fox News contract might prevent him from openly endorsing candidates. But as TPM notes, Huckabee did everything but endorse Hoffman during an appearance last week on Neil Cavuto's show:
"Certainly his views represent more closely to mine," said Huckabee. "I'm not taking a role in that with my PAC, simply because I feel like it would be inappropriate with me at this point -- mainly because I'm already speaking to the Conservative Party next week. But it is not an endorsement speech, it is an awards speech, and I don't want to get the two confused."
Speaking of liberal Republican candidate Dede Scozzafava, Huckabee said he couldn't "support somebody who does not believe that every human life has value and meaning," and also criticized Scozzafava's support for the TARP bailout. Here's the video:

Huckabee will speak Tuesday in Syracuse at the Conservative Party's annual recognition dinner. I haven't spoken to Mrs. Other McCain yet about plans for further coverage of the NY23 special election, but if y'all want me to go back, please contribute to the Shoe Leather Fund.

Actually, I might need to start calling it the "New Tire Fund." This last road-trip was more than 1,300 miles, and the tires on the 2004 KIA Optima are starting to look a little worn, which could be risky when I'm making the Watertown-to-Plattsburgh run at 95 mph.

Y'all may think I'm kidding about how fast I drive when I'm in a hurry (and I'm always in a hurry) but I take notes while I'm on the road to help me keep track of where I was and what I was doing during my trips.

At 1:53 p.m. Friday, I left Watertown, N.Y., en route to Saranac Lake. At 2:41, I stopped at Nice 'n' Easy Shoppe #2802 in Harrisville, and 12 minutes later -- at 2:53 --was on the road again. By 3:46, I was at Tupper Lake, 60 miles to the east. Google Maps estimates the drive time as an hour and 31 minutes, but I did it in 53 minutes -- on a two-lane highway clogged with slow-moving morons and where some small towns have local speed limits as low as 30 mph.

And to the old lady in the burgundy Ford Probe who flipped me off when I blew past her on State Route 3: I forgive you.

HOFFMANIA: CATCH IT!

UPDATE: Just scored an exclusive for The American Spectator: Hoffman Campaign Seeks 'Boots On the Ground' vs. ACORN.

Linked at Memeorandum. Meanwhile the Reaganite Republican blog comments:
For the Republicans to offer such a liberal candidate as Dede Scozzafava -- thereby inspiring this competitor from the NY Conservative Party -- truly boggles the mind . . . and sure helps make the case that the GOP is often out-of-touch with the party's base
.Our complete coverage of the NY23 special election

9 comments:

  1. Red state knows why - it's a Club for Growth thing...

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  2. It's funny that Huckabee would say "his views represent more closely to mine" when referring to Hoffman. Hoffman is a conservative; Huckabee is not.

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  3. You'll have to forgive those of us out West for snickering at your description of "driving fast".

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  4. The Hoffman "911" radio ad is a hoot!

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  5. Huckabee's being careful. As the current front-runner for the GOP's 2012 nomination, largely on the support of conservatives, he has a lot to lose if he endorses and then things go south (i.e. all-out war between the GOP and its conservative faction).

    Pawlenty's being careful, too. He doesn't have a lot to lose yet, but what he does have is a "moderate/centrist" rep. He'd like to start getting conservative support, but bird in hand versus two in bush spells "caution."

    That, in a nutshell, explains not only Huckabee and Pawlenty, but Palin. She's the one who doesn't have anything to lose. She's way back in the GOP polls for 2012 and her "base" has proven that it won't abandon her no matter how bizarre her behavior becomes. She's free to keep doubling down on the "maverick" hand and hoping she can draw to at least a straight and really get in the game.

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  6. "Huckabee's being careful"

    No, Huckabee's acting like the Christian socialist RINO he is. He'd endorse Scuzzy in a heartbeat if she were pro-life.

    "...her base has proven it won't abandon her no matter how bizarre her behavior becomes"

    The only thing that's been proven is that Palin has more balls than Mittens, T-Paw, and The Dope From Hope combined.

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  7. You show leadership by your choices, to tackle corrupt figures in your own party, to press for a once in a lifetime energy project,
    to carry the ball against Obama when your team gives up. To turn over power to your successor when the cost of office is unsustainable. And to live up to the conservative values, something that hasn't been observed recently. One could bet if there had been an open seat in 1977, Reagan would have stumped for the true candidate, not
    some pastel imitation

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  8. ...I don't know what Pawlenty's excuse is....

    Hint: rhymes with 'wino'.

    Quoted from and Linked to at: 23 SKIDOO VI

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  9. I stand corrected on Gov. Pawlenty.

    New Pawlenty excuse [in all things]: rhymes with 'gimp'.

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