We live in interesting and perilous times, and nowhere is this more ev
ident than the freaky little sideshow going on in upstate New York.
Moderate Dede Scozzafava, endorsed by GOP leadership, was challenged by 3rd party conservative candidate Doug Hoffman, handpicked by the teabaggers and godbaggers for his medieval views on social issues. Other than a 15th-century keyhole-peeping fetish, Hoffman has little to offer the district since he doesn’t live there and doesn’t even know the area. But that didn’t stop some GOP bright-lights like Sarah Palin from breaking ranks and endorsing him and causing a near civil war within the GOP. After all, what’s more important? The economy or what goes on in citizens’ bedrooms?
The Hoffman juggernaut, driven by big money from the opportunistic insurance lobby whores behind the teabagging rallies, fired up on truckloads of Jesusbucks, and primed with some exquisite ratfucking that would have made Richard Nixon proud, proved impossible to pass:
The Republican candidate for a vacant New York congressional seat suspended her campaign after her lead in polls evaporated and former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin endorsed a rival in the three-way race.
Republican assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava said she was stepping aside after being “outspent on both sides.” Her withdrawal may hand the traditionally Republican seat to a Democrat in the Nov. 3 special election and leave the Republican Party with just two seats in New York’s 29-member House delegation.
The spineless GOP caved and threw their candidate under the bus to pacify the teabaggers, and now, emboldened by the taking of their first electoral scalp, the whacko fringe is already stomping around thumping its chest and making demands:
And why not? The Teabaggers are, after all, “the New GOP”:
Big Darkness come soon for GOP moderates. On a more interesting historical note, this might be the first time that a safe Republican seat goes to the Democrats because the GOP ratfucked its own candidate.
UPDATE: Scozzafava endorsing the Dem in the race?
In her statement Saturday morning, the assemblywoman explained the reasons behind her decision: “It is increasingly clear that pressure is mounting on many of my supporters to shift their support. Consequently, I hereby release those individuals who have endorsed and supported my campaign to transfer their support as they see fit to do so.”
During the day Saturday, she began to quietly and thoughtfully encourage her supporters to vote for Democrat William L. Owens.
(h/t for update – LGF)
UPDATE II: More at DJ. Owens may be a moderate, but it remains to be seen if he’s moderate enough that Republicans will be able to stomach voting for him. (Bad habits die hard.) On the other hand, if they’re pissed enough at their party being bullied by the lunatic fringe, they just might “go rogue”, eh?
Investment tip of the day: Popcorn futures.
UPDATE III: 538 weighs in.
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unrepentant old hippie 
JJ,
Even on a Sunday your love for your fellow man is shining through. Where do you compassionate tolerant atheists find all this happiness you have? Always in a joyful mood.
Hee, the local paper, which had endorsed Scozzafava has now endorsed the local Democrat, calling the carpetbagger an ‘ideologue’. This in a very Rethuglican district. Gonna be fun to watch.
Jasper – At least my ideas are my own, I don’t constantly regurgitate other peoples’ bullshit.
My own ideas: got that, Sir Spam-a-lot?
fern hill – Yeah, I got that in my update. Not only the paper, but Scozzafava herself is “quietly” encouraging her supporters to vote for the Dem.
The teabaggers have taken over…
You never searched the internet for information JJ? Do you quote every single statement that didn’t come from yourself? Let’s get serious now.
Jasper – Of course I search the internet for info. I just don’t quote it chapter and verse as if it’s MY OWN.
You’re a fraud, Jasper.
What days we live in. Even the safest of safe republican seats will no longer be going to the GOP in this by election. Unfortunately, it is possible that it will go to even further right fringe lunatic. And its not good news for the future progress of the western world.
I’m probably just paranoid, but if these lunatics were ever given unlimited control (I think Bushy actually held them back quite a bit) I think we’d be headed for a new dark age where god would be the solution to all our problems, and god would tell our religiously ordained leaders that war is the answer to all our problems.
Bleatmop – I find it especially weird to watch it from this vantage point in Canada, given that our two major parties are both right-of-centre to varying degrees. It’s fascinating to watch a political system that’s so much more polarized than ours.
That said, most Americans are center-right (even Dems) so it’s unlikely they’d ever vote to hand power over to a minority of whackos. However, there will probably be some changes in the political landscape, since it appears that the teabagger element intends to purge moderates from the GOP. The question is, will they stay (as David Frum insists he will, to make it a better party), or will they go? I think USians might be ripe for a third party of centrists.
Meanwhile, Barry Goldwater must be rolling in his grave to see what’s become of the once-proud Grand Old Party.
JJ – Don’t know who Barry Goldwater is, but I worry for my American cousins out there that face one of their two enfranchised parties being given over to this teabagger-Christ-o-fascist alliance that we’re being developed. Not that things are all rosy here in Canada.
Bleatmop – 😯 You’ve never heard of Mr. Conservative?
Barry Goldwater was a hawkish conservative who believed in minding one’s own business on social issues, separation of church & state, etc. Some of his quotes about the religious right are a riot, like: “Every good Christian ought to kick Jerry Falwell’s ass” 😆
JJ – Considering I graduated high school in 1997 and this guy died in 98, I’m not surprised at my lack of knowledge. I do like his quote about Falwell though. However, reading (on his wiki) that he was against welfare, unions, and the federal government makes me think very low of the guy.
Bleatmop – Oh yeah. If I was American it’s unlikely that I would have voted for him, but he was at least the kind of conservative I could respectfully disagree with. Unlike like these teabagging whackjobs and born-again geeks that call themselves “conservatives” today. They would have run Goldwater out of town on a rail as a bleeding heart liberal 😯
And don’t forget his quote about gays in the military: “You don’t have to be striaght in the military; you just have to shoot straight.”
Granted, I probably wouldn’t have agreed with Goldwater on much else, but his thinking mirrors mine on social issues much of the time.
(BTW, JJ, be sure to check out my response to Jasper in the post about the teabagger documentary!)
JAB – Regardless of differences on some issues, I regard Goldwater as a true conservative who I could at least respect. I wonder if there are any Goldwater conservatives left? They are probably all independents now…
JAB – 😆 Saw that, very good. How we “ack” in the workplace is very important.
well, using the word moderate next to all of the current leadership in the North Country Republican party is wrong. This group got infiltrated by democrats in light of an apathatic populaiton that needed every dollar these democrats in republican’s clothing could muster. given the poverty in North Country, they did not do such a great job. But I do agree with the concept of conservatives not doing their job either. enclosed is an open letter to all those conservative/republican voters:
AN OPEN LETTER:
I agree with most of the fiscal and social issues the conservative party imbues.
But their role as king makers is most distasteful when they prefer to split a vote than get truly involved in the mechanics of Republican politics. Especially late in the game.
I find it even more discouraging when outsiders have got to do their work instead of old fashioned, grass roots recruiting. Local, like-minded, conservative, Republicans abound in North Country – look at those returns. To get their committees to look like their constituents should have been the number one task of the Republican and Conservative parties in the region. If they had done this, these liberal leaders up in North Country wouldn’t have had a chance to get the mantle, let alone win elections.
This is a great opportunity to start recruiting new leaders into the Republican Party with strong conservative ideals.
My question to the Conservatives in the North Country is: “Will you give up your power as king makers, or will you actually fix the Republican committees?”
Being a bit cynical I bet odds that they won’t… it is too difficult to compromise.
My hope is that Acorn and the obamanation oversteps and gloats. Then outrage will fuel rebuilding [ps- the state committee is useless, so you are on your own!].
You have two years.
a. gonzalez
republican committee member in East Rochester, NY
basking in success as our committee begins to rebuild after a similar loss two years ago.
A.Gonzalez – How would you “fix” the Republicans? — Should they become a little more centrist or go for ideological purity? (Only one of these is a strategy that wins elections.)
Also — what’s ACORN got to do with anything?
Lastly — silly terms like “obamanation” aren’t designed to get people to take you seriously.
Alberto, is that you?