Conservatives are locked in ideological battle with one another over whether promoting conservative values is more important than defending them against an outside threat. In newsrooms across the country, it is frequently observed that, “Nobody goes after a Republican like another Republican.” Even more so than on the Democratic side of the political spectrum, Republicans can be ruthless against one another at campaign time … and that is the situation in New York right now. In the 23rd District, Democrat Bill Owens is running against Independent Doug Hoffman and Republican Dede Scozzafava. I lump Hoffman and Scozzofava together because only together do they hold the number of votes to defeat Owens.
The winner of Tuesday’s special election will replace the district’s former House representative, Republican John Michael McHuff, who was confirmed as Secretary of the Army by the Senate in September.
Last year, a little more than 218,900 votes were cast in the general election. McHuff earned 143,029 votes and his Democratic opponent had 75,871 for a combined total of 218,900 total votes. Assuming roughly the same number of people cast ballots this year, one of the three candidates in Tuesday’s election only needs a simple majority -- 72,967 votes --to win under this hypothetical scenario. If McHuff’s votes are evenly divided between Hoffman and Scozzafava this time around, they each only come away with 71,513, and that’s not enough to win. Think that razor-thin margin is too slim? Think of it this way: Republicans are bound to get a strong show of support for Scozzafava, but with recent polling showing Hoffman remaining competitive, all Owens needs to do to win is come up with the same number of votes the Democratic challenger had last year in his losing bid for the seat.
Losing the 23rd District’s Congressional seat would be painful for conservatives and Republicans alike. In his endorsement of the Republican candidate, former house Speaker Newt Gingrich points out that Scozzafava isn’t exactly an Obama-ite:
While there are clearly areas where Dede Scozzafava is not a conservative, there are many areas where she is: she is endorsed by the National Rifle Association, signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, supports keeping the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts permanent, voted against the Governor’s big-spending, tax increase budget, opposes the health care plan being pushed for by President Obama and Nancy Pelosi, opposes cap and trade and energy tax increases, favors an all of the above energy plan that includes more domestic oil and natural gas drilling. Furthermore, she will vote against Nancy Pelosi and for John Boehner for Speaker.Although there are some competitive House races coming up in 2010, no one can know for sure if Republicans will be able to overcome the Democrats’ stranglehold on Congress in 2010. Voting for Scozzafava doesn’t make a conservative any less of a conservative. Scozzafava may not be conservative on wedge issues, but she is fiscally conservative, and she is staunchly opposed to the way Obama has been obscenely growing the government by leaps and bounds since taking office. In the next 12 months, bills concerning abortion or gay marriage are not likely to come before Congress, but the House will almost certainly vote on another trillion dollar spending plan. Can conservatives afford to risk even one more Democrat siding with Obama on this issue?
Let’s not forget: Hoffman ran for the Republican endorsement in 2009. He lost, failing even to qualify in the top three. His conservative credentials apparently weren’t enough to convince the 23rd District’s Republican committee that he should be their representative for the next year. Remember, it is the people of the 23rd District who will have to live with this decision long after the national spotlight is gone.
If you don’t think 12 months is enough time to do significant damage to the public welfare, think about what President Barack Obama did in just three.
Those who traveled to New York’s 23rd Congressional District to lobby for the conservative cause are to be commended for their stick-to-itiveness in this race so far. The statement has been made. The time has come now to go home and let the people of the district choose the candidate who best represents them.
