Politico calls Dede’s endorsement of Owens a democratic “coup”
ByPlease, Dede Scozzafava’s endorsement of Bill Owens was hardly a coup for democrats.
On Sunday afternoon, their vigorous efforts paid off as Scozzafava bucked her own party and issued a statement supporting Owens over Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman, a coup for Democrats, who recognized that their best remaining chance of winning the Republican-leaning seat on Tuesday was to swing disaffected Scozzafava supporters their way. By Sunday night, Scozzafava had taped her endorsement and it was being delivered via robo-call into targeted district households.
The story of how it went down began in Washington, where the White House and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee quarterbacked the effort to secure Scozzafava’s endorsement.
According to several senior Democratic officials, Rep. Steve Israel, a Long Island Democrat and DCCC official, was dispatched to meet face to face with Scozzafava in her upstate New York district, within hours of her departure from the race, to make the case on behalf of the national party. He carried the proxy of the White House and congressional Democrats.
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When some senior Democrats worried Scozzafava might be wavering about the endorsement, according to another account, the White House got Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, one of the most powerful figures in the state, and New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to place calls to the assemblywoman on Saturday evening to coax her into delivering it. Sen. Chuck Schumer, who had been in touch with White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel and Israel, also weighed in.
Two senior Democrats with ties to the White House praised Cuomo’s role in the operation, saying they were confident Scozzafava was on board after learning that she told Cuomo: “You’re going to be the next governor of New York.”
Also critical was Silver’s assurance, in a phone conversation with Scozzafava, that the state Assembly Democratic caucus would embrace her if she chose to switch parties, now viewed as a real possibility after her endorsement Sunday of Owens.
She’s one of them for crying out loud. What more do we need to know. She’s to the left of many democrats, and it isn’t just the social issues. Many conservatives could hold their noses for someone liberal on social issues, but her leftist tendencies go far beyond the social issues. She’s for card check. While other states cut their budgets in response to the recession, she voted for expanding the budget in New York even while revenue was plummeting. That’s hardly a moderate republican.
Popularity: 1% [?]
She’s just one of many Trojan horses that exist in the Republican Party. There needs to be historical grounds such as voting records and position statements for funding a candidate. That would have put a stop to this particular instance. A perspective party candidate needs to talk the talk and watch and make sure that they walk the walk. The results of not insuring that simple measure are people like Lindsay Graham, Dede Scozzafava, and the crown jewel looser himself, John McCain. The people that decided on Dede must go. Nothing less than that will be effective.