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Sunday, November 1, 2009

Thoughts on the Urge to Purge

Via MemeorandumPolitico has the daily dose of drama on the supposed civil war among Republicans, again.  They found a few moderates who felt the urge to gnash some teeth while they weep and wail over the national support for the conservative candidate Doug Hoffman in New York's 23rd district over Dede Scozzafava.  Almost right from the jump, Politico frames the argument entirely wrong:
The message from national and New York conservatives is unambiguous, though: This was an angry, energized base telling the national party that an anything-for-a-majority approach by GOP leaders is unacceptable. They are serious and deeply concerned about what's going on in Washington.
No, the angry, energized base was not saying that an anything-for-a-majority approach is unacceptable.  We don't think we can win when our candidate is virtually indistinguishable from the Democrat.  Of course there will be both Congressional and Senatorial seats that cannot be won by running a hard line right-wing candidate.  We need to focus on the best candidate and one who will be with the party on the matters that have most appeal to swing voters right now, smaller government, taxes and  deficit spending.  Unemployment is rapidly approaching 10%, people need to get back to work which can only come through spurring economic development.  This is the critical message, this is the winning message.

Democrats in Congress have held the country hostage this year as they tried to pass legislation that can only blow holes the size of Texas in the already bleeding fiscal budget.   Democrats already know this is wounding them and can see the freight train coming for them in 2010.  While they pretend to worry about righting the ship, the left wing of their party insists on taking on more water.  It is a strategy doomed to fail.  The only way to stop it is to be the one setting the agenda instead of the ones who are shut out of the room.

If Doug Hoffman wins on Tuesday, it will be because the district would vote for a more conservative candidate than the one the local officials thought possible.  This was clearly misguided.  While there are quite a few moderates in this area, the district has a long history of supporting the Republican candidate.  It leans right, there was no need to lean further to the left than the Democrats to find a candidate.   The angst among the moderates on social issues is misplaced.  Voters are worried about keeping their jobs and frankly, it is the moderates who are beating the social issue drum over the economic drum.  They beat it so loudly, the left assumes there must be  blood in the water.  They want there to be blood in the water.  Let's not give it to them.

Sarah Palin's instincts were dead on in this election, and her message now is the right one, "it's time to unite."
I want to personally thank Republican Dede Scozzafava for acting so selflessly today in the NY District 23 race. Now it's time to cross the finish line with Doug Hoffman so that he can get to work for District 23 and the rest of America.

With Congress poised to overhaul one-sixth of our economy with so-called health care “reform” (which is really a government takeover of health care) and with plans to enact a cap-and-tax bill just as our economy struggles to recover, Doug Hoffman will be a voice for fiscal responsibility and common sense in Washington.

We need candidates like Doug now more than ever. In these final days of the campaign, it's vital that Doug continue to receive the enthusiastic support of those who want to bring common sense to Washington. Let’s help make it happen! You can help Doug by visiting his official website today and offering your support: https://www.doughoffmanfor
 While Palin rallied the right in this election toward a likely victory with a conservative candidate, her most crucial role in 2010 may be to rally the right to back off when calls for a more conservative candidate than is reasonably electable become overpowering.  These instances will be fewer and further between than the media and some teeth gnashing moderates would have us believe but Palin might make the case more effectively than anyone when those instances arise.  The election in the NY-23 was not one of those instances.

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