Bruce Benidt
Jon Austin
tcarideo
Ellen Mrja
Mike Keliher
Joe Loveland
Governor Pawlenty loves to lecture Repbulicans that they mustn’t only be Country Club Republicans, but must also strive to be Sam’s Club Republicans. It’s a savvy attempt to win the votes of the all-important Buys Charmin By the Cubic Yard Moms.
Well recently Minnesota’s Governor in absentia has also been acting like a Kingmakers Club Republican. Not long ago in upstate New York, former Governors Sarah Palin and Pawlenty swooped down from their respective campaign jets to annoint Conservative Party congressional candidate Doug Hoffman, and evict Republican Party candidate Dede Scozzafava from their famously big tent. The Republican Scozzafava was charged by Pawlenty and Palin with the high crime of being politically moderate.
The Kingmaker’s Club didn’t have an auspicious start. The Pawlenty-deposed Republican candidate pulled out of the race, but then threw her support to the Democrat. The Democrat then defeated the Pawlenty-blessed candidate, the first time a Democrat has been elected to Congress from this rock-ribbed Republican district since 1850.
Oops.
But you do have to hand it to Pawlenty. The wannabe President finally managed to do something President Obama can’t seem to do – elect a congressional Democrat.
- Loveland
Filed under: Communications, Government, Messaging, Politics | Tagged: Country Club Republicans, Dede Scozzafava, Doug Hoffman, Sam's Club Republicans, Sarah Palin, Tim Pawlenty
The end result was a wash – a RINO was replaced by a Democrat.
So Kris, Pawlenty’s kingmaking initiative improved his reputation in your eyes? Caucus cleansing?
Pawlenty clearly was sucking up to conservatives, but it had no real political effect on him. Only Gingrich came out damaged and looking like a fool.
I agree with you about Pawlenty, Kris.
But wasn’t Gingrich actually correct? I mean, didn’t he point out that this move (to replace Dede with Hoffman) would lead to a Democratic win? How does this make him look like a fool? I can see that he is damaged (at least in terms of being perceived as being on the opposite side of the Conservatives).
Of course, Gingrich felt that this result, which he correctly predicted, would be bad. Apparently you do not agree. Better to be pure and in the minority than to have to deal with RINO’s and in the majority, eh?
By the way, who does get to define a Republican?
Political analysis aside, I just really like saying “Scozzafava.” What a great name. And 86 points in Scrabble to boot. “Scozzafava.” Too bad she was an evil moderate.
Gingrich argued, in effect, that a Republican whose platform and track record is indistinguishable from a Democrat’s is valuable to Republicans.
What have Republicans won if their candidate (Scozzafava) represents none of their values?
But you seem to have a very narrow definition.
I am certain that Scozzafava considers herself a Republican, and sees significant differences between herself and the winner in that race. I imagine that Newt also saw significant differences between her and the Democrat. I imagnine that Newt felt that although she might not vote with the Republicans on every issue, that she would vote with Republicans on most issues. As a former leader of the House of Representatives, I imagine that he would think (from experience) that someone who will voe with you most of the time is better than someone who will vote against you most of the time.
And, frankly, most candidates for office tend to talk about the importance of their “independence” (see for example the Norm Coleman ad that Loveland just referenced: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnGietqs9cA&feature=player_embedded). I expect they trumpet their “independence ” because it makes them more likely to get elected.
This seems to be an approach that you disagree with–or am I reading too much into your posts?
“Representative Scozzafava” is probably too long to fit on the nameplate at what would have been her desk. It’s for the best.
But you seem to have a very narrow definition.
I am certain that Joe Lieberman considers himself a Democrat.
But I have never called Lieberman a “DINO”.
As he votes with Democrats on most issues, from the perspective of a Democrat, it seems to me to be better to have him in the Senate than a Republican, who would not vote with Democrats on most (if any) issues.
I think that strict party line voting in the House and the Senate serves our country poorly–on both sides. Frankly, this is more of a phenomena among Republicans currently (although there is a good argument to make that the smaller your caucus, the easier it is to enforce Party discipline, so maybe this is simply a function of the recent defeats of republican senators and representatives). Still, I think that it is a problem whenever it occurs.
Under the headline, “Pawlenty’s national forays show need for polish,” Pawlety took a ding from the Washington Post today. The Post writer criticized both the Hoffman kiss of death and a shot the Governor took at Senator Olympia Snowe on Fox: