Bucking the machine

For those of you who haven’t been following the special election in New York’s 23rd Congressional District (a solid GOP district whose previous officeholder was appointed Secretary of the Army), it’s gotten quite interesting. The Democratic Party’s first choice begged off—the district, which covers eleven rural counties in the northernmost part of the state, has been in GOP hands since the Civil War, and he appears to have figured a ritual loss wouldn’t do much for him—but they managed to find a solid candidate, a local lawyer named Bill Owens. The New York Republican Party, though, might have been worried that the Democrats wouldn’t be able to find somebody, since they basically nominated a Democrat of their own for the seat: they hand-picked a candidate, Dede Scozzafava, who’s not just to the left of the House Republican caucus, she’s to the left of half the Democratic caucus. Michelle Malkin described her as “an ACORN-friendly, union-pandering, tax-and-spend radical Republican, ” and if anything, she actually understated the case.

Apparently, Scozzafava was handed the nomination by the party machine as an act of favoritism because of her connections with county GOP chairmen in the state—the machine picked one of its own, and hang principles. The amazing thing is that the national party machine fell into line behind them; though 90% of House Republicans refused to support Scozzafava, the Republican National Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee sent donations in the six-figure range to keep her campaign afloat, and Newt Gingrich endorsed her. All this despite the fact that there is a true conservative in the race: Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman, who according to reports has now passed Scozzafava in the polls and is setting his sights on Owens.

This evening, Sarah Palin joined the battle, endorsing Hoffman for Congress. She said this summer that she would work for the election of conservative candidates regardless of party, and now she’s backed up those words by standing against her own party to support a candidate she can believe in:

The people of the 23rd Congressional District of New York are ready to shake things up, and Doug Hoffman is coming on strong as Election Day approaches! He needs our help now.

The votes of every member of Congress affect every American, so it’s important for all of us to pay attention to this important Congressional campaign in upstate New York. I am very pleased to announce my support for Doug Hoffman in his fight to be the next Representative from New York’s 23rd Congressional district. It’s my honor to endorse Doug and to do what I can to help him win, including having my political action committee, SarahPAC, donate to his campaign the maximum contribution allowed by law.

Our nation is at a crossroads, and this is once again a “time for choosing.”

The federal government borrows, spends, and prints too much money, while our national debt hits a record high. Government is growing while the private sector is shrinking, and unemployment is on the rise. Doug Hoffman is committed to ending the reckless spending in Washington, D.C. and the massive increase in the size and scope of the federal government. He is also fully committed to supporting our men and women in uniform as they seek to honorably complete their missions overseas.

And best of all, Doug Hoffman has not been anointed by any political machine.

Doug Hoffman stands for the principles that all Republicans should share: smaller government, lower taxes, strong national defense, and a commitment to individual liberty.

Political parties must stand for something. When Republicans were in the wilderness in the late 1970s, Ronald Reagan knew that the doctrine of “blurring the lines” between parties was not an appropriate way to win elections. Unfortunately, the Republican Party today has decided to choose a candidate who more than blurs the lines, and there is no real difference between the Democrat and the Republican in this race. This is why Doug Hoffman is running on the Conservative Party’s ticket.

Republicans and conservatives around the country are sending an important message to the Republican establishment in their outstanding grassroots support for Doug Hoffman: no more politics as usual.

You can help Doug by visiting his official website below and joining me in supporting his campaign:
http://www.doughoffmanforcongress.com/donate3.html.

Good on you, Governor.