As such, we shouldn’t waste much in the way of resources on this, regardless.

Even if you believe that Doug Hoffman is a viable option, he isn’t running with an R next to his name–Dede Scozzafava is, and as the former titular head of the Republican Party and Speaker of the House, I think Newt Gingrich was right to stand behind her.

Democrats didn’t get to their majority by running people like Charlie Rangel in marginal and conservative districts. They did it with unabashed liberals in blue areas, and guys like Travis Childers and Bobby Bright in red areas. You can vote for the third party candidate and beat your chest over how you took a stand on principle (as another GOP seat becomes a vote for Pelosi for Speaker), or you can take the R where you can, get closer to 218 Republican seats, and relegate the Democrats to minority status. And if Scozzafava turns out to be the dud that so many fear, primary her in 2010.

I said nothing about you spinning, rather criticizing your basing your position (in part) on how the media would spin it.

Rather than respond to that, you revert to the “support your party” argument. I’ll let others more versed in New York politics address that further – that is a whole separate discussion.

However, I’d still want to know – are you still going to allow the media to shape your position, or are you backing off that line of argument?

My point is that this election is already lost to conservatives. The attacks on the NRCC and Gingrich do more harm than good.

If you choose not to support the GOP, that is fine. However, it is foolish to expect and demand that GOP politicians do the same. Conservatives can go vote for the Conservative Party in droves. I would! But I do not expect the GOP establishment figures to do likewise.

This level of rancor is foolish outside of a primary fight. The special election is being blown entirely out of proportion here. The GOP has already lost this election by picking a bad candidate. Why beat up good allies with the Rod of Authenticy in a losing effort?

But I do think Erick is making two points:

1) If you step back and look at the larger picture, we see that Newt historically has been one of the more articulate expounders of conservative principles, but on the political tactics front, he is increasingly taking an accomodative position towards liberals and Democrats even as the latter move further and further left. That leaves us chasing our tail.

And in that Erick and others of us see a pattern developing of pushing the Republicans to the left and sabotaging conservatives, that does not exactly give us any reason to want this fellow to lead our troops. Newt may still have a role as a theoritician, but not as a leader.

2) Erick sees this election as a particularly egregious example of this running to the left strategy, even such that the Scozzafava is to the LEFT of the Democratic opponent. Normally we might just hold our noses, but since a) this was an insider nomination and b) there is a legitimate 3rd party conservative contestant, this is a rare case where conservatives have an alternative to holding our noses.

So while it may be a bit much to demand that party officials and would-be leaders support Hoffman, it does seem reasonable for them to at least keep neutral – or even to not publically go our and endorse Scozzafava.

For Gingrich to thus stick his finger in conservatives’ eyes will have the natural consequence that conservatives will not find him a credible political leader of conservatism.

Not to mention reminding us how once Newt got into power, he snatched defeat out of the jaws of victory – and wants to do that preemptively again in 2009-10.

That’s the problem, not just a failure to pass a single litmus test.

“Dems Expand House”

I am not qualified or interested in explaining his motives but this DOES appear to be a strange endorsement (he has been going around the country supporting SOLID conservatives) and I wonder whether there is more to this endorsement than meets the eye.

Since Scozzafava is the “establishment” candidate (wretched as that is) I wonder whether or not he’s busy collecting chips from the various local powers that be……

He has also been running around with Al Sharpton to talk abt education and regularly speaks about “tri-partisanship”.

Is this perhaps just another ugly political move that is offensive to those, like myself, who believe in the core principles of conservatism, that is perhaps a necessary evil for him?

There may be more on the ground locally than we can tell.

Newt is a waste of money and time for anyone who wants to see the Republican Party become more Conservative!

Just sayin’.

Thanks for the source.

It’s time to look forward, not backwards.