Monday a day of reckoning for Scozzafava, Republicans
Monday could be a historic day in the North Country's political culture.
Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava, deeply unhappy with the GOP for its epic disloyalty to her campaign, will meet with GOP leaders.
They, meanwhile, are deeply unhappy with her for what they perceive as her epic disloyalty to the Republican Party, for endorsing Democrat Bill Owens.
At stake is Scozzafava's role as the first woman ever to hold the floor-leader position in the New York state Assembly. This from POLITICO:
In interviews with NCPR, Scozzafava has expressed deep anger toward party officials and conservative activists for side-swiping her campaign.POLITICO has learned that Kolb will announce after the face-to-face meeting whether Scozzafava, the Minority Leader Pro Tempore, will remain as the GOP floor leader.
“Fundamentally my members are very disappointed with her endorsement of Bill Owens and aiding him in helping achieve the Nancy Pelosi health care plan in Washington,” Kolb said.
But the fury towards her also continues unabated. Here's a quote from Politico:
“I campaigned for her. I played the loyal soldier and held my nose as I worked for her and then what does she do?” said Jefferson County Republican Party Chairman Donald Coon. “She doesn’t care about the GOP. She doesn’t care about the people who worked for her. She just cares about herself.”Where does this end? Will Scozzafava accept the humiliation (and financial blow) of being demoted?
Will Republican leaders accept that enough damage has already been done by all sides in this bloody intra-party feud?
And what role will Scozzafava's allies -- in particular North Country Assemblywoman Janet Duprey and Teresa Sayward -- play in the process?
Aftershocks from NY-23 continue...
Labels: election09
posted by Brian Mann @ 11/08/2009 08:23:00 AM
14 Comments
14 Comments:
I wrote Mr. Kolb yesterday via email telling him Dede should keep her position. While we don't always agree with her, she is one of us. Many voters took the attacks on her personally. Part of the fallout of this election could be lower Republican registrations a year from now. That is what I told Mr. Kolb.
Jefferson County Republican Party Chairman Donald Coon said, "[Scozzafava] doesn't care about the GOP. She doesn't care about the people who worked for her. She just cares about herself."
I interviewed Dede on Wednesday. And she explained why – after releasing her supporters four days before election day - she endorsed Bill Owens.
"I represent the 122nd [Assembly District]. I represent Fort Drum. I represent that base which is the economic engine for a lot of our area. So that was the sole reason for my endorsement of Mr. Owens.
"People like to characterize it as I was spiteful or I was this or.... It had nothing to do with spite. At that point, I'm a representative. And it's my job to look out for the people that live here.
"And at that point the politics became local. Not on a national scene. It became local. And that’s what was important to me.
"I know there are a lot of local party officials who are upset with me. Perhaps they feel betrayed. But I released them. They were free to go on Saturday. And then I was still the Assembly representative. And I had a decision to make, too."
As Scozzafava paints it, the decision was between one candidate (Owens) who she believed would earmark federal money for Fort Drum and the other candidate (Hoffman) who pledged not to seek or approve any earmarks.
At the end of our interview, she added this:
"The decision I made was really for the economy of the area I represent. And that's what I'm asked to do. Not about Washington interests. Not about the heart and soul of the Republican Party.... But about who would look after the cherished assets that we have here in our area."
You can hear the whole interview here: http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/14669/scozzafava-on-the-heated-battle-for-the-heart-and-soul-of-the-gop
Can somebody explain Kolb's position to me?
He says GOP Assembly members are upset with Scozzafava because she helped Owens help Pelosi pass the first round of the health care bill?
Here's how I see this: Pelosi's trying to give me health care. And she's trying to make sure I don't have to pay for every person who won't or can't get preventive care so gets treated in Emergency Rooms and skips out on the bill. And she's trying to save small businesses from paying for all this, too.
What is Kolb giving me? What are any of the Republicans offering me?
Seriously.
They call this government take over of health care? That's just more propaganda. But let's roll with it a second.
Taking over health care from who, exactly? Would it be the insurance companies who won't make sure I can get health care? The ones who make me pay for people treated in ERs but skip out on the bill? The ones who make small businesses pay through the nose to cover employees?
If that's the argument, EVEN THOUGH IT'S NOT, I'm still with Pelosi.
The argument is: the rising cost of health care is one of the main reasons our economy is stalled. And it will soon bankrupt us (again). Something has to be done. But Republicans refused to do ANYTHING about it when they had majorities in Congress.
They try to make Pelosi some sort of boogey man. It's ridiculous.
But, again, I'll roll with it for the sake of argument. That argument seems to go like this:
The government is taking over everything. They'll attack us and do terrible things to me and my family.
OK, what kind of help have the Republicans EVER offered me? I'm sitting here and I can't think of a single thing.
Instead, I get fear mongering from the GOP:
Pelosi's a boogey man. The Democrats are evil and they're going to come for me in my bed.
Fine. At least I'll have health care.
to Anonymous #2...
ARE YOU FREAKIN SERIOUS?
By the democrat's OWN ADMISSION... they stated that the health care bill will cover 98% of Americans without health care. (BTW, it's not as cheap as ya'all think it's gonna be.)
For small businesses that can not afford to offer healthcare, or choose not to, there is a hefty fine. That means, some small business may have to close, which means, more jobs lost.
for private citizens who do not have insurance but refuse to sign up for the government run option... there is a hefty fine. (past what many could afford.) Can't pay the fine? You'll have to do the time (jail)
the original bill mentioned a tax increase of 2.8% on citizens who HAVE insurance they are happy with... but if it is not Obama approved... they will be taxed. So in otherwords, you can keep your doctors and insurance if you're happy with it... but we'll politely tax you into reconsidering.
This isn't made up, it's not "fear mongering"... this is from the mouths of the democrats themselves.
There are many references to end of life care in the Obama bill. Obama has made reference to the fact that a doctor should have the right to tell a patient that a surgery is not going to work, and give the patient pain pills and end of life counceling.
the woman's mother needed a pace maker, she was 100 years old.. she had a joy for life, but one doctor said she was too old and the surgery would be detramental. A second opinion got her that pace maker... AND SHE LIVED. She's now 105 years old.
Obama told her basically doctors have a right to say no and put you on pain killers instead of giving you potentially life saving treatement.
this is not the first time he has said things like this.
Furthermore...
Does anyone know the story of the woman from Oregon? Barbara Wagner who was basically KILLED by state run health care similar to what they want included in this HC bill.
Hawaii, Obama's homestate, implemented a similar governement run health care plan in their state which is similiar to the one Obama dreams of passing for all the US.
It failed so bad, they ended the plan after 7 months.
Why do you think many of those with government run health care plans in their countries, come to America for treatment? Because costs have been cut so much to keep costs down... they are unable to buy the diagnostic equipment we have, they are unablet to afford the treatments available here in the US.
Do you realize what cost you have put upon someone like my 95 year old great aunt? Like my diabetic grandmother?
My best friend has a health care plan he's happy with that covers his wife and kids as well. It's expensive as all heck, but it's a good plan. Above all the taxes he and his wife already pays... they're going to be docked another 2.8% if the government decideds they do not like the plan they're under??
also... I am ashamed to admit, I'm one of the 10.2% of unemployed thanks to the lack of good the stimulus did.
Do you think I can afford the fine that would be thrashed down upon me for not signing up to put my life in the government's hands??
Also...
if this bill is so spectacular... why haven't we been allowed to see the latest incarnation? Why has a bill been passed saying it is not accessible to the general public?
When one republican senator came up with a good idea on HC, they basically told him to butt out. They always say "Where are the republicans and their ideas to reform HC?" When the republicans say "We have an idea" they say "We don't want it."
And
for all of you supporters of the bill... Do you ever think something has to be up when the MAJORITY of Americans do NOT want Governement run health care? We're not talking just about Republicans. We're talking moderates, republicans, conservatives, democrats, independants... If so many from EVERY party has reservations... somethings a miss.
There are 30 house democrats who are still against this bill.
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If that's Dede's reason...well, I've heard better stories from my 5 year old. I'm saddened that she's trying to play it that way.
Oh well, politics corrupts everything it touches in the end.
I'll ask again. Is it out of the realm of possibility that Dede didn't have a glowing impression of Hoffman at the one debate he actually attended? Is it possible she got the same impression I and others had of him? That being that he didn't have a grasp of the local issues or even his own voice? And given this, perhaps she truthfully felt Owens the lesser to two evils? Why is that so hard or impossible to consider?
It seems to me if she was truly looking out for herself and her political future, she would have in fact, endorsed Hoffman. Since she didn't, and knew fully the sh*t storm she'd create, I think it's safe to say she was looking out for her constituents. She took the more difficult path.
There is not one person on this site who votes a certain way just because someone tells them to. Hoffman had money behind him and his people turned out, and he lost. That is that. Don't blame anyone.
It was a good match, a fair fight and Owens won.
"I'll ask again. Is it out of the realm of possibility that Dede didn't have a glowing impression of Hoffman "
It is highly possible, and as it turns out, she was not the only one who may have thought that way.
Are some of you people nuts, why should she be kept in the republican party, i think they ought to kick her to the curb, theres no room for a traitor in our party . If she did what her constituents would have wanted in the first place and not what she felt things might be different, but they're not, she deserves to be booted out, i hear the independent party has been courting her anyway, I will never vote for her no matter what she promises and to back a democrat, just wrong all the way around.
Yuppers, we're all nuts. Probably a few fruits and vegetables too. If Dede is a traitor then so is Bret Favre. After all those years with the Packs and he goes off with their arch rival, those plundering Vikings.
Dede, despite some her faults as a member of the Republican Party, was railroaded by same said Party. She was castigated and belittled nationwide, on every FOX (FIXED) News program, Rush Limbaugh went after her, Sarah Palin attacked her, Mike Huckabee, Ann Coulter, Dick Armey, and a host of unnamed local Republicans bought it and turned against Pelosi, err, I mean Dede.
That's not very nice. But that is political hardball.
Dede's not the traitor. She has stood by the same principles for many years now. In fact, as I have asked at a different thread, would John McHugh have suffered the same fate from the national party this time around. He was fairly moderate in his cultural leanings. He would have taken the evil Federal government's bribe... err, I mean stimulus money.
No, my fellow countryfolks, Dede didn't betray the GOP, they betrayed her.
She showed courage and political guts to give her endorsement to Owens.
Thank you Dede for having more integrity than does the Party that rejected you.
All that matters is that Owens is doing what his constituents want. That is why we voted, and elections matter.
Anon. said, "All that matters is that Owens is doing what his constituents want."
Amen and Amen.
Are we to believe Owens read the bill? Hardly. He supported his masters blindly. He could have been honest and abstained.
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