Dem Campaign Chief Says Extremists are Winning in GOP Civil War
EmailABC News’ David Chalian Reports: The voters have not yet gone to the polls and not a single vote has yet been counted, but Democrats are eager to use the special House race up in New York’s 23rd congressional district as evidence that the Republican Party has become a party of extremists. Clearly, the ideal result for Democrats on Tuesday night in the special House race in upstate New York is to have the right split its votes between the Republican and Conservative Party candidates and emerge victorious, flipping a Republican seat and putting the GOP 41 seats away from the majority. Barring that ideal, Democrats are beginning to lay the groundwork by painting a potential victory by Doug Hoffman, the Conservative Party candidate, as confirmation that the Republican Party is a party of extreme ideological purists. “I think you are seeing play out this fight that’s going on within the Republican Party nationally between those who believe that the Republican Party is not ideologically pure enough yet, that they’re not holding to their ideals, and those who believe there should be greater pragmatism and breadth of opinion within the Republican Party,” Rep. Chris Van Hollen said at a Thursday breakfast with reporters sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor. “And it’s pretty clear in NY-23, those who support the more extreme right wing agenda of the Republican Party are winning because the Republican candidate has fallen dramatically in the polls, DeDe Scozzafava, the non-Republican party candidate, the Conservative Party candidate has surged ahead,” he added. The chairman of the House Democratic campaign arm also said that the Republican leadership in Washington has been “hijacked” by the right wing of their party. “I do think it is a sign that – this civil war within the Republican Party — and so far it seems that the extreme voices are prevailing in that debate within the party — certainly that’s true in Washington. . . where the Republican Party leadership seems to have become hijacked by the more extreme voices around the country.”
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We had a president that sounded dumb. Now we have a president that is eloquent and captivating. At least with the dumb one we were more critical of what he and his circle of friends were doing. Now we have a pied-piper that we turn a blind mind to. What is it that Forest Gump said? “Stupid is as stupid does.” So far the wiser minds have not overturned many of the policies instituted by the dumb sounding president. It is just plain manipulative and narrow minded to call everyone that opposes the agenda of the Democrats Republicans and extremist. I suppose the Blue-Dog Democrats are infidels in their own party.
Posted by: TX_MBell | October 30, 2009, 12:15 am 12:15 am
Saying the Republican Party was “hijacked” by its right wing is hardly precise. The Republican Party has been growing increasingly Right Wing since Nixon embraced the racist south in 1968, and increasingly in 1972. Reagan-Bush cranked up that right wing thrust, and added to it the undisciplined spending, especially on foreign military adventurism. Bush-Cheney again cranked even farther the rightward tilt, and further cranked the undisciplined spending on foreign military adventurism, until Republican moderates began to look like lefties! This is not a history indicating any hijacking. It is much more like the consolidation of sustained victory by the party’s core membership and leadership.
Posted by: Walter J Smith | October 30, 2009, 12:32 am 12:32 am
So a rank-in-file Republican is an extremist, but a pro-labor, pro-tax ans spend, pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage “Republican” is not an extremist? Dede Scozzafava is as liberal as Nancy Pelsi, and somehow her not winning the hearts and minds of conservative Republicans in NY-23 represents extremists winning a civil war? Give me a break you knuckleheads.
Posted by: Bill Smith | October 30, 2009, 1:24 pm 1:24 pm
Sammy question: is that why you blindly follow Pres. Obama?????????
Posted by: Lizzie | October 30, 2009, 2:49 pm 2:49 pm
Lizzie……..”Inquiring minds want to know”?
Posted by: Sammy | October 30, 2009, 5:36 pm 5:36 pm
conservatives are extremist. . . coming from a liberal that sure does sound funny. . . . . I hope EVERY single incumbent is gone out of d.c. the next 2 election cycles . . . .
Posted by: lonnie | November 1, 2009, 10:02 pm 10:02 pm