Republican Party Identity Politics: A Lesson from the Failed Scozzafava Campaign
The Democrats have chosen symbolism over substance. Nancy Pelosi, one of the least effective negotiators and a woman who alienates her own, delegitimitized herself at her swearing-in by surrounding herself with her grandkids — emphasizing her womanhood over her accomplishment. That is, her ascension was attributed to her gender rather than her achievement. This is not unlike the “wise Latina” comment by Sonia Sotomayor. She drew attention to her gender and ethnicity rather than her substance. Meanwhile, Bill Clinton abused women and Barack Obama is currently taking heat for his hypocritical lack of diversity while in office.
Maybe it will take another generation for the novelty of women in power to wear off so that women can be looked at for the content of their character and their achievement. Women are more than their reproductive organs.
The Republican Party should help this process along by supporting and promoting deserving candidates with solid accomplishments and sound ideology. These candidates can be of any stripe. If the candidate is black and male and fills this bill (Michael Williams), great. If the candidate is Hispanic and male and fills this bill (Marco Rubio), great. If the candidate is white and female (Liz Cheney), great. If the candidate is white and male (Doug Hoffman), great.
The Republican Party has decided that the party needs more women. A woman, any woman, will do. Enter Dede Scozzafava. She seems to have all the credentials the Republican Party is looking for: female reproductive organs. She supports abortion, big government, ACORN, and unions. In most places, hell, even in New York, that makes her a Democrat. Dan Riehl has a shocking behind-the-scenes post detailing the thought process:
The very same GOP old hands opted for insider Jim Tedisco over Betty Little in that race and Tedisco got beaten, hindsight suggested Little would have won hands down. And, interesting enough, up pops Tom Reynolds to comment, again. It’s argued that instead of any genuine insight into politics on the ground these days, they didn’t want to repeat the Tedisco mistake, judged it based upon purely out-dated male/female lines, and were going to go with a female no matter what.
Why is the Republican Party, the party that champions merit over name, going Democrat and choosing identity over ideology? Riehl’s piece also emphasizes cronyism and national control rather than local Republican and grassroots cooperation in candidate selection. And in fact, it seems that cronyism and money trump gender and racial identity, even still. A good conservative Hispanic candidate, Marco Rubio, is being dismissed in favor of the uber-liberal Charlie Crist in Florida.
And look at how bad the decision to choose identity over ideology turns out to be. DeDe Scozzafava has dropped out of the NY-23 race. Erick Erickson says of this turn of events:
Relationships between the Republican establishment in Washington and the conservative movement are in rubble. Thanks to Pete Sessions NOT Doug Hoffman, there is new inspiration for a third party movement to challenge the GOP — a movement that will only help the Democrats.
Good men in the GOP are now going to be challenged in primaries because of the ill-will the NRCC has generated in New York’s 23rd Congressional District.
At this writing, RNC Chairman Michael Steele and Newt Gingrich have endorsed Doug Hoffman in NY-23. This is a hopeful turn of events. Erick Erickson is correct. The Republican establishment grossly misunderstood and underestimated the mood of the conservative base. The American people do not need more symbolism. They do not need a woman at all costs. They need a politician who will vote against taxes, vote against bigger government programs, and vote against invasive regulation.
The Republican Party will win on conservative ideas, not on skin color or gender. Let the Democrats tie themselves up with their identity politics. The Republican Party can do better.
Wow, when did Newt change his mind, I missed that.
Bravo!
How brave of Steele and Gingrich. NOT!
Well you can have abortion. After all, if you take abortion away, conservative women wouldn’t have anything else to discuss or believe in anyway. Because, the more you think about it…for the past 50 or 60 years all the other important issues already passed them by. So good luck to conservative women!
It’s an insult to women to think they’ll vote for any woman with the right letter after her name (“R” or “D”).
I vote for candidates who best embody my own conservative beliefs. I don’t care if they have ovaries or not. I don’t care what their skin color or ethnic background is.
The GOP should be promoting individual rights, not playing identity politics. It is a game they are bound to lose.
I guess someone had to confirm the stereotype and sneer at conservative women.
While Im not a big fan of identity politics, it non the less has become the zeitgeist, pushed by the Western New Left for decades now. Of course some groups have been proscribed from playing, and thus have been losing politically and economically and culturally. That is about to change, as those proscribed groups organize. While it is lamentable that the Western New Left took us down this ugly path and promoted it at every turn….frankly I cant wait for White European Christias and Males to stand up and play the game. Im tired of the villification and hatemongering that has been showered on Western Civilization.
Enjoy the equal and opposite reaction!
Wow! what a great idea Vicente and the other mexican oligarchs had! “Endorse Hoffmann, you little reptile”,he said,and once he’s in power,offer him his pick of underage mexican(girls/boys),horses,and other goodies,to make sure he votes for open borders,globalism,outsourcing,and UN control!” As Vicente always says”If you can’t beat ‘em, join’em, then corrupt ‘em.” It worked for me. NEWT GINGRICH, FOX ESTANCIA (servant’s quarters),CANCUN,MEXICO.
#4 POOR CITIZEN screeched:…”And if you took abortion away conservative women wouldn’t have anything to discus”.If you took abortion away what else would feminazis have, to satisfy their rabid desire to kill as many male babies as possible.?
“frankly I cant wait for White European Christias and Males to stand up and play the game.”
My heart goes out 2 u bro. Two hundred years and still not free.
Newt twittered around Noon EST his support for Hoffman. Too bad Newt, that the Arctic Fox actually had the guts to do two weeks ago what you and the man who has no Steele couldnt. Saracuda has now trumped you Newt, even Tim Pawlenty saw the train running over Dede and got on it. You are done ,Newt ,retire to writing history books, but as a viable conservative you are finished.
Because everybody knows, the one and only thing women care about is abortion. Yep, it’s better we don’t worry our pretty little heads with things like the economy, foreign policy, health care (unless we can terminate a pregnancy…), or anything “hard” like that.
Condescend much, Poor Citizen? Or are you just naturally sexist?
Pandering is never pretty, but simply supporting someone because the RNC has chosen this person is just being a tepid follower. Newt Gingrich’s endorsement of Dede Scozzafazza just shows he’s more interested in himself than anything else than to actually have any true principles; therefore, his late endorsement of Hoffman just makes Gingrich look like the fool. The RNC had no business pushing this Scozzafazza woman as a Republican when she is a liberal Leftist Democrat. She is as much a RINO as John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins, & the newly minted wart of a Democrat called Arlen Specter.
Stand by Conservative ideas no matter who it is, man or woman; identity politics has no place in the Republican Party. The Republicans have made this mistake with John McCain’s awful 2008 Presidential campaign when he pandered to the Leftist La Raza & other groups. Republicans have no business pretending to be Democrats.
not that bad a post, but there are loads of reasons to have grandkids around (every, EVERY male politician does this).
Note: left, right, center, commie, LaRouchie, this is the ONLY site where the responders routinely give intelligent critiques of the poster (well,,,, maybe npr and here).
Applause people.
I find the Leftist feminists hilarious! As long as women keep identifying themselves by what’s between their legs, as opposed to what’s between their ears, most men will be all too happy to go along with that!
Great article. I don’t care what colour, race party or creed my candidate is, I care how they vote and how they work.
“It’s not who you are inside, it’s what you do that defines you.”
good artical Melissa
I see one of the challenged commenters proved your premise. that abortion (and by extension ..womens issues) are the only reason there would be a woman candidate. some “enlightened” liberals have a long way to go to accept a woman as an equal in politics
regards
dynomitejim, to answer your question about when Newt changed his mind, the answer is “too late.”
In other words, he did so only after his preferred lefty Democrat-in-Republican-clothing candidate dropped out.
Are you paying attention RNC?
Here’s a lesson for the GOP, stop playing back room politics and picking RINO’s…listen to your local parties…stop lying…STOP PICKING RINO’s…go back to the party’s roots and remember just WHAT fiscal conservatism mean. It doesn’t mean Mike Huckabee is a viable candidate. It doesn’t mean Mitt Romney is a viable candidate. It means that fiscal conservatism requires that you look for FISCAL CONSERVATIVES, DAMMIT!
Doug Hoffman: Congratulations, and thanks.
Steele: Better late than never.
Gingrich: You had your chance, and you
fed the seed corn to the porkers; Retire.
XX vs XY: There are relevant differences,
but do they make a difference in the
current situation: National survival,
not Politics as usual ?
It may be that the first priority,
in the current situation, is to convince
both Left and Right to resolve, or postpone,
their old conflicts;
Only a fool fights in a burning house.
#20 Rich Vail:
“Here’s a lesson for the GOP, stop playing back room politics and picking RINO’s…listen to your local parties”
Ummm, not to harsh on the high, but my take on this is that is exactly what Steele and RNC DID.
They listened to what they THOUGHT was the local GOP, and it never crossed their mind that the local GOP Party Committee members were so out of touch with the base.
This was a classic case of over-reliance on the sclerotic Process.
Of course, i think the process was ALSO influenced by the “Big Tenter” dead-enders.
And I expect we will see a flurry of resignations from the NY 23 component counties GOP committees any day now.
The Purge of the McCain RINOs continues…
Moderates are not welcome in the Republican Party and differing opinions will not be tolerated.
Ms. Clouthier:
“One prominent blogger and leftist progressive feminist said to me, as the second statement out of her mouth: “You know, abortion is my thing, right?” I replied, “Oh, I know.””
Y’know, this might be just one man’s perspective, but I ken that you dames talk about FAR too many subjects and much TOO openly than is good for you…or us.
Since I’ve read your copy quoted above, I’ve been racking my brain for anything that two men would discuss that might even approach the tenor and substance of that snippet of conversation.
And I just…can’t.
When Conservatives make too much ado out of someone’s ethnicity or sex we pretty much make the Leftist’s mistake of identity politics coupled with ‘political correctness’. It unfairly renders a person ‘labeled’.
Meanwhile…
The hard Leftist men are misogynists
The hard Leftist women are man-haters
Weird.
24. Bilgeman,
Yeah, even two men casually discussing ‘vasectomies’ over a beer as if it were nothing still wouldn’t touch ‘that one’ with a ten-foot pole.
Craig: “Well, Bob. You realize that I can get a vasectomy any time I want. I can get the ‘snip’ and the wife can’t do anything about it! My body, my choice. You know that’s my thing right, Bob ol’ pal, ol’ Buddy? *burp*”
Bob: “Yup Bob. Sure ’nuff. Can you pass me those salted nuts? *scratches & farts*”
Yup Bob? “Yup Craig.” Can’t even stay in character!
Darned trick-or-treaters are distracting me (yeah, that’s the ticket).
-But, seriously, as I’ve lamented before, abortion should have never been politicized just as sexual preference shouldn’t have been either.
#4 Poor, but pathetic, citizen
Take abortion away and you still have the issues of taxing the hell out of our small businesses, inundating our children in schools with social issues instead of math and science, and dealing with repugnant people like you.
Melissa, you are right about the treatment of conservative women – I read some piece recently (can’t remember where so no link but it was MSM) gushing about Michelle Obama that “finally black women have someone to look up to”.
I’m sure Condi Rice was surprised to find out that First Lady demands more respect than National Security Advisor or Secretary of State. Black + Female + Republican = Doesn’t Count apparently.
To Praetorian @23: Where have you been for the past three decades? Since Reagan left office in 1989, moderates have ran the Republican Party. George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, John McCain – all these guys are moderates. They maybe conservative on some issues but they are a long way from true conservatives. Elitist moderate and liberal Republicans are the ones who cannot tolerate diversity of opinion. For too long they have taken Conservatives for granted and expected us to fall in line at election time. They mouth off about being the heir of Reagan but act more like liberals when they get into office.
If the GOP wants our vote then they need to wake up.
#10 Moho – Ha! Great retort! THAT was actually funny! That’s why we don’t play the victim game. Sure sucks to be us.
#26 Delia – Do you honestly believe a married man can get a vasectomy and the wife can’t do anything about it? Seriously? Would he never ask her about it first? Of course he would! Every single time. If she did protest, and he did it, she’d close her legs, like, I dunno, forever.
Or worse. A guy has to abstain from sex for about five days after a vasectomy, because having sex could cause the process to reverse. Out comes the perfume, stilletos, and lingerie. She arouses him mercilessly for the next five days, all the while telling him he’ll get none after five days are up. No, a woman wouldn’t do tha-at, would she?
No, a woman has no say.
To me,the strangest thing in Melissa’s article was her failure to make any reference to Sarah Palin, the greatest hope the GOP has had in decades, the antithesis of everything Maureen Dowd stands for.
The RNC did not simply shove Palin off the end of the dock and give her no credit for her substantial contibution to the McCain effort, but now joins the Obama vultures in vicious personal attacks on her intelligence and qualifications for office. Yet they spend over $1 million to support a “Republican woman” whose agenda does not differ much from that of Michelle Obama.
You need no further evidence of the total disconnect between the GOP and the vast body of voters, conservative and centrist, who will wrest control of the Congress from the Chicago Alinsky/Ayers mob next year.
Palin is a straight talker. She said she will work “outside the party” but she is far too smart to try to form a third party, no matter how wildly her fans shriek. She knows exactly who’s at the heart of the rot in the party that is still trying to put her down. Hr goal is not just the defeat of the neo-Communist usurpers in the Red House; it is also to purge the dead-ass elitist clique in the Republican Party whose sole interest is the perpetuation of their sinecures. It will be a different GOP after the 2010 elections.
So… while not engaging in identity politics — since that is a shameful policy of the left — you haplessly blurt out that all conservative women are anti-abortion?
Now who’s playing identity politics?
Did you ever notice how much conservatives, and more specifically, conservative women love children and poor women before they are born, then spend the rest of their political lives hating them. I admire their shizophrenia.
Stuart @ 34:
Did you even read the article?
Right there in the second paragraph:
(emphasis added)
‘Nuff said.
36. Poor Citizen: said
‘Did you ever notice how much conservatives, and more specifically, conservative women love children and poor women before they are born, then spend the rest of their political lives hating them.’
No. I think you just made it up.
I am disgusted with the Republican party. They need women who will ACT like conservatives and WOMEN! They woman like Michelle Bachman. And if they can’t get more women like her, then ‘simply’ get TRUE CONSERVATIVES … PERIOD!
Poor Citizen,
It’s pretty early in the morning to be smoking crack. Do you ever go out of the house? Do you know any …like …real people who have lives and fall in love and marry and have children and function in society? Probably not, I think I’ll go tell my wife how much I hate her for escaping from the womb.
women do things by committee, they destroy leaders whether they be good or bad.
men follow leaders and destroy them if they prove to be incompetent.
yes, i’m a caveman, sexist-pig (and probably a racist and Nazi as well)
save your breath trashing me, i know i’m a horrible, horrible person fro suggesting that men and women are anything but strictly identical.
33. Marc Malone,
LMAO! Actually my BIL *did* get a vasectomy [after their second child] against my SIL’s wishes but he promised her it could be reversed.
They never had any more children but, yes, the marriage was extremely rocky after that and they divorced after the kids grew up.
Poor Citizen @36
Actually, it’s liberals who hate children and poor women. First, they encourage poor women to abort their children. Then, they tell poor women (in fact, all poor people) that they’re incapable of succeeding and ply them with numerous welfare programs, subjecting them to a cycle of dysfunction, dependence, and poverty.
Liberals have yet to grasp the difference between a helping hand and a hand-out.
Liberals discourage self-determination and self-reliance because the liberals’ agenda is driven by a NEED to FEEL virtuous. Their failed policies do not ‘help the poor’, they only feed the liberals’ need to feel virtuous.
Scozzafava is a definite type: she has always been an orthodox left liberal in a place where they can’t get elected. So she called herself a republican and got enough support because of that to be a state legislator. Now she’s been found out and she’s gone. But you watch: in 2010 she’ll be back to run against Hoffman as a democrat, because here’s the real lesson from this: absolutists never abandon the field. They never say die in their quest for absolute power.
As for the hapless Newt Gingrich, I honestly think he had no idea who Scuzzy was except that she was an official republican. Once he found out that she’s just as bad as Schumer he was too proud to back off. Newt’s ok. Let’s be kind and let him up.
My liberal ex’s objection to Sarah Palin last Sept. was based on her fear of going back to the 50′s with abortion. Someone pushed her emotional button and she didn’t bother to consider how unlikely that scenario would ever be. And she was a fan of Obama. Beyond that she admitted Palin had an impressive record of achievement. She sees herself as a feminist but makes fun of the dogmatic women who can’t stop ranting about the patriarchy, etc. I doubt she’s ever seen the Redneck Woman video but I bet she’d dig it. I believe millions of liberal women like her can be won over. She’s now complaining that raising taxes on small business will hurt jobs. She didn’t learn that from Amy Goodman. A good conservative candidate facing a second rate liberal just might get her vote next time. The times they are a changin’.
James @ 44:
I might be able to believe that, if he’d switched to Hoffman before Scozzafava dropped out.
He didn’t. He waited until she was out, then switched his support to Hoffman. In fact, after the initial reaction to his support for Scozzafava, he held his position and even fired another shot at conservatives.
The aroma of rank opportunism is almost overpowering.
By the way, I do hope that The Powers That Be here will forgive a quick self-plug, but I have a bit of breaking news to share.
Scozzafava has endorsed the Democrat in the NY23 race, Bill Owens.
So much for her being a real Republican, hmmm?
“She didn’t learn that from Amy Goodman.”
LOL!
Luckily Newt endorsed Hoffman before Scuzzy had a chance to endorse the Democrat Owens!
LMAO!
And who would Democrats vote for, a RINO or their own candidate? Gee, now lemme think…
Well, Gary, I hope you learned your lesson: never date a rabid feminist. All they’ll cause you is guilt and heartbreak. Let them wallow in their own sorrow; maybe then they’ll grow up.
After this weeks likely trifecta, the Republicans should consider inviting the Blue Dog Democrats and Joe Lieberman to caucus with the Republicans. They can even hold out the promise of helping to shape the new conservative doctrine that Americans want. The Blue Dog democrats may actually have a better appreciation of what that is than the established Republicans that have been in Washington too long.
4. Poor Citizen: Well you can have abortion. After all, if you take abortion away, conservative women wouldn’t have anything else to discuss or believe in anyway. Because, the more you think about it…for the past 50 or 60 years all the other important issues already passed them by. So good luck to conservative women!
Kiss my a**. I’m a conservative woman and I’ve never taken abortion into the voting booth. Never. Conservative women concern themselves with the same issues concerning all sane, sensible people. Nothing has passed us by, you POS, and we’re a quantum leap ahead of the likes of you.
47: Conservative wanderer: It gets even weirder – Dede’s campaign manager has endorsed Hoffman.
#53 Donna V – Not weird. He did it after the Scuzzy betrayal. CYA. Or, “Holy Crap! Fecal Storm incoming! Duck and Cover!” “Honest, folks, I just worked for her. These are hard times and I needed the job! Please don’t hurt me… much. Please.”
#42 Delia – Glad you liked it.
Dede Scozzafava has endorsed her former Democratic opponent. Can you say “K” street? The Republican party is dead. They will continue to lie on the floor and kick for a while, but don’t let that fool you.
It is dead because the GOP was built on Conservative values. Bush’s coattails brought into office a LOT of opportunists, politicians whose sole ‘values’ consisted of lining their pockets with ill gotten gains. One cannot say they abandoned their conservative principals, since they never had any principals beyond stealing as much as they could before going back home.
Dede Scozzafava seems to be another such RINO. We will see her in a few years, running as a Democrat.
I have a sneaky suspicion that Republicans will have a hard time raising money this cycle.
You can see that the GOP elite haven’t got a clue.
They haven’t figured out yet that gilding a dog turd doesn’t change it’s essential nature.
23. Praetorian wrote:
Moderates are not welcome in the Republican Party and differing opinions will not be tolerated.
Peter writes: And moderates have never been welcome in the Dumbocratic Party and will be placed in re-education camps in the coming months until their opinions become tolerable.
33. Marc Malone wrote:
Or worse. A guy has to abstain from sex for about five days after a vasectomy, because having sex could cause the process to reverse. Out comes the perfume, stilletos, and lingerie. She arouses him mercilessly for the next five days, all the while telling him he’ll get none after five days are up. No, a woman wouldn’t do tha-at, would she?
Peter writes: I suppose he could always wait until the wife is off visiting her sister on the other coast for two weeks? Then use the excuse that he must be ‘shooting blanks’ for some unknown reason.
Likewise, sometimes these things reverse themselves long after five days. A guy I served with thought his girlfriend was cheating on him when she tested positive for pregnancy and he’d had a vasectomy years earlier. Later tests showed he wasn’t shooting blanks anymore.
36. Poor Citizen wrote:
Did you ever notice how much conservatives, and more specifically, conservative women love children and poor women before they are born, then spend the rest of their political lives hating them.
Peter writes: Yeah, that’s why conservatives are far more generaous, up to twice as much, as liberals when it comes to contributing to charities.
Conservatives are generous and caring with their own money. Liberals are generaous and somewhat caring with other people’s money.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/charitable-average-percent-2006037-brooks-conservatives
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/21/opinion/21kristof.html?_r=1&em
http://www.startribune.com/templates/Print_This_Story?sid=17032146
My apologies for posting two different links to what amounts to the same story above @ #58. (1st and 3rd.) I thought I had a different link there.
This is the third link I meant to post;
http://www.onlinecardonation.org/charity-news/charity-right-thing-to-do.htm
I don’t want anymore neurotic women in our political offices. As a self sustaining female, I am embarrassed by these women and weak kneed personas that are destroying our nation.
As Democrats of the Democratic Party, we are joining together in seeking reform within the Democratic Party.
Many of our elected representatives within the Democratic Party are no longer following in the time-honored footsteps laid down by the founding fathers of our great Nation. More importantly, we as democrats see our elected representatives within the Democratic Party abandoning the values and principles as set forth within the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States.
Nonetheless, this is only the beginning of our problems as Democrats, for the current Democratic Party leadership is tainted by corruption and being taken over by Socialists. These Socialists are clearly a threat to everything we hold sacred in America, and they are gaining evermore control over our Democratic Party, our Nation, and the American people.
Despite this, we as Democrats can restore control of the Democratic Party back to the party members. All we need to do is cut off donations to the local, state, and national headquarters of the Democratic Party, and to make sure the donations are made directly to patriotic and honorable Democratic Party candidates that are not corrupt and/or Socialist.
So please help spread the message to everyone of our fellow Democrats. Also, don’t forget to contact and request the Unions and other outside contributors to follow our lead as patriotic Americans.
Thank you, and God Bless America.
Web site: http://www.democraticreformparty.com
Blog site: http://blog.democraticreformparty.com
Abortion is a nonsense issue for me to choose a candidate. You want an abortion?..have one…I may choose not to. Big deal. It is not your place to judge what I am doing with my body. I think it is all based on religion. Religion and politics do not make good partners.
If our country is to withstand the onslaught of people like Obama and Pelosi, we must be willing to give a bit. It is not by any means a black and white thing. We need to look beyond one issue, there is a bigger picture and our country is at stake!
36: Poor citizen: conservatives who were poor growing up (meaning not living off parents or trust funds) all know that you don’t cure poverty, instill a work ethic or reward smart poor kids by generous welfare programs that undercut all of those.
There was a work ethic among America’s economic underclass before welfare for obvious reasons. Welfare, and taking the stigma out of public assistance has simply raised a generation of idle dependents that sneer at the poor that take minimum wage jobs as “fools.” With the utmost respect, only people who have never been poor think welfare, food stamps, etc. do anything but harm.
Dede Scuzzyphobia wasnt a “moderate”. Shes a commie pinko, even farther left than Owens was. Her husband is even a union official in upstate New York(Im SURE he had nothing to do with her getting nominated). Just like Snarlin Arlen Spector in PA in 2004, when most were warning the GOP what Spector really was, they refused to listen and supported Spector against a solid conservative in Pat Toomay. Well, Gop, we dont CARE about you anymore-we want CONSERVATIVES. The ONLY reason you get ANY support from us is that the commierats are hopeless. Piglosi, Reid are lost commie scum. So are 2/3 of the commierats in Congress. This is only the beginning. I want to give a special thanks to the Arctic Fox, Sarah Palin, for having the guts to stand up and FIGHT for her (and by extension) our beleifs. Godspeed to you and your family Sarah. And send a good laugh at David Letterman while your at it. Hes now shown hes just an old pervert.
62. Don’t like slavery? Don’t own a slave! It is not your place to judge what I am doing with my property.
-Makes about as much sense as your comment.
heh