The Huffington Post on Rats, Recounts, & Dede Scozzafava

Oh rats! This is going to be a short post. We are just wondering whether or not the Huffington Post thinks that Dede Scozzafava just RAT F****d Doug Hoffman, the Republican Party, and all her loyal supporters with her blessing of Bill Owens today. What say you? Was it worth the 30 pieces of silver at this late stage? We offered her 60 pieces back in June; Dede could have run as a Democrat from the get-go and WON this thing hands down.

In our estimation Dede did not RAT F*** anyone except maybe herself, so says the NYS Assembly leader Brian Kolb.

RATS, RATS, RATS.

Is the endorsement too late? We are hearing reports tonight that most of Scozzafava's hardcore Republican and Democratic supporters already voted for her on their absentee ballots, and even with the incredible amount of media being played in NY-23 right now on this race, the fact remains that Dede's name is still on the ballot. So how far does the endorsement really go? And is it too little, too late? We will know the answer to most of these questions on Tuesday night.

Our prediction:

Hoffman: 46
Owens: 46
Scozzafava 7

Can anyone say re-count?

Scozzafava's Future

After controversy arose today regarding Dede Scozzafava's ability to be an effective leader in the New York State Republican Assembly Caucus, we have just now learned that Scozzafava will be announcing her resignation from the NYS Assembly on Wednesday morning.

Scozzafava, who is has been hampered by Republican critics of all stripes for weeks during her bid to replace Congressman John McHugh in the 23rd congressional district, is reportedly considering two different offers put on the table by the Obama Administration. Those offers we have been told are: 1) to assist Czar Kevin Jennings with the Safe and Drug Free Schools Initiative and 2) to liaison between foreign governments and the U.S. Departments of Labor and Commerce over pending international climate change negotiations.

Stay tuned for more details and updates as we learn more on this development. Unfortunately, right now we do not have additional information on when this offer will be made public, or whether Dede would accept either offer.

Dede Finally Poached by the Democrats

Sorry we have been away for so long and we are sure most of you have seen the news that Dede dropped out of the race yesterday. Our team has been scrambling for hours working on the Scozzafava endorsement for Owens. Despite what the folks at the Huffington Post would have you believe we have been legitimately working behind the scenes on this race long before Doug Hoffman ever showed up on anyone's radar screen.

We will be back with a MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT either tonight or early tomorrow morning about the future of Dede Scozzafava and her plans regarding the NYS Assembly... we will have the breaking news in a few hours.

Progressives for Dede Scozzafava

Below are two videos to further show liberals and progressives in our district that Dede represents our values and beliefs. The first is an ad put out by Common Sense praising Dede Scozzafava as the “best choice for progressives.” The ad will be up until the special election next Tuesday.

"Dede supports President Obama’s efforts to stimulate our economy. Dede supports organized labor’s drive to expand membership. And Dede is the only candidate for Congress who supports marriage equality. Dede Scozzafava: the best choice for progressives.”

The second ad is Dede accepting the Margaret Sanger Award from Planned Parenthood. Scozzafava, as many of you know was on the board of Planned Parenthood. She will protect the rights of women to have control over their own bodies and have abortions.

Are You Pro-Choice? Then vote for Dede Scozzafava!

This is a great piece to read on Dede Scozzafava by Kate Harding at Salon.com. We need to stick to our liberal principles and pull one out for a woman's right to choose. It is such an important issue in NY-23 and all pro-choicers should vote for Scozzafava regardless of party affiliation! We couldn't have made the case better ourselves.

A woman's right to choose a losing candidate?

Daily Kos calls NARAL's endorsement of a pro-choice candidate with weak chances "a waste of donor money"

BY KATE HARDING

Here are two things I've never done, and almost certainly never will do: Have an abortion and vote for a third-party candidate. In the first case, it's mostly because I've been lucky enough to avoid getting pregnant; in the second, it's actually about a personal principle. I'm not the type of person to vote for the candidate who best represents my beliefs but stands little to no chance of winning, when there's a candidate who sorta represents my beliefs and does stand a chance. On that point, I think it's safe to say that liberal blogger Markos Moulitsas of Daily Kos and I see eye to eye.

However, here are two things I believe in fervently and will defend strenuously: Reproductive freedom and the right of all citizens to vote however they damn well please without being bullied and shamed by those who disagree. (Yes, even the ones who voted for Nader in 2000.) Kos does not appear to be quite as passionate about either of those things. He's currently going after NARAL Pro-Choice New York for supporting a moderate Republican with a 100 percent pro-choice track record in New York's 23rd congressional district special election next week, instead of a moderate Democrat who's weaker on choice. Why would anyone be surprised or angry about a pro-choice organization (it's right there in the name!) supporting the more pro-choice candidate? Well, there's another candidate, "conservative party teabagger Doug Hoffman," in the mix, and the race is now thought to be strictly between him and Democrat Bill Owens, with Republican Dede Scozzafava poised only to siphon off in-between votes from both sides. The fear is that she'll get too many votes that might otherwise have gone to Owen, and the scary wingnut will win. Hence the probably deeply felt, yet completely disingenuous headline, "NY-23: NARAL Working for Right-Wing Victory."

"I don't want Hoffman in office! Good lord, no!" Mary Alice Carr, NARAL New York's vice president of communications, told me on the phone this afternoon. She says she finds it "hilarious" (in a lolsobby kind of way) that bloggers on Daily Kos, including the man himself, are going after them for supporting a candidate who actually holds some progressive values (Scozzafava has also voted twice in favor of gay marriage), as opposed to a Democrat who's more conservative. How conservative? Well, here's how one liberal blogger described Bill Owens in a recent post:

The "Democrat" isn't even a Democrat -- he was a registered independent when selected by the district's Democratic county chairs for the special election. On social issues, he's pro-choice, but opposes gay marriage. On health care, he opposes a public option but doesn't have the balls to say so, so he talks all squishy like claiming he has no "litmus test" on the issue. He's a Lieberdem Blue Dog, and would strengthen the part of the Democratic caucus that is actually theproblem, rather than the solution.

After further considering the differences between the candidates, that blogger concluded, "So it's official, I'm rooting for the Republican to win."

And that blogger was Markos Moulitsas.

After being called out on that, Kos said in a follow-up post, "I clearly have no love for Scozzafava in that post, so only an idiot would construe that as an 'endorsement.' An endorsement implies love for the candidate being endorsed." Oh, OK. So that means you must not now be endorsing Bill Owens, per se, seeing as you also have no love for him, right? You're not endorsing anybody. You just believe NARAL is obligated to abandon their candidate (now that she's no longer leading) and officially endorse one who is not as pro-choice, because otherwise it's a "nice waste of donor money"?

Actually, as it turns out, NARAL donors are generally interested in supporting the most pro-choice candidates, not just getting behind anyone with a D after his name who might win. (Go figure!) Says Carr, "This is when our donors give us more, because we stand for something, we have a principle. If they want to give to the Democrats, they can give to the Democrats." And many of them do as well, of course. "We're not idiots," she adds. "We get it. The vast majority of our candidates are Democrats. But there comes a time when the Republican is better." Furthermore, voters she talks to are grateful to be informed that, party platforms aside, voting for the Democrat in this case is not voting for the best candidate on choice. "What we do is so important, because the assumption is that the Democrat is the default pro-choice candidate, and when that's not the case, it's our duty to call it out. That's why we exist. We're a watchdog. That's our job."

The bottom line, she says, is that NARAL is "not an arm of the Democratic party." Scozzafava "has a record of standing up for these issues, so she's going to get our support." And one reason the Republican has earned that support is because she's never bowed to pressure to abandon the progressive causes she believes in, even when it would have been politically expedient. Similarly, NARAL New York has no intention of switching its endorsement. "Now more then ever, when she's being attacked for this position, yeah, we're going to be there to stand up for her," says Carr. "Kudos to her for not flipping on an issue just because it got tough -- for saying this is who I am, this is who I've always been."

"We have a Democratic majority in congress, but we do not have a pro-choice majority," Carr points out. "The party platform doesn't matter, because they'll still give us anti-choice Democrats. We've got to get back to standing for something, or what are we doing here?"

That's what's really at the heart of this dust-up: Whether it's more important to stand for something and lose or compromise and win -- when "winning" means installing someone who "would strengthen the part of the Democratic caucus that is actually the problem, rather than the solution." Kos casts the former choice as political naivete and self-sabotage. But you know who was really successful with that strategy, albeit gradually? The Christian right who, by refusing to vote for Republicans who didn't take the hardest possible anti-choice line, moved this country so fucking far to the right on reproductive freedom, pro-choice groups are now wasting half their time fighting off every-sperm-is-sacred definitions of "personhood," instead of actually being able to improve women's access to reproductive health services.

The commentariat at Kos is offering up a bunch of predictable disdain for single-issue voting, but single-issue voting on moral values is a big part of why things are the way they are now, why so many of our Democrats are barely recognizable as liberals, let alone progressives, and so many of the conservatives holding office are downright batshit -- conservatives kept voting their values while we kept compromising ours.

Besides which, reproductive freedom is much more than a single, limited issue. Remember how I said I've never had an abortion and have no reason to expect I'll ever need one (barring a tragic diagnosis during pregnancy)? My point there was not to separate myself from those who have or will, but to establish that whether abortion is available to me is only a very small concern. Many people in the same position conclude that based on that alone, it's an issue that can be back-burnered with no important consequences. But whether abortion is available to women in general is amajor concern for me, precisely because it's about the definition of personhood -- i.e., whether a woman, not a fetus or zygote or ovum or sperm, counts as a full human being in this country. Whether a woman has a right to control her own body and her own future. How the hell is that not a core progressive issue -- especially when many "pro-lifers" are not just opposed to abortion but contraception, the very thing that's saved me and millions of couples from ever having to consider an abortion? When we elect Democrats who are wishy-washy on choice, we end up with few left in congress who will stand up for the personhood of women, no matter the political cost. And meanwhile, the right continues to chip away at women's access to legal medical services that can preserve a host of other personal freedoms, ever more successfully.

Like I said, I've never voted for a potential spoiler candidate myself. I can respect a pragmatic decision to vote against a candidate you abhor rather than for the one who best represents your own values (even if that's not saying much); I've made that choice more than once. But I cannot respect bullying people who make the choice to vote their principles, regardless of the outcome. Hell, maybe if progressives had banded together a while back and sent a message to Democrats that we won't support candidates who are anti-choice or weak on choice, period, even if it means we get a government we can't stand for a while (especially when we were going to get that anyway), we would now have a congress that has both a Democratic and a pro-choice majority. Who knows? What I do know is, I am sure not going to condemn anyone who fights for progressive beliefs and progressive candidates, even when those candidates are freakin' Republicans. And even when they're probably going to lose. As Carr put it, "If Scozzafava goes down, at least she goes down standing for something. And we stand with people who stand with us."

Scozzafava Tailspin Sends Campaign South

Second Siena Poll Out Soon... Scozzafava Campaign Contemplating Next Move

The Politico had a story today about Dede's Cash Crunch that gives us some important insight into the political dynamics of NY-23. If the Politico story is true, and we assume it is because there has been literally zero push back from Dede's camp, then we must begin to reevaluate our support for Dede for fear that Doug Hoffman may actually squeeze through a victory with a narrow 36-34% victory. The problem with Dede's campaign is really unfortunate. Of course we will know more very shortly with the details of the second Siena poll due out in just hours.

However, over the last several days we have seen the Scozzafava campaign in a serious tailspin, committing so many political fouls that it may not be possible for her to recover. Perhaps an independent streak is not enough to overcome the countless and inexcusable political errors Team Dede chalked up this week. First, there was the American Spectator story titled, "Losing it Over Scozzafava," that dropped a bombshell on the New York Republican establishment which Scozzafava failed to effectively respond. The piece stated that,

According to Republican National Committee sources, a poll on the 23rd District race paid for by the NRCC and due to be released on Monday has been withheld due to a poor showing by the Republican candidate... and an NRCC claimed the poll was being reviewed for 'margin of error issues.'

Talk about failing to bat down one of the most incredibly devastating stories of the campaign that need to be put to rest quickly. Second, Scozzafava's message got completely muddied when she received the endorsement from an unknown conservative Congressman from Texas and then in the same breath touted an endorsement from the teachers union. (By the way, what was that guy's name again and which way does Scozzafava really want it?) Does Dede want to be beholden to the right wingers in Texas or to the interests of hardworking New Yorkers? No one is sure anymore... All signs show that the Scozzafava campaign has fallen victim to political desperation when it begins taking an endorsement and talking points from the former head of the ultraconservative Republican Study Committee. Now Dede is reportedly rejecting the Senate Finance health care reform after saying she was for the reform.

Finally, Stuart Rothenberg, a well respected political observer, hammered the campaign with this one,

A lack of campaign resources and a classic political squeeze from the left and the right have severely damaged the prospects of Republican Dede Scozzafava... While initial polling showed Scozzafava leading Democratic attorney Bill Owens and Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman, Owens has caught Scozzafava in recent private polling, and Hoffman continues to gain strength, making him a considerable factor in the contest and a growing problem for Scozzafava down the stretch. GOP insiders have grown extremely nervous about the race. They worry about Scozzafava's poor fundraising, lack of a compelling message to Republican base voters and weak polling in the crucial Syracuse media market, which makes up about 30 percent of the sprawling district.

Then there was this follow-up piece, "RINO on the Run," by Robert Stacy McCain that invited the argument that maybe Hoffman has the momentum to shake this race out with a narrow victory given the near parallel positions between Owens and Scozzafava.

With that said, we are looking forward to the numbers and may have to reevaluate what is best for our district given these new circumstances. It looks like Dede may be over before we even see her final fundraising numbers.

Scozzafava Successfully Infiltrates the Republican Apparatus

The Left Finally Cracks Into the National GOP Establishment and Dede Scozzafava is Already Turning All the Right-Wing Animals Loose on Themselves!!!

It took years for one of ours to finally infiltrate the National Republican Party apparatus and wreak civil war within the GOP. Call it the Socialist Watergate of 2009, but with Scozzafava as the Republican nominee in NY-23 we will finally have the keys to the National Republican Party -- and with it -- almost certain access to all its ugly organs of operation. 

From the very beginning Draft Dede is proud to say that we were supportive of Scozzafava's candidacy. At first we lobbied and advocated for her switch over to the D column. However, it soon became obvious to the left how much better it would be to have one of our own on the inside of the GOP. When Dede wins, she will carry our water and also give us greater insight into the broader internal workings of the right-wing nuts running the corrupt partisans, otherwise known as the Republican House Caucus (talk about a self-inflicted wound).

Dede Scozzafava, a wolf in sheep's clothing. This could be one of the greatest "Alinksy" coup's of all time. It is truly the radical, "keep your friends close... keep your enemies closer," kind of pick-up we could only have dreamed of at this point in the Obama Administration. If it is true as Antonio Gramsci once said, that "base determines superstructure," we will have a social loyalist who can share it all with our movement, a movement that will ultimately and methodically destroy the party of Bush and Cheney. And heads are already rolling on the right!

Just today former Republican Rep. Chris Choccola, a right-wing hack from the Delay era and current leader of the Club for Growth, wrote this in today's Washington Examiner:

Let's be clear about Scozzafava's record. She has not just left the Republican fold a time or two, or even a handful of times. She is the most liberal Republican in the New York Legislature, and undoubtedly would be the most liberal Republican in Congress... This all goes to a larger point. If Scozzafava wins, what kind of 'victory' would that be for the GOP?

At least this wing nut gets it. At least Choccola understands that this would be a "real victory" for the left. And the Susan B. Anthony wasn't far behind either. Their radical Christian brand of denying women's rights in the name of social justice has always been a laughable endeavor, but their public appeal was also a desperate cry for help and a clear sign that the Republican Party is self-imploding because of just one little special election in the middle of no-where New York. President Marjorie Dannenfelser pleads that their entire movement is all on the line:

Recent political developments in New York have set a potentially dangerous precedent that could damage the pro-life cause nationally... Dede Scozzafava, the GOP Candidate, is so bad that she has accepted the Margaret Sanger Award for championing the pro-abortion cause from abortion industry giant Planned Parenthood. Even the Daily Kos, which has long promoted ultra-radical pro-abortion rhetoric, has endorsed her because it did not find the Democratic challenger Bill Owens to be radical enough. Her candidacy is a disgrace to the Republican Party and to pro-life activists nationwide... If Dede Scozzafava wins, she will become the 'poster girl' of pro-abortion Republicans everywhere and more will follow. We need to crush this trend before it begins or our pro-life movement suffers a setback and countless babies will suffer the ultimate punishment.

So naturally, a Scozzafava victory in November would shatter the dreams of House Republicans in 2010, and would further drive a wedge into their chances of re-taking political control over our new government. 

NY-23 should be the political case study of the year for those who want to see how to camoflage our political agendas in the cloak of the GOP and then truly mangle their agenda at each and every turn. This critical race represents the rarest of opportunities to turn the Republicans into a party of great irrelevance. What a blow to the head-scratching, bigoted, schizophrenic losers. After NY-23 they will all be asking themselves which way is right and which way is left. That is when we strike at the very heart of their capitalistic and chauvinistic agendas. 

Dede is our cloak and dagger, the hidden crown jewel who will have legitimized access into the egos and personalities that run the Republican Party and its dirty corporate interests. Whether they know it or not, Dede is the GOP's own albatross. Maybe that is why Markos Moultisas was onto something when he endorsed Dede, or maybe he was just taking a page out of Saul Alinsky's Rules for Radicals. Either way, we'll take Dede in NY-23, and either way the GOP is totally helpless.

Crucial Financial Reports Coming Soon...

The Hill newspaper put out a story just recently about the pressure of the upcoming FEC reports on candidates across the country. 

Interestingly enough, the paper listed the battle in NY-23 as one of the eight most important races to watch this quarter. Candidates will file their financial reports by October 15th. The file will show how much money each campaign spent and how much they have raised for the final 2-3 week push before the big vote on November 3rd. The story reads:

Party officials often use fundraising totals to gauge how much or how little to support a candidate. A strong report can give a candidate access to major donors around the country but a weak report can doom a slumping campaign to obscurity... With a month to go before Election Day, Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman has the most to gain with a stellar report. If he is not seen as a serious candidate because of a weak fundraising performance, the race could largely revert to a contest between the two major parties. The NRCC and the DCCC have each spent more than $100,000 on the race so far, but the amount of money Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava (R) and attorney Bill Owens (D) raise will show just how many positive spots to expect in the next month. The lower the numbers, the more the race will be in the hands of Washington strategists, who are more than likely to take shots at the other party than to build up their own candidates.

In the end, all the numbers are relative. If one of the three candidates in NY-23 makes a breakout performance in fundraising and cash on hand for the final weeks of the campaign you can expect to see a steady rise in advertisements and presumably poll numbers/support.

We are going to take an estimated guess now of what the candidates should raise and what we think they are going to raise below.

Since Owens has already put out two positive ads introducing himself to voters we here at Draft Dede think that Owens has likely already raised a fair amount of cash (thanks to national Democratic leaders including Vice President Biden).  Owens has likely spent at least $150,000 already and will need at least another $300,000 cash on hand as of the October 15th filing deadline to remain competitive and rise in the polls.

Dede Scozzafava didn't go up with her own positive spot until after the filing deadline, which leads some insiders to speculate that fundraising has been less than stellar. However, if Dede can have raised at least $350,000 by the deadline she should have enough cash to flood the airwaves and TV's of NY-23 voters. Dede should be able to outperform her opponents in fundraising since she has a fundraising base from her time in the NYS Assembly, because she has good name ID in the district, and because their are more Republican and sympathetic Democrats out there to give her high dollar contributions (i.e. $1,000 + checks). If Dede fails to reach expectations (especially since she is the most attractive candidate who is leading all the public polls), her opponents and national donors will surely see a weak report as a major blow to the Scozzafava campaign. Unfortunately for Dede she has more to lose if the public financial intake is lower for her campaign compared to the other candidates. Another troubling problem Scozzafava might have is if her brother Tom Scozzafava, folks involved with Hacketts, or Seaway Valley Capital are listed on her reporting list. We are told that this could become a troubling issue for Scozzafava in the mainstream press because of the influence that those parties could put on Scozzafava if she were the next congressman from NY-23. 

The wildcard is Doug Hoffman who has been lining up endorsements and PAC contributions by the day. No one expects Hoffman to outraise Scozzafava or Owens, precisely because he is a third party candidate. That said, if Hoffman expects to be competitive he will need to raise at least $175,000 to make a major splash in the race. Hoffman is also a wildcard because he has the ability to self-finance part of his effort. Some who are closely following the race say that Hoffman has already committed to putting in 100 to 200K. If Hoffman were able to come through on October 15th with more than $225,000 then that could be a major problem for Scozzafava. 

Our expectation on the reports are as follows:

-  Owens: $350,000 (including $25,000 from himself)

-  Scozzafava: $425,000 (including $25,000 from herself)

-  Hoffman: $165,000 (including $100,000 from himself)

These numbers are no small deal because if one candidate outperforms it could be a major momentum shift in the campaign, and with only 2+ weeks before the vote candidates with a weaker performance might very well be kissing their congressional dreams goodnight.

Scozzafava Takes Another Left Hand Turn

BRAVO!!!

DEDE IS POSITIONING HERSELF TO THE LEFT OF HER COMPETITION

In another stunning rebuke of the National Republican Party, Dede Scozzafava again signaled her interest in governing with us on core economic issues. So for all of the Democrats who think Dede is off base with our party's platform on economic justice issues, and for those out there who think that voting for Scozzafava is a vote against Obama and for the House Republicans, take a look at Dede's real record, her words, and her actions in the Assembly.

It was reported in today's Adirondack Daily Enterprise that:

Scozzafava said she would have voted for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act... [even though] she doesn't think all of the stimulus money is being used for such worthwhile purposes... When asked about cutting spending and earmarks at the federal level, however, Scozzafava said earmarks are beneficial if used correctly... "People love to hate it, but they love to want it," Scozzafava said... 

Scozzafava said she won't sign the pledge [Americans for Tax Reform's Taxpayer Protection Pledge that most Republican Members of Congress sign] because the income tax is just one form of tax... Scozzafava also discussed charges that she voted to raise or extend taxes 190 times while in the Assembly.  The large majority of those votes, she said, were 'home rule' votes giving a county the authority to impose an additional sales tax.  These need to be extended every two years...

Dede has been attacked by both Hoffman and the Club for Growth on her economic record. That should tell every voter out there something important, mainly that Dede is really in line with the Democratic Party on economic and fiscal issues and will help push Obama's agenda through Congress. What is disappointing is that Bill Owens has also attacked Dede for her views on the economy, which are more in line with the Democratic Party than Owens' are. When election day comes around we here at Draft Dede are beginning to really believe that a vote for Owens could be a vote for Hoffman. Democrats need to rally to Dede to make sure we have an Obama ally in the House representing NY-23.

Most Liberal Blog in USA Endorses Scozzafava

A Few Items for Democrats to Cheer About in NY-23

First, the most liberal blog on the Internet, The DailyKos, today endorsed Dede Scozzafava for NY-23.  To our knowledge, it is the first time in the history of DailyKos that they have sided with a candidate with an R at the end of their name.  Kos supported Obama, Pelosi, Reed, and hundreds of other liberal Democrats since its existence.  They also support left of center policy positions such as abortion-on-demand, higher taxes for social programs, gun control, giving more control to the United Nations, increased support for welfare programs, gay marriage, expanding the cap on the federal deficit, etc.   DailyKos writes:

She's been willing to raise taxes when budgets require it, and is to the left of most Democrats on social issues (including supporting gay marriage)... So it's official, I'm rooting for the Republican to win. As a congresswoman, she could either move even more to the left to properly represent her progressive-trending district and be a pain in the side of the GOP caucus (they have nothing like our Blue Dogs), or Democrats can field a real Democrat to challenge her in 2010.

The DCCC is taking notice of the race on a number of important levels.  I think there might be evidence that the DCCC has been e-mailing our last post all over the place... According to our records (see below) e-mail links to our last post have been viewed from around the country (presumably the DCCC has been trying to verify whether the rumors are true that Dede pitched Scott Murphy on switching parties after November 3rd).  There might even be evidence of an e-mail sent from the DCCC to the executive office of the presidency yesterday, as well as the national headquarters of Planned Parenthood, the NY Working Families Party, and a local ACORN office.

Maybe the rumors are true?  We report.  You decide.

Arlington, Virginia, United States
Democratic National Headquarters (192.43.248.17)
www.draftdedeforcongress.blogspot.com/
draftdedeforcongress.blogspot.com/2009/09/intern-claims-scozzafava-pledged-to.html
www.mail.google.com/a/dcccnhq/2009/10/01/........

INTERN CLAIMS SCOZZAFAVA PLEDGED TO BOLT FROM THE GOP

HOT BREAKING NEWS: 

DID DEDE PRIVATELY PLEDGE TO REPRESENTATIVE MURPHY HER INTENTION TO SWITCH PARTIES AND CAUCUS WITH THE DEMOCRATS?

Aaron Blake at the Hill reported that Dede Scozzafava recently made an impromptu encounter at Democratic Representative Scott Murphy's Congressional Office.  And according to a congressional intern in Murphy's office, Dede did end up getting ahold of Murphy after trying to catch him at the office.  According to the source, Dede was fed up with the Republican Party and the conservative right wingers.  The intern overheard a conversation between Rep. Murphy and a key legislative aide which revealed Scozzafava's intent to switch parties.  

The conversation, according to the source, was described by Murphy to be as a very aggressive appeal by Scozzafava to bolt from the GOP and switch parties if she wins.  The source continued stating, "I am 100 percent positive that Dede asked Murphy to relay a message to the DCCC: soften up key support and financial backing for Bill Owens in exchange for a promise to caucus with the Democrats if she wins the election."  No one answered Murphy's congressional office phone line when Draft Dede called to confirm the rumor this evening.

In the last several weeks Scozzafava has attended key campaign stops with national Democrats and has toyed with the idea of vying for the Working Families Party line as she has in the past in an attempt to cross-over into key Democrat constituencies.

PLATTSBURGH SHOUT OUT & OBAMA'S ROLE IN NY-23

Local Media Covers Dede's Moves & Obama Gets His Hands Into the Mix

This week Joe LoTemplio from the Plattsburgh Press Republican wrote an puff piece on Douglas Hoffman (who doesn't even live in the district).  Toward the end of their profile they got down to the nitty gritty and wrote, "There is also a grassroots effort to draft popular Republican State Assemblywoman Dierdre "Dede" Scozzafava of St. Lawrence County to run as a Democrat." These guys are a dollar late and a buck short. The paper may be a little behind the curve, but they should have reported on us over a week ago before we started making calls to key Democratic fundraisers in the district? Weird.

By the way, where was Hoffman when NY-20 was going on? If he was so interested in running for Congress why didn't he step to the plate and run in his own district in which he resides? Can anyone say political opportunism? Geez, after all this guy describes himself as "the ideal candidate." Sorry Doug, but first we don't know anything about you and neither does anyone else (you are lucky you are even getting free coverage on this blog), but since you insisted we thought someone should fill you in to tell you that the ideal candidate in NY-20 was Kristen Gillibrand (who we are also endorsing as of today for election to the NYS Senate); in NY-23 the ideal candidate is really Dede Scozzafava (even if she does run as a Republican), not you. Sorry.

In other news Mike Memoli from RealClearPolitics.com wrote a story on Obama's constant campaign activity. We couldn't help but assume the story related to NY-23 somehow and here is why. Memoli writes, "Behind the scenes, the White House political operation... [is] in regular consultation with the Senate and House campaign committees, as well as the Democratic Governors Association. Those discussions run gamut from planning events and fundraisers, recruiting candidates for upcoming races, and general political strategy. That cooperation has already played out this year in off-year races. In the special election in New York's 20th District, the White House played a strong hand in the final stretch... the president has also not been reluctant to twist some elbows in attempting to recruit candidates."

Sounds like Obama might be making some calls to the North Country to win NY-23. Does anyone know if Dede is picking up her phone and making deals?

YOU CAN DRAG A RINO TO WATER BUT YOU CAN'T MAKE HER DRINK

DeDe Won't Drink... She Won't Even Talk About Drinking...

One thing we know for certain is that Scozzafava isn't exactly proud to be a Republican. She doesn't even vote like a Republican. She won't say that she won't run as a Democrat. She might just as well attend both the Republican and Democratic County Committee interviews to see which party would make her their frontrunner. We can't say we blame her for it. We see the wisdom in it.

According to the Watertown newspaper, "Possible strong Republican contenders include Mr. Barclay and Assemblywoman Dierdre K. Scozzafava, who has been fighting rumors she is considering switching parties under pressure from organized labor, with the Obama administration playing a role in the background." 

How is DeDe fighting the rumors? Has she been public about it anywhere? All the news claims she won't give a definitive answer one way or another. 

Second, it is not hard to believe Obama and his team would be playing around in the background.  The New York Daily News broke a story today that Rahm Emanuel tried to persuade Long Island Representative Peter King an ambassadorship to Ireland.  The story went on to say Rep. King, "still has no doubt that Obama's top aide [Rahm Emanuel] would target his House seat if the opportunity arose." 

Who is to say that the White House Chief of Staff hasn't talked to big labor in New York, the DCCC, or even Scozzafava herself about the prospect of running as a Democrat.  Or maybe Emanuel just dragged a RINO to the Democratic pond, but couldn't make her drink the water. We learned today that he couldn't get King to drink our Irish whisky.

But the Mayor of Watertown also sees it another way.  According to someone who forwarded his blog to our coalition, "The prospects for Diedre Scozzafava running for Congress still appear dim to me, but a key GOP insider tells me there is still strong support for her candidacy among the country chairs in the 11 county 23rd CD. Under a weighted voting system, I am told the chairs in Oswego, Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties would carry the day.  Good news for DeDe." We agree with that mayor that Scozzafava would be a poor candidate for the Republicans to put up. Although if McHugh's replacement is Scozzafava it is, for all intents and purposes, still a victory for us because we will have her on all of our key issues from card check, to health care, to taxes, social issues, and who knows what else. 

Still, one has to wonder how it would look if DeDe were to only garner 3 of 11 GOP county chairs?  If 8 county chairs voice a strong opposition to DeDe would she even be credible within her own party to make it to the finish line this fall? Whichever party she runs with we hope she wins. [On a side note it would be interesting to see how the Oswego chair votes if Assemblyman Will Barclay decides to get in the game. That would be a nightmare for DeDe. Does anyone know if the county chairs votes will be made public?]

So what do we make of the rumors that DeDe is exploring the option of attending the Democratic meetings to test the waters? Here is what we have gathered. The DCCC has already announced that they think "the district is winnable with the right candidate... Right now our focus is on working with local Democrats to recruit a strong candidate." The language is so interesting in that quote, "winnable with the right candidate... working with local Democrats to recruit a strong candidate." 

The drum beat continues and two serious questions remain: 

1) Have the DNC, the DCCC, Rep. Steve Israel (tasked with recruiting Democratic candidates for the US House), White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, our local Democratic county chairs, local labor chambers, or even Obama himself reached out to DeDe? That might be all she is waiting for before she drinks the water. 

2) Why is Scozzafava so shy with the media about the prospect of running as a Democrat? One thing is for certain, we know Emanuel isn't afraid to drag the RINOs to their pond. Perhaps Emanuel's master strategy all along is to have it both ways. Support another Democrat to win the district, or in the event that Scozzafava wins as a Republican just twist her huff on important policy to make Obama's agenda look like it has bipartisan support. Whatever Emanuel's master plan is we support it and have full confidence in him. It's a win-win situation anyway you look at it.

THE PEOPLE'S CHOICE IS....

(enter drum roll)

Thank you to everyone who participated in our online poll!!! Isn't technology peachy? We had a lot of fun following this one.

Now for the results and analysis. When the question is asked of people, "Do you think that Republican Assemblywoman DeDe Scozzafava should run for Congress as a Democrat?" people said:

A) Yes, Run as a Democrat (65%)

B) Run as a Republican (13 %)

C) Don't Run at all (17%)

D) No preference (2%)

One interesting finding is that more people said "Don't Run at all" than said "Run as a Republican." Who knew? So with those numbers we think the rest of the analysis is left best to you, our visitors, and DeDe Scozzafava herself. Thanks again for your participation. Another poll will be up shortly. If you have any suggestions please e-mail us at draftdede@gmail.com, twitter us @draftdedeny, or leave a comment below.

POLLS CLOSING: IS THE VERDICT STILL OUT?

Poll closes in T-minus 1 hour. We won't be counting the votes until the ballot boxes are closed (unlike Florida 2000). 

Big news is coming... but to keep those of you thirsty for information here is a piece of information to digest.  According to one piece of fan mail (someone who posted on the political history of NY-23 a few days ago on the Swing State Project) "The last Democrat elected to represent St. Lawrence Co. in Congress was a man named Francis Spinner, elected in 1854. He ran successfully for re-election as a Republican in 1856 and was later appointed as Treasurer of the United States by Abraham Lincoln. It would be poetic, so to speak, if Dede, a St. Lawrence resident, were to now switch from the GOP to the Democratic Party and recapture this seat for us -- becoming the first Democrat to represent St. Lawrence in Congress in over 150 years -- from Democrat to GOP during the time of Lincoln; and from GOP back to Democrat during the time of Obama!"

INDEPENDENCE LINE GOES TO THE DEMOCRATS IN NY-23

~13K Votes for the Taking if DeDe Wants Them

The AP reported today that the “Independence Party pledges to support Democrat in possible race for McHugh's 23rd District seat.”

That was the title. It goes on, “The New York Independence Party is pledging to support a Democrat in the special election for the 23rd Congressional District long held by Republican Rep. John McHugh. Independence Party Chairman Frank MacKay tells The Associated Press his influential party will support Democratic state Sen. Darrel Aubertine if he decides to run for the seat representing northern New York. Aubertine is considering a run if McHugh wins confirmation to become Democratic President Barack Obama's secretary of the Army. The Independence Party was important in Democratic Rep. Scott Murphy's narrow victory in a special election in March for the 20th Congressional District, another GOP-dominated Upstate district.”

First, Aubertine likely won’t run. Even if he does, DeDe is still a better Democratic candidate for multiple reasons described at great length on this blog. What this story sounds like to us is another incredible incentive for DeDe to come our way.

If you math is right that would mean almost 13K votes for DeDe right out of the gate. If she ran as a Democrat she would likely also garner supporting from the Working Family line which is close to another 6K. After being named a “non-starter” by the Conservative Party line which holds 9K votes that has to make her decision that much easier. If she runs as a moderate Republican she will surely lose, especially if a third candidate were to run on the Conservative line.

The Watertown Daily Times and some other local papers have been trolling through our site (presumable to dig up some additional research on an upcoming story). Maybe that is when we will find out that laying out the case online was worth all the trouble. However, it has been no trouble at all. We are here to help and support DeDe to make the right decision. At this point we would like to offer a toast: “To victory this fall with DeDe on the Democratic ticket.”

PS – Our public poll on the left hand column is almost finished so if you haven’t had a chance please let us know whether you think DeDe should run as a Democrat. Results will be posted tomorrow.

SCOZZAFAVA IS RADIO SILENT

That means we are gaining traction in our efforts

The folks at the Swing State Project just CRUSHED the nail on its head with a sludge-hammer when they said, "both the National Journal and PolitickerNY have both tried to get Scozzafava to verify if she's considering a party switch, and both outlets received nothing but radio silence from her camp. If she wasn't considering such a move, why wouldn't she swat down the rumors immediately?"

As if the pressure wasn't building enough we have to refer to yet the third National Journal piece in less than a week (and linked above) that states, "Scozzafava's vote for the gay marriage bill has angered some conservatives who were already dubious of her record, including NY Conservative chair Mike Long, who told us the vote is a "non-starter" for his party's endorsement. That would be a blow to any GOPer, as the Conservative line brought John McHugh (R) over 9K votes in '08. (And as we saw in neighboring NY-20, every vote counts)."

And from some of the comments in our last post we just learned that all of DeDe's money from 2000-present has come from liberal PAC's, including thousands from pro-gay and pro-choice groups, and tons of unions (thanks to her husband Ron McDougall who is the president of the local Central Labor Council). DeDe has a limited fundraising base from individual contributors who raised her around $65,000 over the last 9 years.

After our poll results are finished we are considering undertaking a telemarketing campaign to really pressure DeDe to come to our side (where her natural fundraising base is, not to mention the folks who agree with her on politically) before Rep. McHugh's Senate confirmation hearings. Check back often.

CHANGE YOU CAN BELIEVE IN

Do You Want to Help Draft Dede And Make a Difference? Here is how.

Due to lots of e-mail asking, "how can I help Draft Dede As a Dem?" we thought we would offer a brief blog tutorial on ways you can be of assistance to our grassroots effort to draft Dede as a Democrat. We will keep this short and sweet so we can get to work on the specifics.

First and most importantly, you can e-mail your friends, family, and neighbors and tell them to get educated on the race for NY-23. A good place to start would be to e-mail our blog site to your entire e-mail address book. It is important for people to visit our blog often, and to comment in the section below each blog posting so we can have a community discussion on ideas and thoughts out there in the North Country. Also feel free to e-mail us with your own ideas!

Second, you can vote in our open public poll that can be found on the left hand side of the screen. As you can see a huge majority of voters have indicated already that they would like to see Dede Scozzafava run as a Democrat. Be a patriot, get active, and vote in our online poll. There are only two days left in this poll, so if you have already voted be patient and we will have a new poll up on another matter shortly. (Quick note: to the Democratic National Committee staffers and various visitors from the NYS Assembly & Senate, please feel free to vote in our poll; thanks for dropping by and please know that our online poll is there for you too).

Third, if you are a blogger or on online networker you can post a blog on your own site with your thoughts on our draft effort. If you do, please consider linking to our site. We invite all bloggers from the right and the left of the political spectrum to be active. We want to spread awareness of Dede in the online community and this is a great way to do it. If you are on twitter please also consider joining our Draft Dede as a Democrat Twitter page @draftdedeny. These are the best ways to be of help in this critical moment.

We are confident that our draft effort is becoming viral on the world wide web and you can help facilitate that process. Thank you all for visiting and we will likely do another post with more ideas on ways you can help our effort. We appreciate all of your support so we can change this district.

STATE AND NATIONAL ATTENTION & THREATS OF A LAWSUIT

Draft Dede Effort Gains Major Traction In Two Stories

We told you it was gun'na be HUGE.

Okay so about half of our traffic stops to our unofficial Draft DeDe As a Democrat for Congress site yesterday were from these two major stories (see them below) speculating on whether or not Republican Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava would run as a Democrat in the NY-23rd to replace Representative John McHugh. The Democratic National Committee even made a visit to our site and stayed for awhile. Hopefully they are going to consider some of the solid arguments we have made in why they should aggressively recruit DeDe to run with our party for this election. Now one of the most interesting things about this endeavor is that you learn a lot of new things along the way. For example, one of the stories that picked up on our effort provided some other interesting details on Scozzafava's husband. Apparently he is some kind of big union guy with the AFL-CIO (on a side note that made me wonder if Scozzafava supports Obama's card-check legislation and whether they could be a big fundraising base for her along with Planned Parenthood). Did anyone else know that? Maybe she is more solid on our economic issues than we thought as well (more on that later).

Anyways, we regret to admit that we have not yet gotten Scozzafava completely on our side yet, but she still might and we have hope. According to some staffers in Albany we have been in contact with, the news of this political development just hit and is still fresh. There are a lot of people speculating on a lot of different things going on in the State House so we might just have to sit tight and see how some things play out.

On a positive note Scozzafava has not yet released a statement denying that she would run as a Democrat so our guess is that she is still seriously considering it, especially since the Democratic field has just thinned a little more as the Syracuse Post-Standard reported today that Sen. David Valesky, D-Oneida announced he would not be getting into the race to replace McHugh. And until DeDe asks us to stop our efforts we will continue to push our grassroots out to her, encouraging her to come over to the side where she can really make a difference and survive redistricting in 2012. It seems to us that each day Scozzafava waits before announcing which party she would run with, it is another good day for us because it means she is frustrating the Republican Party just that much longer. Only time will tell, but the clock is ticking and it is in our favor.

Now back to the major stories that are driving this story in the North Country.

Here is the first from the biggest political news site in New York State called Politickerny.com.

Jimmy Vielkind writes in his piece, Scozzafava as a Democrat for Congress? that, "Certain factions of the Republican party think Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava is too liberal to run for the congressional seat being vacated by John McHugh. But what about running as a member of the other party? As one well-connected Democrat argued to me, 'It's an obvious way to go. She's a moderate, well-liked and known person. It will be interesting to see what the Republicans do with her.' She has not, in the past, been approved by the Republican Party. In 2008, she sought to run for the State Senate seat vacated by Jim Wright, but party elders backed her more conservative colleague Will Barclay, who eventually lost to then-assemblyman Darrell Aubertine. Now, all three are once again mentioned as replacements for McHugh. Barely an hour had passed before Jim Kelly, a conservative campaign consultant who lives on the edge of the district, sent along an email with 'the liberal crap' about Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava. It made reference to her vote to legalize same-sex marriage and a 2005 pledge to 'insure the rights of all women in New York State to control their own reproductive lives, including the right to safe, legal abortion.' All of which would be fine, presumably, with the Democratic Party. Someone has gone to the trouble of setting up a a web site encouraging party leaders to 'draft Dede.' Given some of her positions and strong ties to labor--her husband, Ron McDougall, is the president of the local Central Labor Council--it's not so far-fetched that she would run as a Democrat, particularly if Aubertine opts not to. (He's officially still weighing his options.) Scozzafava did not immediately return calls seeking comment."

And here is the second from a major national political news site called the National Journal.

The Journal reports in Don't Go Out Without Your DeDe? that, "While it's still very early in the process, the name that pops out of the large GOP field is Assemb. DeDe Scozzafava (R). Her legislative district lies completely within the boundaries of the CD, and she ran unopposed in '08 after trouncing a Dem opponent in '06. Still, she may have a few problems among the GOP faithful. Scozzafava's a moderate that voted for the recent gay marriage bill that came through the legislature. In fact, she's one of the few GOPers in NY that's also been endorsed by the liberal Working Families Party (she earned their line in '08). Some Dems have even begun a campaign to draft [that is us and it is awesome they picked up on us somehow] her to run as a Dem. All of this would certainly help her grab moderate support, but it would also jeopardize the right flank, too. Do you think the Conservative Party would endorse her? If not, she'd face the likelihood of facing that party's candidate in the general as well."

By the way, kudos to McHugh for testing the waters on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." What an important item for the Obama Administration to get done this year. I know we should be able to get that done with bipartisan support in the Administration and with a Democratic Congress.

We thought those pieces were great, along with the news of McHugh's consideration on DADT. We look forward to more discussion about NY-23 online and in the print/TV/radio media. We want our friends and foes alike to know that this draft effort is really our honest intention to have a robust and open debate about the future of our district without the nuts in the right wing Conservative Party and the southern Republicans interfering too much. Rumor has it that they are trying to talk Dede into filing a lawsuit against our coalition if she is going to get their support (it's the kind of quid-pro-quo dealings that you normally see in Chicago not the North Country). We mean what ever happened to freedom of speech anyways? Maybe that can be a post for another blog on another day -- is the GOP trying to stifle and undermine free speech?

But we have to reiterate it again for those out there who don't understand, "We are still a free country that allows free speech so 'Thank Goodness for the Freedom of Speech.'" But honestly, who could ever try to deny such a fundamental thing in our great country? We know for one that DeDe would never try to stifle a fair, open, and honest debate. After all, she is going to be on our team. We look forward to your e-mails to draftdede@gmail.com and twitter comments @draftdedeny. Thanks team and stay true to our worthy cause!