Sunday, March 21, 2010

Health Care, Party Purity....and the legacy of Dede Scozzafava


Well, it was only a few months ago that far-right purists within the Republican Party set their sites on Dede Scozzafava, the Republican candidate in the special election for New Yorks 23rd Congressional District. Since Dede didn't toe the line on every issue, they decided to make an example of her, and threw their support to the Conservative Party candidate. Eventually, Dede, a multiple-term Assemblyman and the choice of GOP leaders in 13 counties, withdrew from the race. In the end, the Democrat won. Far-right Republicans, originally giddy at having pulled the rug out from under her, mumbled something about her loss not really mattering much, and went on their merry way to find the next witch hunt du jour.

As we now sit a mere handful of hours away from the vote on Obama's Health Care Reform Bill, I wonder how many of these party purists are counting votes and wondering how the outcome might be different if they hadnt purged Dede from the party.

1 comment:

Vain Saints said...

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

Scozzafava is not a case of the "Far Right" sabatoging itelf through its unwillingness to compromise. Scozza is a Left-Winger who would have almost certainly voted for health-care unless the Party twisted her arm.

Her primary challenger received NO support from the GOP establishment and lost by a tiny margin.

The moral of the story is quite the opposite of what you say it is. If the right grows a pair, then a vigorous conservatism can take the place of the defunct "movement".