Poll: Should Scozzafava withdraw for filing a false police report?

posted at 2:20 pm on October 22, 2009 by Ed Morrissey

This argument has erupted in the wake of the release of the audio of the supposed confrontation between Republican Dede Scozzafava in the NY-23 special election and John McCormack, reporter for the Weekly Standard.  Jim Geraghty argues that the audio proves that Scozzafava filed a false report with the police, which is a crime, and that should disqualify her from seeking office:

When a candidate commits a crime, the usual bonds of loyalty that a party requires are severed. When Sen. Larry Craig got caught in the airport restroom, Mitt Romney threw him off his campaign team. When Rod Blagojevich was arrested, every Democrat who had endorsed him and re-endorsed him ceased any sense of support.

You can call this throwing someone under the bus, but there’s a difference between severing a tie over political inconvenience and severing it over criminal behavior. If your friend committed a serious crime, you might end the friendship; even if you didn’t, you would probably express some disapproval.

Jim isn’t alone in demanding her withdrawal, or at least the withdrawal of the GOP endorsement for Scozzafava.  As he notes, this demand has erupted more or less simultaneously in conservative circles: RedState, RedCounty, the Washington Examiner, the Washington Times, Ace of Spades, BigGovernment.com have all made the same demand.

Complicating this is the fact that Dede Scozzafava didn’t make the call to the police or file the report. Her husband was the complainant, which means that if a crime was committed, it was committed by someone other than the candidate. Should candidates whose spouses commit misdemeanors be held responsible for their behavior? This seems like an unfair precedent to set, and that assumes that the Scozzafavas actually had the intent to file a false report. If they unreasonably but honestly thought that John McCormack was a threat to themselves, then that goes to a very poor sense of judgment — certainly a fair argument for an election — but not a crime.

Had this happened to any other Republican, would we insist on the same remedy? Somehow, I think not. That doesn’t mean she shouldn’t withdraw for other reasons, such as the aforementioned lack of judgment, which was also on display yesterday. She’s a terrible candidate, and the GOP never should have endorsed her in the first place, but that’s not quite the same as setting a precedent based on at least an arguable action by her spouse.

Let’s get a sense of what Hot Air readers think. Take the poll and let me know your thoughts:

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Comment pages: 1 2

If the GOP in your opinion should drop a candidate for (let’s face it) the political climate changing between the time a commitment was made and the election, and you were a potential GOP candidate, what happens if the climate changes again? Will you have faith the GOP will help you win or merely find a new excuse to throw you under the bus in favor of someone more electable?
Sekhmet on October 22, 2009 at 3:42 PM

I don’t see anyone claiming she should be dropped because of the political climate, they’re saying she should be dropped because she doesn’t support any of the ideals that the Republican party suppossedly stands for.

So if the lesson learned by the GOP is that you have to nominate people who stand for what the party represents, that’s a good thing. I’m not saying that you have to pledge 100% allegiance to what the party represents, but you do have to represent some of it.

PackerBronco on October 22, 2009 at 4:16 PM

I’m not saying that you have to pledge 100% allegiance to what the party represents, but you do have to represent some of it.

PackerBronco on October 22, 2009 at 4:16 PM

And that is what cuts to the heart of the matter for us philosophical conservatives. Dede Scozzafava is not in any meaningful way, shape or form conservative.

gryphon202 on October 22, 2009 at 4:43 PM

ES. Gimme 34 solid hecklers of a Democrat majority, and see to it they’re augmented with real soldiers each cycle, and we’ll get a solid majority that will REVERSE those policies.

Chris_Balsz on October 22, 2009 at 3:53 PM

The last time a Democratic president had that many Senators on his side was 1965 (Johnson actually had 68, not 66).

Do you remember that Congress? Medicaid. Medicare. Immigration reform. Higher Education Act. In short, the greatest expansion of government in most (if not all) of our lifetimes.

Now, you’ll never find a bigger fan of Barry Goldwater than I, but I’m at least aware of our party’s history to know what a disaster his candidacy and philosophy brought upon this country.

Once again, is that really what you want?

JohnGalt23 on October 22, 2009 at 4:55 PM

Nope, just sitting in my lawnchair amongst the GRASSROOTS section. Hope you don’t get nosebleed in your section…

lovingmyUSA on October 22, 2009 at 3:53 PM

Box seats are treating me just fine.

JohnGalt23 on October 22, 2009 at 4:56 PM

I think she should withdraw because of this, not because what she did was illegal, but because this shows how pitifully incapable she is of handling even a small amount of pressure. She and her husband don’t want to win, whether they know it or not.

That said, I voted for the GOP to endorse someone else, you know, someone Kos hasn’t endorsed.

Esthier on October 22, 2009 at 5:00 PM

The last time a Democratic president had that many Senators on his side was 1965 (Johnson actually had 68, not 66).

Do you remember that Congress? Medicaid. Medicare. Immigration reform. Higher Education Act. In short, the greatest expansion of government in most (if not all) of our lifetimes.

Now, you’ll never find a bigger fan of Barry Goldwater than I, but I’m at least aware of our party’s history to know what a disaster his candidacy and philosophy brought upon this country.

Once again, is that really what you want?

JohnGalt23 on October 22, 2009 at 4:55 PM

I wasn’t there, but it seems clear that the Democrats did that to America, and also, that nobody wants to make an organized political movement to take it back for America.

The “we’ll hold the line” plea has been exploded by the prescription drug benefit, TARP and earmarks, not mention amnesty.

If it’s so lousy, END IT. There is no natural law that compels Democrat gains to remain on the books. It’s just lousy performance by the “opposition”.

Chris_Balsz on October 22, 2009 at 5:02 PM

If the GOP in your opinion should drop a candidate for (let’s face it) the political climate changing between the time a commitment was made and the election, and you were a potential GOP candidate, what happens if the climate changes again? Will you have faith the GOP will help you win or merely find a new excuse to throw you under the bus in favor of someone more electable?
Sekhmet on October 22, 2009 at 3:42 PM

The only “change in climate” is daylight vs cigar-smoke.

I would prefer a party that backed strong operators for federal office, guys who could hear out a county chairman’s opposition, and then tell the room “Whaddya keep this guy around for?”

Chris_Balsz on October 22, 2009 at 5:26 PM

This is ridiculous. Like I said before, the Republican Party has been taken over. It no longer represents my ideals nor do a majority of its so-called leaders. It’s time to move on!

Sultry Beauty on October 22, 2009 at 5:27 PM

JohnGalt23 on October 22, 2009 at 4:56 PM

What’s important is that we are at the same party…but if the main act sucks, I’m folding up my lawnchair.

lovingmyUSA on October 22, 2009 at 5:31 PM

wow, she’s a big girl

John the Libertarian on October 22, 2009 at 5:40 PM

This is much ado about typical New yorker behavior. New York is Hell and everyone in it is a d-bag which is why I was glad to leave it.

I don’t like Scozzafava but you’re dreaming if you think even after she drops out Hofman will win. Newt isn’t some “Rino” looking to undercut conservatism, he’s a realist who knows New York is full of David Frums and is completely under the thumb of SEIU and other special interests. If you don’t like his political calculus designed to get more Republicans than say that and we’ll have a gentleman’s bet on whether New Yorkers, people who voted in the taxes that destroyed their state and a governor who tried to have unprotected sex with hookers, will vote your values.

Rob Taylor on October 22, 2009 at 5:49 PM

Should candidates whose spouses commit misdemeanors be held responsible for their behavior? This seems like an unfair precedent to set

I don’t mind if say the one spouse used the other to do their dirty work, thus allowing people to say it was just the spouse so why blame the candidate. Did that happen in this case, I don’t know.

What did happen here is a candidate yet again showed how grossly unfit she is for national office. Had the Republican members of her district picked her, there was no viable 3rd party candidate, and it was too late to replace her I would tell those Republican members to enjoy their Democrat representative and hopefully pick someone better next time. Fortunately, that’s not the case here.

jarodea on October 22, 2009 at 6:29 PM

Rob Taylor on October 22, 2009 at 5:49 PM

Yikes, did New York rape your mother and kill your father or something?

I’d agree though in general if the history of the district and of Newt didn’t show Newt to be off his rocker in this case. Both though have already been covered many times around these parts so I’ll leave it be.

jarodea on October 22, 2009 at 6:33 PM

I asked a question when the news came out confirming that she lied. “Are we now saying that demonstrable lies are damaging to a politicians career?” If so I think that is big news. After all, lies have never been a problem for them before.

Consider the number and nature of the lies that Obama has told. Shouldn’t those be viewed in the same light as Scozzafava’s lies? Or do we say that lying to constituents is somehow less egregious than filing a false police report?

Mormon Doc on October 22, 2009 at 7:03 PM

Hmmm.

“Complicating this is the fact that Dede Scozzafava didn’t make the call to the police or file the report. Her husband was the complainant, which means that if a crime was committed, it was committed by someone other than the candidate. Should candidates whose spouses commit misdemeanors be held responsible for their behavior?”

Isn’t her husband her campaign manager?

memomachine on October 23, 2009 at 11:40 AM

Comment pages: 1 2