How Patrick Gaspard, Obama’s ACORN/WFP/SEIU “air traffic controller,” intervened in NY-23
No surprises here.
Radical leftist Dede Scozzafava, the GOP NY-23 candidate who dropped out over the weekend, was an ACORN-embracing, Working Families Party-consorting, Big Labor crony.
White House political director Patrick Gaspard is a leading ACORN/SEIU/Working Families Party operative from New York.
The Washington Post reports that Gaspard played a critical role in Scozzafava’s endorsement of Democrat Bill Owens:
Over the last few days, Gaspard has also had a quiet hand in some of the good news to come Democrats’ way.
Steeped in New York politics, he played a pivotal role in the effort over the weekend to persuade Republican State Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava to endorse the Democratic candidate in the special election in New York’s 23rd Congressional District, two senior White House officials said Sunday. One senior official added that Gaspard was the “air traffic controller” of multiple parties as events in the district unfolded. Scozzafava, a rare Republican who who supports same-sex marriage and abortion rights, endorsed Bill Owens rather than the Conservative Party candidate two days ahead of Election Day, a major victory for Democrats in arguably the most closely watched contest in the country.
Gaspard is using his office and his power to meddle obsessively in his home state:
. Gaspard appears to have found it exceedingly difficult to tear himself away from New York politics. He still reads the New York political blogs and frequently corresponds with local New York reporters about local New York affairs. And while fighting political fires in his own back yard may be necessary for an operative with a national profile, New York elected officials and veteran political operatives have expressed surprise about the degree to which Gaspard has concerned himself with local issues since his departure, given all the national challenges for Democrats. Among other things, Gaspard got involved this year in the race for city comptroller and made rounds of calls to support Bill de Blasio, a close friend of his, in the race for public advocate.
Gaspard was just as involved in such minutiae at the height of the presidential race. In October 2008, as Obama operatives launched a massive national get-out-the-vote operation, Gaspard, then the campaign’s national political director, participated in local strategy calls opposing Michael Bloomberg’s extension of term limits, according to a person with firsthand knowledge of the calls.
This past September, Gaspard’s fingerprints were all over the White House’s effort to force Paterson, the first African American governor of New York, to withdraw his bid for reelection. The effort was sanctioned at the highest levels of the administration, but became a public relations nightmare when news of the meeting seeped out — and Paterson declared he would not quit.
“Patrick is making some difficult political calls that are in many cases sloppy by definition,” said Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.). “But the key thing is that most people who are affected by these things breathe a sigh of relief that he’s gotten involved.”
I repeat: Membership in radical Left circles has its privileges.
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Color me surprised! LMAO
gee, maybe this is why conservative republicans felt scuzzyfella wasn’t really a republican at all. what, did she once vote against a tax hike?
More meddling from Team Obama. Expect more. Soros will just open up his checkbook to keep America’s pot boiling and bring in more Activist/Agitators to serve his agenda.
Even if she did run and even if she did win – Once in congress she would have flipped to DemocRAT faster than a Bum dives on a Bologna Sandwich.
Ok, I knew this intuitively yesterday, as soon as I heard Scuzzyfavors was endorsing the Democrat. You KNOW how these people work! It’s a radical conspiracy, folks.
Can we figure out a legal way to remove ACORN’s tax free status EVERYWHERE? It’s about as apolitical as Saul Alinsky, their patron saint.
Dear Mr. Gaspard,
Since you have pretty much messed up everything in NY that you have touched, please keep up the good work.
Conservatives are depending on you.
Duh?!?!
This is proof that Scozzafava would have voted with The B.O. and all of his stinking socialist policies.
Actually, her endorsement of the democrat may be more of a help to Hoffman.
And not a Dem around DC will have anything negative to say about it. What was it Speaker Pelosi said about draining some sorta swamp, in somewhere important?
I am wonderin’ what Newt the Toot Gingrich is saying now–he is part and parcel of the problem. I am HAPPY this scuzbag is out of the race, but not at all surprised by who she endorsed.
Um…can I ask what outside parties, on ALL sides, haven’t meddled in this special election?
By the way, Siena poll just out. Conducted entirely yesterday (post-Owens endorsement)
Good thing we have conservative stalwarts like Newt Gingrich looking out for the movement.
Maybe he can be Obama’s Conservative Movement Trainwreck Czar.
Just more evidence of the
TwoOne Party System.Richard “The Other Malik Shabazz” Tater.
And Newt and the boys went right along.
“Scuzzy” and “BO” — those are good names.
The Dalai Lama has been conspicuously absent in NY-23. Or he is considerably more discrete than most others in this matter…
I can’t prove the interference of the Dalai Lama in NY-23 but I do see the fingerprints of that Bush lackey, Hamid Karzai, all over NY-23!
I mean obviously, Dede Scozzafava is mainlining Heroin based on her recent behavior. And we all know Karzai and his brother are neck-deep in the Heroin trade. So ultimately, this is all Bush’s fault.
Why is this considered “meddling” at all? Various parties have interests at stake here. Sarah Palin doesn’t live in NY-23 but endorsed anyway; I’m guessing that the vast majority of those who read and post to this blog don’t live in NY-23, but we all like commenting on it. And if I had strings to pull, I’d pull them on Hoffman’s behalf. It ain’t meddling; it’s democracy.
Denver republican,
If in fact you live in Denver and you are a Republican, any involvement by outside forces that is perceived as contrary to the will of the Democrat Party, Unions and ACORN IS MEDDLING!
Conservatism is a CRIME in 2009. They have no rights to participate in the electoral process or the economy. Didn’t you get the memos?
Still no word from ACORN special-ops agent Newsance “Newt” GinGrinch R-Moscow.
God I hope the margin of victory is double digits for Hoffman.
P-Phil,
A reasonable person might keep his mouth shut and hope people would forget about this “unfortunate episode” as quickly as possible. But, we are talking about Newt here so all bets are off. The “Newt-ered One” will be back in the thick of things as soon as he figures out a way to play both sides…
Once thing is certain…aside from death and taxes…leftist radicals are really good at the one thing they do (so effortlessly)…and that is demonizing opponents in the political process. Their world consists of image, not reality.
Their idea of “utopia” falls short when their moral deficiencies are exposed in their poor attempts at governing. In application, these radicals show how entirely inept, and ineffectual they are, in a massive scale.
Meddling is the only task they take to heart, and engage in with full vigor. The unhappiness, and self-hatred they feel must be spread in order for them to achieve a sense of self-worth. And so it is with NY-23, NJ, and anywhere else their “vision” is becoming impaired.
Great. Now I’m getting e-mails to contribute to the Fred Thompson PAC. Sorry Fred, one safe nothing-to-lose-by-trying endorsement proves nothing. Let’s see some passion and take some risks. There are already too many RINO camels sticking their noses into the Tea Party tent.
The Dalai Lama’s endorsement airs at 4PM Abominable Snowman time. He is supporting everybody and hitting them up for a contribution to Save The Golden Yak Fund. That is what Dalai Lamas do. The closest we have to a Dalai Lama is a neutered newt.
How is it a major victory to be endorsed by someone who dropped out of the race because she couldn’t convince members of her own party to support her?
This is why I could never make it in politics. I’m not insane.
irving,
Obviously, you aren’t sufficiently indoctrinated yet. Shortly, you will be invited by members of the “Obama Youth” to visit a re-education camp in an undisclosed location in America where you will learn to evaluate all events in the “proper and approved manner.”
I hope John “Arlen Specter Endorser” Cornyn, Mike “Tin Man” Steele, et.al. are seeing what “moderation” of the Party does.
I don’t think his being active in a New York race is the problem, the problem is she is alleged to be a Republican but all her connections, and her policies apparently, are Democratic. This posting adds weight to her liberal ideology and shows how misinformed the “Republican” politicos (NEWT, Steele, et al) were. Misinformed? Okay, clueless, there I said it.
Because she will still draw votes, for her, away from the true conservative candidate. Her name is still on the ballot and some, less-informed voters will still pull that lever. SHE DID NOT endorse Hoffman but rather her alleged opponent Owens. She was a spoiler all along. If Owens won, the Dems win. If Scuzzy won, the Dems still win. If she splits votes away from Hoffman, the Dems still win.
Get it now?
And she has all these Dem ties in a district that is supposedly Republican? Something is not right here. No pun intended.
Not news.
Those who play in ACORN’s sandbox will always be beholden to ACORN’s evil plans … Look around.
RWR
http://www.rightwingrocker.com
That any of La Malkin’s commenters could complain about Gaspard is too hypocritical to be believed… You people aren’t satisfied with just screwing one of Conservatism’s most prized tenets – local determination – you’re also too stupid to recognize what you’ve DONE? Incredible.
Patrick Gaspard is The One’s Karl Rove. Obama promised change, so we should dub him Obama’s Brain — he’s an avid comic-book collector.
So much to do, so little time.
I wonder how my Congressman, the Honorable Eric Cantor House Moron-ity Whip feels now? Like the FNG in a prison shower. Get a clue RNC, the party apparatchik is no longer running the show.
Is this our Duh comment of the day? I have two words for YOU…. Hillary Clinton. Another outsider, not originally from the state, ran for Senate and won because of her relationship with Bill Clinton, illustrates, in spades, how outsiders have continued to shape New York politics.
Hoffman may not be from the district but he’s not from another state like Clinton was. I’d rather someone like Hoffman tell it like it is to people in this district instead of using bribes and false flattery to get voters on his side.
There are some Northern New Yorkers and Upstaters who have fallen in love with pork and handouts because it’s the only way they can survive. I’ve witnessed, as a Upstate New Yorker, the demise of the farming sector (including dairy) and I didn’t see Scazzafava and Owens addressing it except to promise more subsidies. Subsidies are just a form of life support for local farmers already facing hardships from corporate farm enterprises.
There have been years where Albany and downstaters have interfered with the business of Upstate and Northern districts. Most of the downstate districts like NYC have gotten most of the monetary investment while the Northern and Upstate regions have been left to rot. Let’s just stop acting like outsiders have never played a part in NY politics, shall we?
Isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black?
If the dems hadn’t done what you accuse modern conservatives of doing, some 35 plus years ago, the Dems wouldn’t be so radical marxist today. Anyone who was of voting age or near voting age about 1975 who was other-wise conservative and anti-marxist probably belonged to the Democrat Party unless they owned a business, in which they probably belonged to the Republican Party at that time. In a sense, the modern conservative perspective is almost that of a philiosophy exiled from where it would otherwise be, thanks to “all-inclusive liberal thinking” of the radical left within that Paerty-not.
Also, the modern Democrat is a steroetypical supporter of large-city thinking and politcs, I doubt that this paradigm would sell beyond such geographical confines.
That is an excellent point, emjem. I think chapoutier forgot something in his analysis…
What the hell does Hillary have to do with anything? I am not talking about carpetbaggers. I am talking about people from both parties and from all political persuasions taking a keen interest and trying to influence this election.
Duh. That was my point. I just think it is a bit odd for MM to single out one person, who is at least FROM NY, as being a meddler. Why not Palin for endorsing Hoffman? Why not herself for her multitude of posts on the subject? Why not all the other political operators on all sides pulling levers behind the scenes?
This is such a common fallacy. I did my senior thesis on just this dynamic. believe me, upstaters interfere with downstaters as much or more than vice versa. Do you know how many State Authorities there are that deal only with things that pertain to NYC? Do you know why rent control, which existed only in NYC and was very popular there, was gotten rid of by upstate politicians? Do you know how many laws are on the books in New York state that apply only to cities with 1 million or more? If you want some inkling of what is going on, read EE Schatschneider’s The Semisovereign People.
Politico’s article on Gaspard’s position of power shows why Palin and other political operators are not on the same level:
So whether or not someone is meddling comes down to their effectiveness, not their intent?
You want others to read a book to understand your points, yet you fail to read the short article I linked before commenting.
“It’s not an office that should be subsidized by taxpayers”– Craig Holman
He has as much right as anybody else to stick his nose into the campaign as long as he didn’t offer her a bribe in the form of a job offer or whatever, and nobody would ever be able to prove that anyway.
Maybe he was off the clock, Dave. Or maybe he wasn’t. Either way I don’t see why it is shocking or unique that the political arm of an office involved.
Michelle Bachmann endorsed Hoffman too. No doubt this involved some time for her and her staff. On our dime. Wanna criticize her too?
Bachmann’s endorsement of Hoffman was not a campaign inside her office. There is no proof she or her staff worked the phones on the government dime. Two senior White House sources said Gaspard was the “air traffic controller” playing a “ pivotal role” in setting up Scozzafava’s maneuvers. Tell us why Waxman was wrong in 2008 when he recommended the White House Office of Political Affairs be eliminated or reformed: