It really seems like Dede Scozzafava can't catch a break, huh? First, it looks like Lindsay Beyerstein caught Scozzafava talking out of both sides of her mouth about the card-check provision of the Employee Free Choice Act. Dave Weigel sums up:
In September, Scozzafava's campaign claimed she opposed the "card check" provision of the Employee Free Choice Act. But at the same time, she told the AFL-CIO, in a candidate questionnaire, that she supported EFCA's provision that "would require employers to honor their workers' decision to join a union after a majority of them signed a union authorization card or petition."
In an attempt to nail down exactly where the Janus-faced Scozzafava stands on the issue, Weekly Standard reporter John McCormack got a bit more than he bargained for. McCormack did succeed in finding out Scozzafava's views on card check (she says she supports it - at least, today), but the candidate was remarkably unwilling to answer any other questions. McCormack's persistence didn't exactly pay off:
I spotted Scozzafava later as she was walking to the parking lot, and asked her: "Assemblywoman, do you believe that the health-care bill should exclude coverage for abortion?" She didn't reply. I asked her twice more. Silence.
After she got into her car, I went to my car and fired up my laptop to report the evening's events.
Minutes later a police car drove into the parking lot with its lights flashing. Officer Grolman informed me that she was called because "there was a little bit of an uncomfortable situation" and then took down my name, date of birth, and address.
"Maybe we do things a little differently here, but you know, persistence in that area, you scared the candidate a little bit," Officer Grolman told me.
"[Scozzafava] got startled, that's all," Officer Grolman added. "It's not like you're in any trouble."
Calling the cops on a reporter doesn't seem like a winning move to begin with; getting into an intramural battle with a conservative publication seems even more foolhardy. Nonetheless, a Scozzafava flack emailed Politico to claim that McCormack "repeatedly screamed questions" at the candidate. Other attendees said that McCormack was "quiet" during the event, so who knows. A spokesman for Conservative Doug Hoffman's campaign opined:
If any police investigation needs to take place, it should be of Dede Scozzafava, for impersonating a Republican.
Zing!
Meanwhile, the Scozzafava camp decided to continue its fued with the Weekly Standard, releasing an email exchange between McCormack and another Republican spokesman to TPM about whether Scozzafava would vote for John Boehner as speaker should she win election. (The Scozzafava guy just comes off as squirrely.) The attacks on McCormack prompted Weekly Standard honcho Bill Kristol to weigh in, branding the Scozzafava campaign "desperate."
But really, this is all a minor nuisance (albeit one a struggling Republican campaign can ill afford). The real news for Dede is worse - much worse. The Club for Growth just announced a brand-new $300K moneybomb on ads attacking Scozzafava for (what else) being a "liberal." At the same time, the SEIU just dropped $82K on mailers for Dem Bill Owens, and the D-Trip threw down $132 grand on media buys. This brings the DCCC's total spending to $520K.
Meanwhile, former GOP Majority Leader Dick Armey will campaign for Hoffman, while Susan Collins and Florida Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite (srsly?) will stump for Scozzafava. Owens is probably feeling a bit more stoked than the competition about the help he's getting - tonight President Obama held a fundraiser for him in New York City.
And finally, all three candidates agreed to a one-hour debate on Oct. 29th, though it won't be broadcast until Nov. 1st. |
