The American Spectator : The Spectacle Blog : NY23: Joe Biden and Democrats Campaign Against Rush, Beck, 'Right-Wing Extremists'

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NY23: Joe Biden and Democrats Campaign Against Rush, Beck, 'Right-Wing Extremists'

By Robert Stacy McCain on 11.2.09 @ 12:13PM

WATERTOWN, N.Y.
Conservative Party congressional candidate Doug Hoffman is a mild-mannered accountant. Therefore, instead of campaigning against him, Democrats are now trying to make the 23rd District special election a crusade against various right-wing bogeymen.

"I'm sure [Hoffman is] a nice guy, but imagine him being able, if he won this election, to take issue with any position that Rush Limbaugh has," Vice President Joe Biden proclaimed this morning at a rally where both Hoffman and Democratic candidate Bill Owens were mere asterisks in the footnotes of the speechifying.

Owens himself delivered a speech that condemned "special interests" and "partisan ideology," while pledging to "fight for our local dairy farmers" among much else. But the most remarkable aspect of the rally was how much it focused on external enemies.

As Dave Weigel of the Washington Independent notes, Biden also took shots at Sarah Palin, whose Oct. 22 endorsement of Hoffman seems to have turned the tide, eventually driving liberal Republican Dede Scozzafava to quit the race. About 200 Democrats and 30 media personnel turned out for this morning's Biden/Owens rally.

The tone of the rally was set by New York Democratic Party State Chairwoman June O'Neill, who warned of "right-wing extremists who have brought their hate-mongering tactics to this district. . . . We cannot afford to let the right-wing extremists make a point in this district. . . . The right wing is not right."

O'Neill then named an unholy trinity -- Rush Limbaugh ("boo!"), Sean Hannity ("boo!") and Glenn Beck ("boo!") -- of evil right-wing demons whom she accused of having possessed the soul of Doug Hoffman, requiring an exorcism by Dede Scozzafava. (I exaggerate only slightly.)

"We have to stop the madness," O'Neill told the crowd, evidently oblivious to the possibility that she might help "stop the madness" merely by keeping her mouth shut.

View all comments (14) | Leave a comment

Randy Haddock| 11.2.09 @ 12:22PM

The second to last paragraph made me lol'd.

SoCon| 11.2.09 @ 12:51PM

Madness is something liberals know well.

Lou Grossman| 11.2.09 @ 12:52PM

Wow, sounds like the Socialists are scared they're losing. They brought in the heavy artillery-Sheriff Joe!! He and DeDe should go pose in front of Hoffman's HQ, then call the police. bwahahahaha

24AheadDotCom| 11.2.09 @ 12:53PM

Hoffman appears to be quite Bush-like on immigration, and it would be great if the other McCain could do some of that shoe leather reporting and ask him these questions just to make sure everyone knows where he stands. Better to find out now rather than later, and since no one else is going to ask that McCain can get a scoop.

Erik| 11.2.09 @ 1:02PM

Fear-mongering about hate-mongering extremists .... That's original.

Stan Redmond| 11.2.09 @ 1:13PM

Since 2004 democrats have ran against Rush Limbaugh. As far as I can tell Rush has never been on a ballot. Fighting against Rush and the other talkers shows just how few reasons their are to vote for democrats. They have nothing new. Tax and spend are all they know so they have to first turn rush in to the most vile and evil person (BUT DON'T YOU LISTEN TO HIM OR HE'LL POSES YOUR SOUL) and tie every non-democrat to Rush.

The funny thing is they would be saying the exact same things if Scozzafavva was in the lead.

Pete| 11.2.09 @ 1:50PM

What's new from the left? They're really scared now. People are wising up to them.

serfer62| 11.2.09 @ 2:40PM

Has Grahnesty supported Owns yet?

Shawn | 11.2.09 @ 2:44PM

All the Dems need now is the Howard Dean battle cry!

in_awe| 11.2.09 @ 3:29PM

This is will not be the last time the libs pursue this line of campaign rhetoric. Perhaps the conservatives and the RNC shoudl come up with effective counter-points and ads and have them ready to air as needed. And to quote Alinsky, ridicule is your most powerful weapon. Please, Joe Biden yields such a target rich environment that it is almost criminal to take advantage of it...

Bob Belvedere| 11.2.09 @ 9:40PM

Quoted from and Linked to at:
23 SKIDOO X: DON'T GET OVERCONFIDENT Edition

S.L. Toddard| 11.3.09 @ 9:10AM

Thank God that Sir Stacey is riding his scarlet-plumed destrier to the rescue of Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck. These powerless, voiceless, downtrodden celebrities need a hero, and by George they have one.

I can't imagine anyone in the country who needs valiant defenders so much as our beleaguered, abused, oppressed, zillionaire entertainment moguls.