Well, Dede Scozzafava has suspended her campaign SCOZZAFAVA SUSPENDS 23RD CAMPAIGN. I support Bill Owens, but I respect Dede Scozzafava. She is a genuinely nice person, a dedicated public servant, and knows more about local issues than Owens or Hoffman. Politics is a blood sport, and although I did not want to see her win, I also saw that some of the ways she was (mis)treated was because she is a middle-aged woman, and not a particularly glamorous one. Issues of gender and class have been a bit of an undercurrent in some of the commentary, including here on Kos.
This sends a big message to moderate Republicans, especially moderate women Republicans – your services are not wanted. One has to wonder how many moderate Republicans (there must be some) will reconsider their party affiliation, if they have aspirations for national office.
A nice essay about Dede Scozzafava, and the lack of support and credit she has received from the good things she has done, was published last week by the Editor of the Watertown Times (which endoresered her yesterday) Silence, nothing but silence from groups that have been helped by Scozzafava. Although I disagree with her on a lot of things, she has been a force for progressive change on gender, marriage, and family issues in New York State.
Scozzafava's work as a minority member in the Assembly finally bore fruit months later when Democrat Speaker of the Assembly Sheldon Silver finally released -- after a long, long delay -- a bill targeting sexual predators. As we wrote in December 2005, Scozzafava suggested that Silver "had finally given in to public demand for tougher sentencing and civil confinement for violent sexual offenders."
Fast forward to today and our goofy 23rd Congressional District Race, which includes a Democrat candidate who is not a registered Democrat, and a Conservative candidate who doesn't live in the congressional district.
Here's what I don't get: For the past decade, the Republican Scozzafava has stood up for every women's rights, victims' rights and children's rights legislation in this state. Her fingerprints are everywhere. But now that she is running for Congress, you can't find one member of CASA, CAVA, Darwin, Athena, victims assistance, university women or even one of our myriad Watertown book clubs that will publicly stand up for her.
Amazing.