memeorandum: Republican Scozzafava pulls out of House race in New York (Washington Post)

9:25 AM ET, November 1, 2009

Top Items:

The G.O.P. Stalinists Invade Upstate New York — BARACK OBAMA'S most devilish political move since the 2008 campaign was to appoint a Republican congressman from upstate New York as secretary of the Army. This week's election to fill that vacant seat has set off nothing less than a riotous and bloody national G.O.P. civil war.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, NewsBusters.org, Taylor Marsh, MyDD, American Power, Weasel Zippers, NBC Bay Area, Townhall.com and Pajamas Media

Washington Post:

Republican Scozzafava pulls out of House race in New York — Moderate nominee leaves House race in Upstate New York — PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — The moderate Republican nominee for a vacant U.S. House seat here unexpectedly withdrew from the race Saturday, bowing to a revolt led by conservative activists …

Discussion: Paul Mulshine and Erick's blog

Dede for Congress:

A Message from Dede — Dear Friends and Supporters: — Throughout the course of my campaign for Congress, I have made the people of the 23rd District and the issues that affect them the focal point of my campaign. As a life long resident of this District, I care deeply and passionately about its people and our way of life.

Discussion: Macsmind, Swampland, The Strata-Sphere, Watertown Daily Times, Syracuse Post-Standard, GayPatriot and Blogcritics

Michelle Malkin:

NYT columnist Frank Rich has the heebie-jeebies — Aw, poor Frank Rich. The far Left columnist for the New York Times is spooked by mainstream conservatives asserting themselves in the NY-23 congressional race. — Limited government activists rising up against the GOP elite? — Horrors!

Discussion: The Other McCain

The Politico:

Base sends GOP warning shot in NY-23 — Republican Dede Scozzafava's decision Saturday to drop out of the New York special congressional election gave conservatives a big win, but may present a challenge for Republicans heading into next year's mid-term elections.

Discussion: Riehl World View, A Blog For All, CBS News, Top of the Ticket, Daily Pundit, Don Surber, The Moderate Voice and Townhall.com

Glenn Harlan Reynolds / Washington Examiner:

It's the follow-through that matters in New York's special race — Next week's special congressional election in New York's 23rd Congressional District seems to have the entire political class in an uproar. Mainstream Republican pols like former House Speaker Newt Gingrich are afraid …

Discussion: CNN, Commentary and Riehl World View

Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
Blood In The Water — Scozzafava's statement, as she attempted …

Discussion: Christian Science Monitor, Stop The ACLU, The Other McCain, The Moderate Voice, Michelle Malkin, PoliBlog and Pajamas Media

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:
NY-23 Polling Odyssey

Discussion: Associated Press, The Other McCain, Daily Pundit, Power Line, Christian Science Monitor and The Conservatives

New York Times:
G.O.P. Moderate, Pressed by Right, Abandons Race

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Climate Progress, The Plum Line, The Reaction, Ben Smith's Blog, TPMDC, Think Progress and The Caucus

William A. Jacobson / Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion: Doug Hoffman Is Scaaary!

Alex Isenstadt / The Politico:
A profile in courage, it isn't — As conservative activists scored …

Discussion: Scorecard's Blog

Mark Preston / CNN:
Gingrich endorses Hoffman

Discussion: The Fix, The Washington Independent, The Hill, Townhall.com, The Daily Politics, Weekly Standard, Conservatives4Palin.com, Daily Kos, Syracuse Post-Standard, American Power, Texas for Sarah Palin, The Other McCain, The Daley Gator, Hot Air, Scared Monkeys and The Politico

Tony Romm / The Hill:
GOP begins to rally behind Hoffman

Discussion: The Corner on National …, National Review, Hot Air and The Atlantic Politics Channel

Valerie Bauman / Associated Press: Republican in NY House race suspends campaign

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:
Scozzafava's Supporters Like Obama, Dislike Hoffman and Owens

Discussion: Prairie Weather, The Washington Independent, Hot Air, The New Republic, Hotline On Call, The Mahablog, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Impolitic, Crooks and Liars, Firedoglake, Fausta's Blog, Below The Beltway and Gothamist

Eric Kleefeld / TPMDC:
NRCC Officially Endorses Conservative Party's Hoffman In NY-23

Discussion: The Washington Independent and The Politico

New York Times:

Democrats Push for Plan to Cut Deficit — WASHINGTON — Faced with anxiety in financial markets about the huge federal deficit and the potential for it to become an electoral liability for Democrats, the White House and Congressional leaders are weighing options for narrowing the gap …

Discussion: American Prospect, Washington Monthly and American Power

Los Angeles Times:

California to withhold a bigger chunk of paychecks — The amount goes up 10% on Sunday as Sacramento borrows from taxpayers. Technically, it's not an income tax increase: You'll get the money back eventually. — Reporting from Los Angeles and Sacramento - Starting Sunday …

Discussion: RedState, QandO, Hot Air, Don Surber and Moonbattery

BBC:

Afghanistan poll in disarray after pull-out — President Hamid Karzai's rival in the second round of the Afghan presidential election has announced in Kabul that he is withdrawing from the poll. — “I will not participate in the election,” Dr Abdullah told supporters …

Discussion: Informed Comment, The Moderate Voice and The Agonist

Dan Zak / Washington Post:

Obamas give out treats, fruit to White House trick-or-treaters — The first lady was dressed as a leopard, with a smear of eyeliner, fuzzy ears and a spotted orange-and-black top. The president was dressed as a middle-aged dad, with a black cardigan, checkered shirt and sensible brown slacks.

Discussion: Althouse

Greg Gordon / McClatchy Washington Bureau:

How Goldman secretly bet on the U.S. housing crash — WASHINGTON — In 2006 and 2007, Goldman Sachs Group peddled more than $40 billion in securities backed by at least 200,000 risky home mortgages, but never told the buyers it was secretly betting that a sharp drop in U.S. housing prices …

Discussion: naked capitalism and Prairie Weather

Tom Maguire / JustOneMinute:

Now, If Book Reviewers Read The Books... The NY Times runs a review of a new Ayn Rand biography, “Ayn Rand and the World She Made” by Anne C. Heller. — The review would be even more interesting if the reviewer, Adam Kirsch of The New Republic, showed a token familiarity with Ms. Rand's work, or even with life here in reality.

Discussion: Whiskey Fire and Pajamas Media

Chris Megerian / New Jersey Online:

Paramus man claiming to work for Corzine arrested on drug charges — EAST RUTHERFORD — A Paramus man claiming to work for Gov. Jon Corzine's reelection campaign was arrested Friday night on drug charges after police found Ecstasy tablets in his car, authorities said.

Discussion: Raw Story