New York's 23rd Congressional District has become the site of a showdown between RINOs (Republicans In Name Only) and conservatives. The conservatives are winning -- but the RINOs are not being gracious in defeat. Now the RINOs are showing how much party unity means to them. They have no loyalty to conservatives; why should conservatives have any loyalty to them?


The latest showdown came when ultra-liberal State Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava became the Republican candidate in that district. The ACORN racketeering arm, the Working Families Party, backed her. Yet the Republican old guard backed this useful idiot. Newt Gingrich backed this tool. The name "Republican" was all that mattered to them. Not principle.

But Sarah Palin, a true conservative, instead endorsed Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman. And so did other conservatives. The Governor of Texas, Rick Perry, said: "Electing Doug Hoffman will send a clear message that cannot be denied: conservatives must stand on principle." Oklahoma gubernatorial candidate Mary Fallin said that Hoffman had "reminded Americans everywhere that principles come before party affiliation." Kansas senatorial candidate Todd Tiahrt explained the choice: "The Republican Party is either going to return to the party of fiscal responsibility and consistent conservative principles as it was under Ronald Reagan or it will continue down the path of ‘sporadic moderation.'"

And Saturday, the Arctic Fox had the last laugh: Scozzafava dropped out of the race, saying: "In recent days, polls have indicated that my chances of winning this election are not as strong as we would like them to be." Palin responded generously, writing: "I want to personally thank Republican Dede Scozzafava for acting so selflessly today in the NY District 23 race. Now it's time to cross the finish line with Doug Hoffman so that he can get to work for District 23 and the rest of America."

Palin explained what was at stake: "With Congress poised to overhaul one-sixth of our economy with so-called health care ‘reform' (which is really a government takeover of health care) and with plans to enact a cap-and-tax bill just as our economy struggles to recover, Doug Hoffman will be a voice for fiscal responsibility and common sense in Washington.

We need candidates like Doug now more than ever."

Scozzafava was not as generous. On Sunday, she showed her true colors: this enemy in our ranks announced that she was backing the Democratic candidate, Bill Owens, not the Conservative Hoffman.

This showed just how bad things have become. The Republican Party has been hijacked. Conservatives have been driven underground by the RINOs and the DIABLOs (Democrats in all but label only). This leftish creep was insidious until we got clubbed over the head when the ultra liberal media picked our presidential candidate -- the Gang of 14 tool John McCain.

We all sucked it up. We went along. We embraced the ticket in the spirit of AROO -- (any Republican over Obama) -- and we held our noses until Sarah Palin came along. Ah, just a spoonful of Sarah helped the medicine go down.

But now it's time to clean house. Newt and his ilk will be relegated to the dustbin of history, and deservedly so. Enough with the old, in with the true!