Cat Fight! Republicans vs. Conservatives

By Baxter

We cats have a saying we're fond of: You can't do $!&*%$!%*&$! if you don't win.

After a long string of voting for losing Democratic candidates, and watching policies we didn't like get enacted, we gravitated toward folks who proved they could deliver at the ballot box. This often meant resisting the temptation to insist that all Democrats prove themselves 100 percent liberal. It also meant avoiding wasteful, divisive primaries. It usually involved compromise and consensus, both of which can be painful. But both of which are necessary.

Now, we can think of no greater affirmation of this approach than what's going on in New York's 23rd Congressional District — on the Republican side.

The GOP candidate for Army Secretary John McHugh's former seat is just not pure enough for conservative nutbags like Sarah Palin, Dick Armey and Marilyn Musgrave (all of whom are currently out of office, we can't help noting). Or for the hordes of true believers who have descended upon the district to help the Conservative Party candidate, Douglas Hoffman.

One quote from The New York Times that made our little ears prick up: "Many of the workers acknowledge that their efforts could deliver the election to the Democratic candidate, but they say it is more important to send a message than to win this race."

Well, now. We cats aren't guaranteeing that the Democrats will pick up this seat. But we love it when Republicans are less interested in winning than in tearing each other apart.

So we PURR at our friends on the right who continue to marginalize themselves. In the meantime, we'll just get along with the business of governing the country, and leave the true believing to them. Because you can't do you-know-what if you don't win.