The Scozzafava Suspension: Winners And Losers

From DBKP:

Who does this benefit?

[...]

Scozzafava supporters were 2-1 Republicans. So that would seem to indicate her dropping out would be a big benefit to Hoffman.

[...]

Who ultimately benefits?

Doug Hoffman should be the major beneficiary of Dede Scozzafava’s announcement.

We’d say one big beneficiary would be Sarah Palin, who jumped in to support Hoffman before supporting Hoffman was cool.

And who are the losers in this latest turn of events?

DBKP has some good arguments. Owens is no longer the beneficiary of a split in the GOP vote. The RNC (and the RCCC) do look somewhat foolish for pouring good money after bad into Scozzafava's campaign.

But from where we sit down here in Texas, which is admittedly far away from NY-23 and the DC Beltway, Newt Gingrich is the biggest loser. His more-elephantine-than-thou remarks dissing Hoffman and Doug's supporters are on the record. This is a big blow to his GOP Elder Statesman persona.

Close behind Gingrich on the losing side of the ledger are Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee. All that fence-sitting has done is to give them a pain in the nether regions. They come off looking indecisive, which is to say not presidential, unless the president happens to be Barack Obama.

Me-Too Update: Newt was against Doug Hoffman before he was for him.

Another Me-Too Update: In the anchor chair for Stacy McCain, who is on assignment in NY-23, Jimmie Bise advises:

"According to Jonathan Martin of The Politico, Mike Huckabee has endorsed Doug Hoffman, too. Expect others to come in for Hoffman, too (**coughRomneycough**), now that the fence on which they were all precariously perched has disappeared out from underneath them."

Jimmie also reports that the National Rifle Association is expected to flip its Scozzafava endorsement to Doug.

- JP