Newt Gingrich continues to “Alinsky” his conservative critics and hide behind straw men.

He took to the airwaves last night to decry what he called a “purge” of the GOP by opponents of his chosen candidate, radical leftist Republican congressional candidate Dede Scozzafava, in the NY-23 special election:

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) late Monday had some choice words for Republicans supporting Conservative Party party candidate Doug Hoffman (N.Y.), accusing them of conducting a “purge” of the GOP…

The former Speaker faced a push-back from the right after his announcement but he upped the ante on Monday.

“This idea that we’re suddenly going to establish litmus tests and all across the country we’re going to purge the party of anybody who doesn’t agree with us 100 percent; that guarantees Obama’s reelection, that guarantees Pelosi as Speaker-for-life,” he told Fox News last night.

100 percent unadulterated nonsense on a stick.

Scozzafava isn’t just “anybody who doesn’t agree with us 100 percent.”

She’s an ACORN-Friendly, Big Labor-Backing, Tax-and-Spend, Margaret Sanger Award-Winning Radical in GOP Clothing — a left-wing saboteur who seeks to marginalize mainstream conservatism with conservatives’ own money.

As for Gingrich’s attack on conservative candidate Doug Hoffman’s supporters outside of New York…

“So I say to my many conservative friends who suddenly decided whether they’re from Minnesota, or Alaska, or Texas, they know more than the upstate New York Republicans? I don’t think so,” he added.

…I’ll repeat what the New York Post editorial board said today in its endorsement of Hoffman:

New York’s 23rd Congressional District lies near Canada, far to the north — but next week’s special election merits attention throughout the state.

That’s because the Republican candidate in that race, Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava, is the product of an obscenely corrupt political bargain by GOP bosses that sells out their party — and New Yorkers generally.

Because of that, and because so many of her positions ill-serve the interests of New York and the nation, The Post today endorses businessman Doug Hoffman, the Conservative Party nominee.

No, Republicans needn’t toe the conservative line without any deviation. Moderate GOPers like Rudy Giuliani have managed to stray on some issues without wholly betraying their party.

But a Republican should adhere to certain minimum GOP principles. Scozzafava is just too far to the left too often.

And not only on social matters, like same-sex marriage and abortion. In Albany, Scozzafava has been such a profligate tax-and-spender, she can almost make Speaker Sheldon Silver blush.

With the backing of the ACORN-allied Working Families Party, she supports Big Labor’s favorite organizing bill — card-check — as well as the federal stimulus, opposed by every House Republican.

Hoffman, by contrast, understands the dangers of unchecked spending, monster deficits and ever-higher taxes — i.e., concerns of average working Americans.

ORDER IT NOW

And I’ll repeat what I said last week: “One thing is guaranteed at the conclusion of the NY-23 special congressional election: The Beltway Republicans who endorsed radical leftist Dede Scozzafava are going to have indelible egg stains on their faces. And GOP establishment fund-raising organizations will be the poorer for it.”

Today’s rejected RNC solicitation form of the day comes from reader I.B.: