Capitol Hill Blue - A lesson in old-fashioned politics

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A lesson in old-fashioned politics

February 15, 2006 02:37 AM / Capitol Hillbillies .

By DAVID HAMMER

With a shove from party leaders, Iraq war veteran Paul Hackett abruptly quit a key Senate race in Ohio and further exposed a disconnect between the Democratic establishment and Internet-fueled challengers.

The political novice withdrew under intense pressure from party leaders in Washington, clearing the field for Rep. Sherrod Brown _ a 30-year veteran of Democratic politics with more than $2.5 million in the bank.

Phil Singer, spokesman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said Hackett's decision to quit gives the party a better chance of beating two-term GOP Sen. Mike DeWine in November. Hackett drew his strongest support from Democratic activists outside Washington and Ohio who donated money and time via the Internet, including many who considered his military record an asset against DeWine.

"Hackett would have probably won this seat," David Nir, one of three founders of the liberal Web site SwingStateProject.com, contended in a blog posting Tuesday. "It's much harder for me to envision the 'northeastern Ohio liberal' Sherrod Brown breaking the 49-percent barrier, particularly with DeWine moving to the center."

Not everyone agreed in the world of Weblogs, or blogs, but there was plenty of anger and many threatened not to help Brown. Matt Stoller, a leading voice on the liberal blog MyDD.com who wasn't involved in the Ohio Senate race, said Hackett represented a failure by bloggers to compete.

"Establishment Democrats are still more powerful than we are, by orders of magnitude," Stoller wrote. "While we can put tens of thousands into a race, they can dwarf that with millions."

Hackett said the party's decision "highlights the challenge that's still there" to close the gap between Washington and the party's grassroots.

In 2004 bloggers helped former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean leapfrog establishment candidates in the months leading up to the Democratic presidential primaries, but he quickly fell once the voting started.

Last month, Sen. John Kerry made a point of posting a message on the liberal Weblog DailyKos to assure bloggers that he and Sen. Edward Kennedy would push to block a Senate vote on the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito. They couldn't get enough support to mount a filibuster.

On Tuesday, soon after Hackett said he was quitting politics, the largest liberal Internet organization, MoveOn.org, notified its 3.3 million members of a new strategy: working to oust conservative Democratic incumbents.

Another grassroots group that backed Hackett, Democratic war veterans, expressed outrage as well.

"Hackett brought credibility on the No. 1 issue facing the nation _ the war in Iraq," said Jon Soltz, an Iraq combat veteran and executive director of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America Political Action Committee. "The Democratic Party loses credibility on that issue because he is no longer running, and because they had a hand in his decision."

Hackett said he had ended his 11-month political career. It reached its zenith last summer when his House campaign in a conservative Cincinnati-area district raised $850,000 in two months, $500,000 of it through blogs.

Republicans contended the Democrats hurt themselves.

"The Democrat party bosses dumped a candidate with mainstream vote-getting potential for one of their most liberal members," said Dan Ronayne, spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee. "In doing so, the Democrats have settled on a candidate who is fundamentally out of touch with the mainstream values of Ohioans. Happy Valentine's Day, indeed."

Republicans are not immune to the grassroots-vs-establishment split. President Bush's friend and former personal lawyer, Harriet Miers, was forced to withdraw as a Supreme Court nominee this year after an uprising by conservative activists.

___

On the Net:

http://www.dailykos.com

http://www.myDD.com

http://www.swingstateproject.com

Comments

HACKETT HAS THE INALIENABLE right to run AND not BE INFLUENCED IN any manor BY any POLITICAL PARTY FOCUSED ON TAKING A PAGE FROM THE NEOCON PLAYBOOK....WIN AT ALL COSTS.

IN A WORD !! DISGUSTING

Hackett should run as an independent. If there are many that think he can win...they will get their chance to see. If it does not start to go well for EITHER candidate then THAT one SHOULD quit the race and throw ALL the support to the other.

That, IMO is how it SHOULD be done.

Posted by truth101 at February 15, 2006 06:56 AM

Since the 'change' I can no longer read Capital Hill Blue ... which is a major deal to me because I LOVE this site ... the new format covers up the left half the viewing page with the 'info' block ... clicking 'print' to try and get the whole article as we used to be able to do, sends you to nothing more than an info box to tell 'where' to print it ... I have over 150 email friends that are accustomed to me being very 'political' ... and I have sent them your articles almost daily ... you know the media is 'shackled' by fear of reprisal ... this was one place I could come to get totally unpartisan news ... you helped me keep one small segment of Americans informed ... and I always urged them to sent the articles on to 'their' friends ... MANY ended up subscribing to Capital Hill Blue because of what they read ... this is a great loss to me and many others.

Have a Very Blessed Day
Lace

Posted by Lace at February 15, 2006 07:04 AM

I,too,am disgusted. I live in Ohio and the only reason I'll hold my nose & vote for Brown is because I despise DeWine.

It used to be the Republicans stole the elections from us. Now,they don't have to bother because we're doing it to ourselves!

Thanks a hell of a lot,Dems, here's another one who's quitting her activism on your behalf!

Posted by kiki at February 15, 2006 07:13 AM

I can't believe it! This man sounded like a dream candidate - and lordy! do the democrats need that!!
Keep this up and we can lose in 2008 as well as 2006!

Posted by Brenda Burnham at February 15, 2006 10:34 AM

I donated to Hackett's campaign. I had hoped that he would run for president.

Posted by Al Moore at February 15, 2006 10:55 AM

I wonder if he could be persuaded to once more run against "Mean Jean" Schmidt? He almost beat her in the last election, and now that people have had a taste of her vitriol, it might just be possible for Hackett to send her home...certainly worth a try!!

Posted by B. Graham at February 15, 2006 11:10 AM

I think he should thumb his nose at the party and run as an independent.

Posted by Judith Krain at February 15, 2006 11:10 AM

What else is new in Ohiobama, this state is run by the good ole boys from down south. Both parties are as equally corrupt. The dems always blow a chance to get good folks in office, and the ones in are worthless. The the republicians are soo crooked that the dems actually admire them. We have the latest fight in which Ken Blackwell is running for governer of the state, and doin his best to smaear the remaining challeneger. Mr Blackwell is allied with the looney snakehalders such as Rod Parsley, and the rest of the folks who want that ole time religion. Blackwell is of dubious backround being involved in the coin scandal here , and using another slimeball ashinkoff who is the republican boss of summit county to slime Petro vis his attoney. Ashinkoff has had problems with the city of Hudson Ohio, and is purported to be doing the "down low" at a local gay looking for "twinkeys" ( not hostess).
This satae is a real mess hence the name Ohiobama.

Posted by David Rozman at February 15, 2006 11:36 AM

Every time the Republicans do something incredibly stupid, my own party finds a way to top them and does something even dumber. To see honesty and integrity (Hackett) done in by backstabbing,scheming party officials like Schumer and Reid sickens me. Way to go, guys! How many veteran votes did the Democratic party just lose because of you two??

Posted by M. Cantwell at February 15, 2006 12:33 PM

This development is really bullshit. The Dems will continue to be a party of losers until they they throw out the hack politicians that have been screwing tnings for the past 10 years.

Steve Didis
Tacoma WA

Posted by Steve Didis at February 15, 2006 01:22 PM

The Democratic Party must die. It is obselete. This is the legacy of Terry "Fat Cat" McAuliffe, the superrich former head of the DNC, who got out at the "right time." Now he can sit back and laugh as he watches the party that he doomed flounders in the ocean with the sworn enemy of the old money Dems, Howard Dean, in the captain's chair. This was a set-up from the start. The dinosaur Dems have no intention of upsetting the order of things in Washington, it benefits them as much as it benefits the scumbags on the right. This is a game they're all playing and they could give a DAMN about what ordinary Americans think and feel. Look at how an outsider like Hackett is treated, look how a truth-seeker like Conyers is marginalized, look at how a populist like Dean is vilified--by the leadership of their own party! Harry Reid, a one-dimensional, dishonest hack, calls the shots for the Democrats at the same time fake Democrats like Lieberman are toasted by the GOP. Shame, shame.

Posted by Beast of Bourbon at February 15, 2006 02:08 PM

To paraphrase Mr Hackett " what the fuck is the democrats' problem?"

This party is a disgraceful alternative to the fascists who call themselves republicans.

Weren't those wimpy presidential 2000 & 2004 runs wake-up calls?

It makes me ill.

So much money to disrupt the world!

Posted by Thomas at February 15, 2006 07:17 PM

Can anyone say THIRD PARTY?

Last year there was a poll that said over two-thirds of Americans (Reps & Dems) believed their party didn't represent them; while another poll said over 75% of Americans will welcome a 3rd party.

I will not vote for anyone who voted for this undeclared war or anyone that voted for Alito or voted against the filibuster.

It's time for the voters to clean up their act. Either vote for Al Gore or go 3rd party. What will you do?
IMPEACH BUSH NOW!

Posted by Gee Tzencia at February 15, 2006 08:04 PM

Hackett looked and sounded like a great deal for Democrats. I can't believe they forced him out. He had the potential to win. The attention must now turn to Feingold, who is looking very good at this point. For liberal Dem's and progressives he is hope for the future.

Posted by lickspittle at February 15, 2006 08:06 PM

Paul Hackett is the "Young Blood, Fresh Face" type of Democrat that was needed by the Democratic Party. It was his time to get into the fight. Now, the same old same old is brought in as a replacment. What were they thinking??
The Democratic Party and their leaders, have to forget the way things were done, they just don't work any more. Wasn't losing the Two Houses proof enough?
Democrats need to take time off and grow a Backbone.

Posted by David Rosenberg at February 16, 2006 11:43 AM

Ohio has legislation going through its houses that will prohibit abortion in any form, even to save the life of the mother.

What's more is that the law will also prohibit a woman from traveling to another state to obtain a safe abortion.

It might be ruled as unconstitutional but not until far too many women are degraded and disrespected for their choice to control their own reproductive lives.

And, it's not about abortion, it's about controlling and subjugating women.

Posted by Judith Krain at February 21, 2006 05:24 PM