Posted on 08/02/2005 10:20:51 PM PDT by Dane
Republican Edges Out Iraq Veteran for Ohio Congress Seat
By JAMES DAO Published: August 3, 2005
CINCINNATI, Aug 2 - A former Republican state legislator narrowly won a special Congressional election in southern Ohio on Tuesday, ending an underdog bid by her Democratic opponent to become the first combat veteran from the Iraq war to serve in Congress.
With all of the precincts reporting, Jean Schmidt, the Republican, had nearly 52 percent of the vote, edging out her challenger, Paul L. Hackett, a major in the Marine Forces Reserve, by about 4,000 votes.
"Voters declared that they support our president and approve of his leadership," Ms. Schmidt, 53, told supporters gathered at a suburban Holiday Inn late Tuesday evening. "They want us to stay the course so the enemies of freedom cannot bring their terrorism to our shores again."
SNIP
"Tonight was a victory for democracy," Mr. Hackett, 43, told supporters at a downtown Cincinnati theater. "People had a real choice." Mr. Hackett has said he expects to sign up for another tour of duty in Iraq, possibly next summer.
SNIP
Mr. Hackett called Mr. Bush a "chicken hawk" for failing to serve in Vietnam and "a cheerleader for the enemy" for challenging Islamic militants to "bring it on" against American troops. He also sharply questioned his policies on tax cuts and Social Security.
But in a nod to Mr. Bush's popularity here, Mr. Hackett used a clip of the president praising military veterans in a television commercial, prompting the Republican National Committee to issue a letter of protest against his campaign.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
The Democrats pulled out all the stops and still lost.
Serpent head was responsible for the adds.
John Glen campaigned as well as other Democrat Luminaries.
"Hackett is a john french kerry clone."
You are so right about that, Dane! Hackett's campaign was so much like Kerry's that it was like "Groundhog Day"! I am convinced that the only reason he went to Iraq was to pad his resume for his run for congress, ala Kerry. "Did you know I was in Iraq?" I doubt he will go back -- he got what he wanted the first time. He tried to convince the sheeple that he was a "conservative-pro-military-pro gun" candidate, but his true self leaked through around the edges. He is a leftist/dem/lib/socialist/plaintiff's lawyer (like John Edwards) who wants high taxes and more social programs and who hates our President (called him an SOB!) I hope the GOP has all of his lines on tape, in case he runs again next year!
I thought we'd have to wait 10 or 15 years before we started $hitting all over people who served in Iraq then dared to run against a Republican. Guess I'm not cynical enough.
That kind of spin could get us killed in '06. This was a hugely Republican district and Schmidt's funding was at least as great as Hackett's (final numbers aren't in, but she was up on him 2:1 in mid-July, and that was before the $500,000 RNCC infusion at the end of the month). This should have been a slam dunk.
Carolyn
Once again,
A few basic points:
Hackett never really had a chance in this district. It's solidly Republican. It's a district no Democrat can ever take.
A look at the electoral map shows Hackett(a high priced personal injury lawyer from high priced Indian Hill!), won only the three most rural and economically depressed counties. Schmidt won easily in Greater Cincinnati, Clermont County (more affluent and also her own turf), and Scioto County.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohio_Second_Congressional_District_Election,_2005
Hackett's advertising was slick and he presented himself well as being a supporter of our soldiers in Iraq. Schmidt, by contrast, came across poorly in her own advertising, almost like the "Grinch Who Stole Christmas". Women complained about her hairdo.
Had the playing field been level, i.e. in a district less solidly Republican, Hackett would have won.
And also to consider is that Schmidt got chewed up some in the primary. She was a candidate Republicans decided they could live with. But she was not a candidate who energized the faithful. No one candidate energized them so much as one turned them all off, Pat DeWine.
Yep,
The Dems threw a ton of money at this one.
They thought if they won...they could claim that the tide is turning.
exactly.
This dude is a liberal.
And there are things in his past that show he is a big gun control freak.
Sounds like the guy was a JAG.
"They thought if they won...they could claim that the tide is turning."
they are STILL claiming it even though they lost
There is a dem in the north Texas area that is going to run on Vietnam.
He will be running against Mike Burgess (Strong Conservative Doctor).
Problem is...the dem is also a carpet bagger. Goes to whatever state has an opening for him. And I don't think that will fly for him.
He was also a transportation guy who pushed big for ED.
Taking people's land via ED is not well liked.
See my tagline.
There were local issues at work here - Taft is not well liked, the Noe fundraising scandal and the fact that Hackett was a military man who hid his liberal credos very well. he!! he did not even say that he was a Democrat in his commercials. I agree that we need to work hard and not get overconfidant that we are invulnerable but do not think that the Dems "won" anything for losing here
His number of votes was small 42,000 or so, but a lot of Republicans stayed home because they are fuming over governor Bob Taft (uber-RINO) and his tax hiking ways. Schmidt had previously lost her state rep seat in a primary for supporting Bob Taft's tax hikes.
Brilliant. I mean this is a very socially conservative district. If he had gotten it across that he was pro slicing and dicing babies, he'd have lost by more.
Woops, make that 56,000 or so. Point still stands.
The Dims certainly seem to think so. The spin today was that Rush "insulted the troops" by calling Hackett a "staff puke", and the seminar callers lit up his lines today demanding that he apologize. They're still trying the same tired old "Republicans who didn't go to war are smearing real war heroes" play that worked so well for Kerry in 2004.
Heh - sounds like it's time for George Lakoff (rhymes with ...) to come up with a new "pro-life" Dim message line.
Network news is a joke.
You get more information by NOT watching the networks because of their misinformation.
Based on what I see here and heard from Rush today, the republicans basically gave 1/2 effort because of tax issues. The democrats gave it there BEST and FULL effort and still came up short.
This leave the democrats to spin spin spin. Actually it is "hitler in the bunker" dulusion.
I wonder if I can use that as a defense in a murder trial. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, it was not a pre mediated killing. My client was just exercising a unlilateral medical decision."
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