Shake yourself, Special Ed. It's time for you to get a bucket of chicken. Yea!
Posted on 08/03/2005 1:21:53 PM PDT by Frank T
Dems Brand Ohio Loss as ‘Shockwave of Voter Discontent’ By Randy Hall CNSNews.com Staff Writer/Editor August 03, 2005
(CNSNews.com) - Even though Iraq war veteran Paul Hackett lost Tuesday's special congressional election to GOP candidate Jean Schmidt 52 to 48 percent, Democratic leaders were delighted with the results, calling their Ohio loss "a shockwave of voter discontent." A Republican spokesman had a brief response: "We won."
"This election is a shockwave of voter discontent that will be felt all across the country," said Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Rahm Emanuel in a press release. "Every Republican in Congress should consider himself put on notice."
The special election was called to fill Ohio's 2nd district seat in the U.S. House of Representatives previously occupied by Republican Rob Portman, who stepped down earlier this year after being named U.S. trade representative by President Bush.
Portman held the seat for 12 years, consistently winning with more than 70 percent of the vote in the Cincinnati-area district where Republicans outnumber Democrats three to one. Just this week, the Almanac of American Politics said that the special election "in this heavily Republican district was expected to be a mere formality."
A former member of the state Senate, Schmidt said she shares the "moral values" of the district, including support for President Bush''s handling of the war in Iraq, while Hackett at one point described Bush as the biggest threat facing the nation and even referred to the president as "that SOB in the White House."
When all precincts had reported in Tuesday night, Schmidt had 51.7 percent, or 59,132 votes, compared with Hackett's 48.3 percent, or 55,151 votes. Schmidt's margin of victory was about 4,000 votes out of more than 112,000 cast.
Emanuel was pleased with the outcome, which he called "nearly the biggest political upset in recent history" and "considered by many to be an early sign of widespread discontent with the Republican Congress around the country
"Tonight, we have seen rock-solid Republicans say that they have had enough of a Congress that is in the grips of the special interests, roiled by ethics investigations and doing nothing to help solve the pressing challenges facing the middle class," Emanuel said
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) also hailed the close results.
"The issues, political and ethics environment are good for Democrats, and Paul Hackett's campaign in a Republican district proves it," Pelosi said in a statement.
"Republicans are on notice -- Americans are demanding a change," she added. "Americans will no longer tolerate the Republicans' continued abuses of power and catering to corporate special interests at the expense of the public interest."
Pelosi praised the Democratic candidate as "a war hero who campaigned with the same dignity and honor that he served our country." Hackett "ran an excellent campaign and made what should have been an easy Republican win a tough contested race," she added.
However, Carl Forti, communications director for the National Republican Congressional Committee, had a succinct response to the comments by Emanuel and Pelosi: "We won.
"I don''t know where the shockwave is if the Republican won," Forti told Cybercast News Service. "The president remains hugely popular in the district, and the Republican is going to represent the people from the district in Congress."
Forti also had a different view of the Democratic candidate's tactics. "Hackett was running two different campaigns: one in the national media, where he was very critical of the president; and another in Ohio, where he featured the president in two of his campaign ads, including the one he ran during the closing weekend."
Hackett "never called himself a Democrat in any of his commercials," Forti added.
The Republican spokesman also questioned whether Tuesday's vote can be used to determine national trends, noting that turnout in the Ohio special election was about 29 percent while the congressional election last November had a turnout of over 60 percent.
Forti also attributed part of the close decision to the process of holding special elections, which "tend to be very close. They''re not blowouts, and that''s just the nature of the beast."
Regardless of the election outcome, both candidates will be heading to Washington, D.C., later this week -- Schmidt to be sworn in, and Hackett for weekend duty with his U.S. Marines reserve unit.
"I always said that, one way or another, I'd get to Washington," Hackett joked in his concession speech Tuesday night.
In this race, the Democrat nominee was this fellow, Paul Hackett. Further examanination on other websites, such as his own, indicate that he's a trial lawyer. So of *course* that's why he's a Dem.
He served in the Marines' reserve, and when the Iraq war broke out, he decided to go. Had he been elected, he would have been the first Iraq war veteran to serve in Congress. I'm sure John Kerry would have been happy.
But I admit to being confused. If this guy thinks Bush is "that SOB in the White House" why did he join a traditionalist, conservative (in the non-partisan sense of the word) institution and go fight Bush's war? A strange breed, some of these Dems.
He's a Democrat and a War Vet. So he's a natural for the Dem Presidential nomination.
I wonder how much money the respective candidates spent, and how much came from the national parties.
I bet that Howie pumped a boatload of cash into Hackett's campaign.
Wasn't Paul Hackett on the Dick Van Dyke show? Seems like he might be a little over the hill.
Ambition. Political resume building.
Bwahahahahahahaha!
First of all, even though he's a marine, he's no war hero as proclaimed by the Dems. He was a public affairs officer, one of those typically dubbed a REMF by combat troops. He talked out of both sides of his mouth on the war, condemning it in the national press but running a political ad with Bush's voice as a lead in and Hackett praising the troops dedication to the mission of reforming Iraq. If that's the template for the 2006 Dem strategy there's going to be huge cognitive dissonance in the leftist's camp.
But being a trail lawyer staff puke should not offend him.
"...why did he join a traditionalist, conservative (in the non-partisan sense of the word) institution and go fight Bush's war? A strange breed, some of these Dems..."
We saw what Kerry did. Long range planning.
Rahm mimics a Soviet Commisar. Hyperbole, exaggeration and empty threat.
He is the one Rush called a 'staff puke'. He was not in a front-line position, but a civilian one.
Shake yourself, Special Ed. It's time for you to get a bucket of chicken. Yea!
Lot's of Republican's must have stayed home. Happens all the time in special elections.
Ok. I'll bite. What is a "REMF" (I can imagine what it MIGHT stand for!).
(private mail o.k. if too dirty for FR)
>>>>Ok. I'll bite. What is a "REMF" (I can imagine what it MIGHT stand for!).
The RE stands for Rear Echelon. Of course, I don't have any idea what the MF stands for.
patent
This is the real story but the Dems won't spin it that way. Listen to Rahm in total denial. They just can't win an election even when the Republicans stay home.
What % of registered voters voted?
This bozo should be able to go about as far as Weasely Clark - another war veteran who almost brought us to the brink.
Not only that but the guy ran as a wolf in sheep's clothing. His commercials lead you to believe that he was a Republican candidate.
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