Posted on 02/20/2006 6:09:18 PM PST by governsleastgovernsbest
by Mark Finkelstein
February 20, 2006
In recent days, Rush Limbaugh has focused attention on the sharp-elbowed way in which the Democratic leadership forced former Marine major Paul Hackett out of the race for U.S. senator from Ohio, installing Cong. Sherrod Brown in his place. On tonight's Hardball, Chris Matthews offered an interesting theory: that Hackett's controversial statements, particularly his unsubstantiated allegations of past cocaine use by President Bush, became too hard for the Dem leadership to defend.
In a set-up piece, MSNBC's David Shuster reported that "Hackett's style began creating waves. On [a past edition of] Hardball, he stood by his allegation that President Bush was once a cocaine user." Shuster rolled tape of Hackett on an earlier Hardball stating that he took such allegations "at face value" and assumed they were "quite factual." In that same earlier Hardball, Matthews was shown grilling Hackett hard: "you know for a fact that Pres. Bush, the Commander-in-Chief, because you're running for the US Senate, was a cocaine user? You know that for a fact?"
When Hackett claimed he had "read the reports," Matthews shot back "they're not reports - they're charges. I wouldn't say I read it in the Associated Press or the Wall Street Journal or the New York Times. I may have heard the arguments made by people who don't have a firm grounding in journalism, but I've never heard a major or a quality newspaper make such a charge."
Shuster also underlined a statement Hackett had made that the GOP "has been hijacked by the religious fanatics that, in my opinion, aren't a whole lot different from Osama Bin Laden and a lot of other religious nuts around the world." Hackett later refused to apologize, saying "I meant it."
Interviewing Hackett on this evening's show, Matthews observed "I've been watching politics for 30-something years, and I've never heard of a candidate being urged by party leaders to run, and then told not to run." Asked Matthews, "Why do you think [the Dem leadership] buckled? Did you make too many comments that were hard for them to defend?"
Hackett: "Not from my perspective, but I'm sure my outspokenness made them nervous."
That's when Matthews hit Hackett between the eyes: "Did you call Bush a coke-head before or after they endorsed you?"
Hackett: "That's a good question. I don't remember. Actually that was before, but it was published subsequently. But he hasn't denied it."
Matthews cut him off: "Don't get into that. I will not do that on this show. I have no evidence the president's ever used coke. He's admitted having an alcohol problem, I used to have one, I admit it. Don't get into this if you can't prove it."
Hackett closed by accusing Brown of "spreading rumors" about his service in Iraq. He called the allegations "absolutely preposterous," and made clear he "does believe the allegations came from [Brown's] campaign."
Finkelstein lives in Ithaca, NY, where he hosts the local TV show 'Right Angle.' Email him at mark@gunhill.net
Hardball ping to Today show list.
Interesting ping.
Sucks to be you, eh, gyrene?
Lie down with lampreys, wake up with nasty bloody circular holes in your skin and a pale pallor....
Sounds like a race to the bottom. "Don't go there," Matthews says, as he goes there.
Brown's had his eye on this opportunity for years and Hackett, to Reid and Schumer, is a nobody.
Hackett damn near won in an overwhelmingly red district...albeit he ran against a true bimbo (sorry, ladies).
The people who really run the SOP (Sad Old Party) held up their end of the quid pro quo and backed Sherrod.
And just leave it to Chrissy to try and blame Hackett's dropping out on Bush!
It's not a question of Finkelstein [who by the way is me] being right or wrong. I was reporting what Hardball had to say. Matthews was advanced the theory that the Dems had recruited Hackett to run, but changed their mind when they found his unsubstantiated allegations about possible drug use by W too hard to defend.
That might be wrong, but your beef would be with Matthews, not with Finkelstein/governs.
Yeah sure, he was forced out of the race for repeating standard dem talking points. Is Matthews a fool, or does he only play one on TV?
Matthews did get into that with Hackett, who flatly denied the allegations, calling them preposterous, while making it clear he believed it was Brown's campaign that had been floating the charges.
Well, at least we can count on Howard Fineman soon writing a column addressing this, and then we'll know what happened - it'll be exactly the opposite of what Fineman says it is.
Among the wacky things Hackett has said:
'He called the 60%+ Ohians who voted to ban gay marraige "unAmerican"
He equated religious conservatives with Al Queda.
He once went off on Harry Reid for backing Harriet Miers.'
He's a looney lawyer, and nothing more.
I turned that garbage off before the part where Chrissy gets on to him....
Too bad...for once I would have loved to see Chrissy NOT be the most over the top on his show.
you got to give it to fatboy, he doesn't allow outright smears; I applaud him for defending dubya and making a point that dubya had a etoh problem like he once had and then somewhat putting down hackett right away about the drug charges; this creep reminds me of what a young french kerry must have been like. I hope he runs as a independent and screws the demorats.
Interesting parallel.
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