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Saturday, August 27, 2005
OH-Sen: AP on Paul Hackett
Posted by Bob BrighamUntil I hear otherwise, I'm going to be using "OH-Sen" in the title of any post on Paul Hackett. He had a big story today, from the AP:
Like Rocky in the movies, Paul Hackett has gotten a big boost from almost beating a heavily favored opponent. [...]"At a certain point, you have to accept reality, and it's an impressive reality," said Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at University of Virginia. "It should have been a blow-away. It wasn't just any congressional race - it was a race during Bush's summer of sorrow and it came in a state that was ground zero for '04 and possibly will be for '08."
If Hackett can beat the spread in every precinct statewide like he did in OH-02, he could get 60% of the vote. His results were very impressive. People should realize which way the wind is blowing in 2006 and follow Hackett:
Tim Burke, chairman of the Hamilton County Democratic Party, said Hackett's showing has encouraged more Democrats, downtrodden for decades in Southwest Ohio, to consider running for office.
On Iraq (from a guy who has been there):
For national audiences, Hackett's experience as a Marine reservist who served seven months in Iraq has been called upon as a counterpoint to the president, who has been trying to shore up support for the mission in appearances this week.While he opposed the invasion of Iraq and bluntly called Bush "a chicken hawk," Hackett said during his campaign that the United States should increase training of Iraqi security forces. In an interview this week, he said it's time to plan a withdrawal, because it's unlikely that U.S. forces in Iraq would be significantly increased.
"It's going to get worse before it gets better," Hackett said.
If George Bush were to call, what would he say?
If he were advising Bush, Hackett said, he would tell him: "You've freed the Iraqi people from a brutal dictator, you gave them democracy, you've assisted them with a constitution. Now it's time to say 'mission accomplished,' and go home. What they do with it is up to them."
Run, Paul, Run!
Hat tip to Real Values.
Posted at 12:15 PM in 2006 Elections - Senate, Ohio | Technorati
Comments
"Hackett's showing has encouraged more Democrats, downtrodden for decades in Southwest Ohio, to consider running for office."
Isn't that all we need to know? It's a rare candidate who has that sort of multiplier effect. Whether we win or not in a given cycle, it's important that we show up everywhere, make it clear what Democrats stand for, and win some people to your side. It's by doing that that you prepare the ground for future wins down the road.
If that's the Hackett effect, we can't afford to sideline him. Hackett for Senate!!
Posted by: RT ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.swingstateproject.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at August 28, 2005 11:15 AM | Permalink | Edit Comment | Delete Comment