Has anyone even bothered to check out Sherrod Brown's voting record?

[LynneSin]

I mean, we're all getting our panties wadded up our butts about Paul Hackett dropping out but personally I'm all for it.

Sherrod Brown: 100% rating from NARAL
Sherrod Brown: 91% rating from ACLU (Flag Amendment was the only one he went against on)
Sherrod Brown: 94% rating from LCV (the Environmental Folks)
Sherrod Brown: Voted AGAINST Joint Resolution 114 (The Iraq Vote)
Sherrod Brown: Voted AGAINST the ORIGINAL Patriot Act

Geez, it's such a shame this so-called DU-labeled-DLCer is such a raging DINO to vote the way he does saying no to things like War and the Patriot Act. :sarcasm:

Folks, take a deep breath and consider this. Paul Hackett, while a great guy, was also a registered republican for the longest time. Outside of his anger about the war and how it turned out do we know what this guy would have done in all those OTHER important issues? A poster in the Hackett thread on DU homepage even mentioned that Paul Hackett's stance on immigration was in line with many of the extremist republicans!!

We already have a major uphill battle in Ohio because no matter how unpopular DeWine and the Republicans become with all this corruption they still control those Diebold voting machines. Sherrod Brown would be extremely popular and well supported here on DU if it wasn't for the "Ooh, let's jump on the Hackett bandwagon because we know he supports one issue we all are for but who knows about all the other ones". We need every dollar donated to that race to win Ohio. Sherrod Brown has statewide name recognition and a good chance to hopefully have a wide enough margin of victory to overcome those diebold machines.

So come on folks - use your brain on this one. Brown is not a member of the DLC and neither is Schumer or Reid. This is a good decision so we can focus on possibly winning this election in a state that is notorious for stealing elections

EDIT NOTE: I learned about how liberal Sherrod Brown is when he use to run ads here on DU. At the time even I was on the Hackett bandwagon not realizing that Brown was just about everything I could ask for in democratic candidate. At that point I decided to not contribute to either candidate until after the primaries because let's face it - I'm in Delaware, let the Ohioans decide

[TayTay]

1. I gave Mr. Hackett money for both his races

I am disappointed that he is dropping out of politics all together. I thought he might run for the House seat that he so narrowly lost last year.

Politics is a very rough game and I think that maybe Mr. Hackett just didn't have what it takes to compete. He shouldn't have that 'either it's my way or I take all my marbles and go home' attitude. It doesn't bode well for someone who wants to be a successful politician. (Again, I gave him money in August of last year and I sent him a check in Jan of this year. I am disappointed in him.)

[LynneSin]

3. That disappoints me too

if Hackett was serious about making a change in the world he should have opted to run against Schmidt again. There's a woman who has been an embarassment since day one and the House is actually a bit more liberal and a better place for someone like Hackett than in the senate. Plus we could use that seat pick-up that I'm thinking that Hackett could have gotten for us.

As far as I'm concerned if he feels he needs to 'wash his hands free of politics' then I'm washing my hands free of him.

[formernaderite]

38. with his political temperament

maybe he'll run for the democratic nomination for president now.

[High Plains]

53. Hackett said he had promised other potential candidates in the

district he wouldn't run. I guess there isn't much place in politics for a man who stands by his word.

[WildEyedLiberal]

20. If he wants to be in politics, this is child's play

compared to the really hardcore stuff his enemies are going to throw at him.

[IndianaGreen]

2. Brown is not the issue. Would you accept Hillary as the nominee?

The same people that wanted Hackett out, because they couldn't control him, are the same people that will use similar tactics to ensure that Hillary becomes the nominee in 2008.

Do you for one minute think that Schumer and Reid would want an anti-DLC candidate to become the nominee?

[LynneSin]

4. At this point with the options that I have for President right now

hell yes. Not kidding you - I've voting straight "D" anyways and if someone doesn't have the balls to put up a fight then surely I don't want him/her as my president.

[IndianaGreen]

6. Hillary sure is doing a lot of fighting for us, isn't she?

:sarcasm:

[LynneSin]

8. Why should I respect the people who don't even try?

Last night, I was watching pairs figure skating and this Chinese Couple tried a throw never done before by anyone else. The toss was beatiful but unfortunately that girl ended up falling straight down on her knee. A lesser person would have probably beend dragged off to the emergencry room but instead she insisted she could finish the program.

And the couple did - and it was the most amazing performance - better than anyone elses although the fall & break in the program kept them from winning the gold.

I have respect for people who keep fighting despite adversity, despite being tossed and falling to the ground with their knees in a shamble. Paul proved to me that when facing adversity he'd rather just quit right there then to finish the program. I'd rather see another six years of DeWine than someone who just ups and quit. And if candidates who are running for president just up and quit without even finishing the program then I guess Hilary is the best person for me because at least she keeps fighting no matter how many times she's fallen down and trust me, that girl has fallen more times than anyone else in politics!

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[LynneSin]

15. Victim? Pul-lease

Boo-hoo-hoo

This is the US Senate and I don't want some wuss who can't say "NO YOU ARE WRONG"

Makes me respect Chuck Pennachio even more because he's in for the long haul in the PA Senate Race.

[400Years]

39. oh, so now Hackett is a "wuss"? Kinda reminds me of swiftboating.

[Javaman]

62. So by your definition, you should give up on Hackett because...

he quit the republican party.

He was a moderate conservative leaning democrat.

Brown is a progressive.

[femrap]

65. Did he really quit the pug party?

I am starting to have my doubts. The pugs love to divide and conquer the dems....they just back and laugh as we fight with each other.

And here we are doing it again.

Maybe Brown is just too progressive for some of the supposed 'lefties' out there in DU land? Hackett seems to have appealed to the 'angry white male' vote just as W has done in the past. Just my theory.

[Javaman]

66. He was a die-hard repuke prior and during the war...

then didn't like what he saw and became a dem.

I kinda took issue with that. I think it would have been a much more brave statement if he remained a repuke and went against the war.

Then when he ran as a Dem, he was a one issue guy. Really didn't have a fully flushed out platform.

[femrap]

83. In the 2nd's Special Election, there was a veteran who ran against the

war and was a Republican. I can't remember his name....an older man who had 2 sons in Iraq at the time. Of course he was ignored in the Primary....and Mean Jean won.

[MrBenchley]

5. And if we would accept Hillary as the nominee?

"similar tactics to ensure that Hillary becomes the nominee in 2008."
As in running an honest race while watching the other candidates fade and drop out.....

[400Years]

10. no, as in destroying a candidacy before the primaries

to ensure we never have a real choice.

[MrBenchley]

14. The only "destroying" was Hackett's self-destruction

Hackett QUIT. He was 20 points down in the polls and making a public ass of himself.....

"Asked about illegal immigration, Mr. Hackett said the Bush Administration “is willing to let illegals come in and take the jobs of Americans.” When an audience member asked Mr. Hackett if he would deport illegal immigrants, the candidate replied, “If we can afford to, yeah.”
Several Democrats in attendance said the comments surprised or disappointed them.
Frank Szollosi, a Toledo city councilman, said Mr. Hackett appeared “to the right of Pete Wilson” — a conservative Republican and former California governor — on immigration.
Mr. Szollosi and Denis Logan, Jr., the chairman of the Fulton County Democratic Party, said Mr. Hackett sounded as if he had not thought through his immigration position."

http://hispanicvista.com/HVC/Opinion/NEWS/020106Gnews.htm

[LynneSin]

17. This is what people don't get - he was a 1-issue candidate

which fortunately the other candidate was the same exact way.

However, I'm finding out about this other opinions that Hackett has like his extremist views towards immigration and personally I'm glad the guy is out of the race. I'd rather have the anti-war candidate that has proven that he's pro-choice, pro-environment and pro-progressive value. Hackett was a registered republican up until the war so what proof do we have that when it comes to other democratic issues that he won't turn around and vote against them?

[IndianaGreen]

19. So was Dean in 2004

The Democrats have NO issues because they won't challenge the Republicans. All they say is ME TOO on NSA spying, on PATRIOT, on the war!

[MrBenchley]

23. And Dean finished no better than third in any major primary

Voters wanted a real liberal like Kerry or Edwards and not a Rockefeller Republican like Dean.

[WildEyedLiberal]

48. Thank God actual voters value substance over cheap rhetoric

The same reason Kerry won is the reason Brown is ahead 20 points in the polls. Democratic primary voters evaluate a candidate's issues and character, not the cheap publicity stunt shit like calling Bush an "SOB."

[MrBenchley]

50. Exactly....

It appears what some people want in a candidate is a left wing version of Alan Simpson...an ignorant blowhard who grabs headlines and accomplishes nothing.

[LynneSin]

26. Well it's such a shame that Brown could end up in DC as a senator

since he's already say "NO" to all of those things

Look it up:

War Act in Oct 2002: VOTED NO
Patriot Act (2001): VOTED NO
Patriot Act (2005-6): VOTED NO

Such a shame Ohio could be stuck with a senator like that. I mean thankfully I live in Delaware where my candidates cave to pressure just like they should!

:sarcasm:

[400Years]

41. That is beside the point

nothing wrong with a primary unless you really don't believe in democracy.

This is exactly why we never get presidential candidates that would actually change anything.
They simply aren't allowed to run.

Brown is fine but this particular instance is an example of a bigger problem.

[IndianaGreen]

42. And Brown is not responsible for what Schumer and Reid did

but he certainly will be the one hurt the most.

[femrap]

68. Thank you LynneSin for your voice of reason....

I'm a resident of Ohio and have admired Sherrod Brown for a long time. He isn't a grandstander....just a hard-working Progressive who would be such a stand-out in the US Senate.

I hope the people in Ohio who supported Hackett will take a breathe....and realize how lucky we are to have Sherrod Brown.

Some of the Ohio blogs are already demanding Hackett run as an Independent....if he does that, he truly is a 'pug plant.'

Again...thx for the sanity....and you're right...the Chinese woman skater was a true picture of courage.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

27. But I think this was a misstep by the Democratic leadership

If Hackett was, indeed, so far down in the polls, wouldn't he lose the primary? Why not let the voters of Ohio make the decision to retire Hackett instead of outsiders like Reid and Schumer do it? Frankly, it makes the Democratic party look bad-like the whole party is controlled by a few powerful people who can dictate who runs and who doesn't. I don't like my Dem Senator Mark Pryor all that much, but if Reid and Schumer insisted that a more progressive candidate run and pushed him on the people of Arkansas, I'd be resistant.

[WildEyedLiberal]

46. I think the point was that they DID notice that Hackett had potential

But since he was obviously going to lose the primary, they wanted him to run for the House instead. Unfortunately, Hackett only wanted to play if he could get everything his way, and now he's picked up his marbles and gone home and cried foul - which I think is completely juvenile and makes me respect him a lot less. It seems to me he doesn't have what it takes to survive in politics.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

52. I respectfully disagree

From what his announcement said, he had been approached by Democrats in the 2nd CD who wanted to know if he would be running for Congress, the point being that they would if he said no, he was going for the Senate. He won't go back on his word to those people and suddenly decide to run.

[femrap]

69. Just maybe this was all worked out in the back room....

giving Hackett a way out so to save face....? If Hackett were a 'real' Democrat, he would have wished Sherrod Brown the best and put his support behind against DeWine....and he didn't.

What does that say? I just wonder how democratic Hackett is....?

[MrBenchley]

28. Evidently some people want the Democratic equivalent of Alan Simpson

A mindless goof who blurts out whatever gibberish is running through his head.....

[Javaman]

63. Exactly, in my eye's Hackett was a DINO...

I never thought Hackett was senate material. He should run against mean jean and get elected.

[WildEyedLiberal]

18. But apparently it's okay to appeal to racism and xenophobia,

as long as you call Bush a son of a bitch. :sarcasm:

[MrBenchley]

22. Exactly so...

Because we're all so "progressive".....(snicker)

[IndianaGreen]

25. and it was okay for Clinton to appeal to homophobia

which is what he did when he signed DOMA.

[ChiciB1]

32. I've Felt Hackett Should Have Set His Sites A Little Lower, However

I AM distressed that Democrats stepped in with such force to negate his candidacy. It's the same kind of thing they did to Howard Dean. Granted Dean does have a brash way of stepping over himself at times, but he most assuredly IS a Democrat fighting for Democrats. Harry Reid himself has been almost a controversial of late!

When things like this happen, and a person such as Hackett is denounced in such a way as to say that he's done with politics, it just doesn't seem "kosher!" I agree that Hackett has over reacted by saying he's done, but I also DO understand the sentiment!

I just hope he'll reconsider, but it would leave a bad taste in my mouth too. Better that he should have been able to lose fair and square, given the fact that most polls showed him pretty far behind. Why was there a need to be so heavy-handed???

[400Years]

7. Nothing wrong with letting voters decide in the primary

but hey, I'm a Democrat so my opinion doesn't count I guess.

[LynneSin]

9. You're absolutely correct

but this guy doesn't want to bother.

You know they're trying to do the same thing in Pennsylvania but that doesn't keep the other senate candidates like Chuck Pennachio from dropping out.

[400Years]

12. yeah, go ahead and kick Hackett in the guts

[LynneSin]

13. Why, because he couldn't tell two people to go fuck themselves?

Not my problem. And Sherrod Brown has been one of our best democrats fighting in DC so personally it's a win-win situation!

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

29. this is my entire point

I shouldn't be able to tell the voters of Ohio who should be their Senator-I live in Arkansas. Why should someone from Nevada or New York decide that the Ohio Dems won't be given a choice in their primary.

[WildEyedLiberal]

16. No shit

No one put a gun to Hackett's head. He quit, and I'm tired of people whining about it. If we're supposed to believe he can handle politics, he sure as shit better handle routine primary battle crap like this. Hackett has little to no substance on any issue (other than THE WAR!!!11), while Brown is as liberal as it gets. Gee, any other time a former Republican centrist and a liberal were in a primary together, DU would be screaming and wailing against the DINO. But I guess calling Bush an asshole as Hackett did is far more important than issues, or facts, or anything else. :sarcasm:

[LynneSin]

21. But we need to have a choice so we can choose the 1-issue centrist

:grr:

Have you seen his stance on immigration (scroll up to one of MrBenchley's posts) - he was called "To the Right of Pete Wilson".

I don't want some unknown candidate in the senate that'll be on board with one issue and screw us over on the rest.

We have enough DINOs in DC - let's send the liberals to DC

[WildEyedLiberal]

47. Yeah, his immigration policy definitely appeals to racism

But it's apparently okay to be a centrist, DLC, moderate DINO who supports barbaric immigration policy and God knows what other shit as long as you call Bush names. That's really all it truly ever was for DU. The most popular sacred cows on DU are such because at one point or another they called Bush a "liar" or an "SOB" or whatever - it's rhetoric over substance and it's pathetic.

[Old and In the Way]

85. Disagree

It's a character flaw not to call Bush a liar. Other than that, a 100% agree with your points. :-)

Really, we hate the freepi for their "cult of personality" tendencies with regards to Bush....I see the same thing going on here with Hackett. I liked Hackett and I think it's a shame he didn'y rerun against Schmidt. I think he'd have won going away. But no one put a gun to his head to drop out. And why is it we reserve to ourselves the right to play favorites in these races, but when elected Democrats do it, they become DLC-ers? Only when they support the other guy, of course.

[Telly Savalas]

87. It's pretty disturbing that the immigration policy is so easily forgiven

by so many DUers.

If he takes such a right-wing approach to immigration, then what's the rest of the guy's agenda look like?

I'm happy when anybody anywhere on the political spectrum takes a stand against the war, but stacking the deck with more conservatives is a really bad idea. The Democratic Party will never make any permanent gains until it does a better job of challenging many of the right-wing assumptions that shape America's political climate. This is a much broader goal than just opposing the war.

[femrap]

72. No shit...look at all of the DINOs in the Senate already....

Salazar (what a disappointment he turned out to be), the Nelson twins, Johnson, Conrad, Pryor, Lincoln, Baucus, Kohl,....just look at the list of those who voted for cloture regarding Alito...

Yeah Salazar and Hackett would have been great buddies.

[Aaaargh]

24. Then you should be unhappy to see him undermined this way.

Sherrod Brown's record is just fine. So was Tim Hagen's, and Eric Fingerhut's, and Lee Fisher's -- all those OH Dems who've gone down to defeat in statewide races in recent years. Brown's candidacy looks to fit the same pattern.

Meanwhile, Paul Hackett had strong grassroots support, and likely would have garnered media attention which Brown's is unlikely to.

Now, thanks to the corrupt maneuverings of Emanuel, Reid and Schumer, Brown has the additional disadvantage of being the fair-haired boy of arrogant insider Dems who won't let the voters make their own choice. The fallout from this scandal, and it IS a scandal, will make it difficult or impossible for Brown to win in November. How stupid is it to tell voters they don't get to choose when there's a popular grassroots candidate running?

The big lie being told here is that Hackett was "encouraged" to drop out because he was weak. If that had been the case, they wouldn't have bothered, and would have let Brown brush him aside in the primary.

Of course, now on DU, we have bots posting claims about Hackett being 20% behind in the polls. Which polls are those? If they don't exist, as I believe they don't, tell me, why are people on your side telling these lies?

No, Brown is not a DLCer. The insider Dems who have picked him as their 'safe' candidate, and have now undermined his candidacy as well as Hackett's, are DLCers and allies of DLCers, and they are indeed the people who are destroying our chances of taking back Congress in November.

[LynneSin]

30. So if a candidate who is democrat in one issue but....

moderate to right on other issues is forced out of your primaries, you'd be here online fighting for the guy right?

Be honest, this is total bullshit. I would love to have Brown as my senator because he votes more like how a democrat should vote than Carper or Biden does. This is going to be an expensive race with a major hurdle called Diebold. Let's focus on the best candidate that appeals to the liberal part of the democratic party.

I just don't get how people jump on board with this so-called 'grass-roots' campaign of a former republican who has already come out as an extremist on at least one issue (immigration). I mean, unless you're all moderates who want to move the party to the middle like the DLC, it just doesn't make any sense!

[MrBenchley]

31. Don't let facts get in your way....

"thanks to the corrupt maneuverings of Emanuel"
That would be Rahm Emanuel, who was trying to recruit Hackett to run for the House....

"Which polls are those? If they don't exist, as I believe they don't, tell me, why are people on your side telling these lies?"
Ahem...."Including those who lean towards a candidate, 51% of Democratic primary voters support Brown, 22% prefer Hackett, and 26% are undecided. Excluding leaning voters, 47% of voters support Brown and 20% prefer Hackett, while one-third (33%) are undecided."

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2005/12/12/brown_leads_hackett_in_senate_primary.html

I expect a retraction and apology.

[John Q. Citizen]

33. A couple of months ago I went and checked out Browns record,

and yep, the guy is extremely liberal.

It's too bad the race got mangled so badly at the ontset. And to be quite clear, it wasn't Hacketts mess up.

I hope he runs for Schimdt's house seat, and I hope the Democratic Party fully funds that effort.

[IndianaGreen]

34. Hackett is not running for Schmidt's seat

He says so here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2458754

Brown will lose to DeWine because he can't carry Southern Ohio, and the Nazi bitch will get another term in the House because Hackett was the only one who could beat her.

FUBAR courtesy of the Beltway Dems!

[LynneSin]

35. Brown will lose because of Diebold

seriously, Blackwell has the general election results already fixed.

[IndianaGreen]

36. Perhaps the Beltway Democrats should worry more about Diebold

than about Hackett running for Senate, unless they don't want any challenges to the status quo, which is why they don't make an issue out of Diebold, or Iraq, or NSA spying, or Bush breaking FISA, etc.

[LynneSin]

37. You're starting to be a 1-issue person

Maybe you'd rather have candidates like your own Evan Bayh because personally I have a feeling that Hackett isn't much better.

I'd kill to have someone like Sherrod Brown represent me. His liberal track record is something that everyone here at DU posts about how we wish our candidates would vote and act. But god forbid the democrats puts pressure on the 1-issue candidate with some pretty extreme repuke values and we all have a hissy fit.

It makes no sense and personally I expected better of you. If there was never a Paul Hackett you'd be a Sherrod Brown supporter from the git go. Too bad we don't have more candidates like him out there.

[IndianaGreen]

43. My views about Evan Bayh are well known to all Hoosier DUers

As to being a 1-issue person, I plead guilty to being against the war in Iraq.

[LynneSin]

44. I'm against the war too but I have to keep that in perspective

because there are so many other issues that need tended too.

What upsets me is this guy could beat Schmidt this time around and get us one of those 15 house seats. Personally I don't think we can win back the USSenate. It's too many seats and not enough races. But I think we can find the 15 seats needed to win back the house and it would be really helpful to have Hackett running that race.

Because a democratic house majority puts some amazing democrats in power like Conyers, Waxman, Murtha and a host of others that might be able to get this war ended.

[John Q. Citizen]

45. People are always putting pressure on people about everything.

Perhaps Hackett can't stand the heat, so is getting out of the kitchen.

I think he got screwed in that he was wooed and then booed.

But in terms of the history of American political treachery, this is nothing.

I always thought from the point that Brown announced, that Brown would win the primary, but might have a harder time in the general than Hackett.

What is interesting about this whole situation, is that generally it is the party hierarchy who are chasing off the more progressive candidate in favor of the perceived centrist. And the base howls about it and rightly so. In this case, the party hierarchy is backing the clearly more lefty candidate, yet still a howl from a portion of the same base.

I wonder where the inter-party partisans on this fight are on the Cegelis race?

[LynneSin]

49. Slap a 'grassroots' label on the campaign and we automatically assume

the candidate is running from the left.

I don't mean to disregard the whole concept of 'grassroots' and at one time it actually meaned something to me.

But during the 2004 presidental election even George Bush had the 'grassroots' label on his website asking for donations and grassroot support for his campaign.

So maybe for me the whole distrust is that word 'grassroots' because it's used and abused like a $5 whore.

[WildEyedLiberal]

51. ...

:rofl:

So true, so true. And - this could just be me - but grassroots carries the connotation of "politically naive." "Grassroots," to some people, means "willing to talk trash - substance not required." I think we have enough flashy dog-and-pony show candidates on the Repuke side of the aisle (George Bush, George Allen, John McCain) that we don't need our own version of a "straight talker" substance-free hellraiser to run for office.

[John Q. Citizen]

56. I disagree at least a little bit because I like Hackett.

I just don't buy into the blame "them" because Hackett made the decision he did.

As I'm sure you are aware, people internalize their candidates just like they do there favorite musician.
And it's personally hard on people when things don't go the way they want with their candidate.

Hackett ran a true "grassroots" campaign in HD02, and most people like a straight talker. Nothing wrong with that.

Educating the grassroots about the nature of politics is a lot more important than bashing someone's candidate, IMHO. Especially when your side wins.

[WildEyedLiberal]

57. I just don't like the reason people are so up in arms about this

I've been critical of Hackett, but honestly, I think the problem is not Hackett himself so much as the reason WHY DU is on Hackett's bandwagon - frankly, because he called Bush an SOB. It's just highly distasteful to me that someone can achieve cult status that quickly for NOTHING more substantial than calling Bush a name. This preference for style over substance is a serious flaw in the character of the blogosphere and it troubles me, especially because I do believe the internet can be an extremely important tool.

Hackett could have been promising, but he wanted too much too soon and behaved badly when things didn't go his way, and I think my disdain for his poor reaction to all of this colors my posts. I don't think Hackett is a bad guy or that he couldn't be an asset to this party, but his public pouting over this has kind of soured me on him at this point. Politics is very rough, and he had to have known that. You take the blows and keep on going - it's a blood sport.

[John Q. Citizen]

58. I agree with your post, almost in it's entirety.

The only thing I would point out is that Hackett's near win in HD02 was something, and it was something big.

This helped Hackett's cult status. Also the fact he came out of no where and with the backing of the cyber community almost won HD02 empowered the on-line community.

I think if Paul stayed in the race it would have made sense for him to play the "outsider" card. Playing it and leaving was a mistake that not only hurts him, but others too.

[400Years]

40. the whole episode just shows how fundamentally undemocratic

people are.

[mzmolly]

54. Marvelous, reasoned, well researched post. Thanks LS

Bookmarked/recommended.


Paul Hackett, while a great guy, was also a registered republican for the longest time. Outside of his anger about the war and how it turned out do we know what this guy would have done in all those OTHER important issues? A poster in the Hackett thread on DU homepage even mentioned that Paul Hackett's stance on immigration was in line with many of the extremist republicans!!

:toast: to you!

[bvar22]

55. "All Politics is LOCAL".....

well, not anymore...
All politics is run by the entrenched incumbent "status quo"machine in DC!

[we can do it]

59. I Fully Agree - Brown Is My Rep & A Lot More Liberal Than Hackett

I get timely replies when i write to Brown, he's done a great job for us here. Hackett is fairly conservative and is closer to DLC than you may know. Give Sherrod a chance - he's a good guy.

[goodhue]

60. Indeed.

He will be a great US Senator.

[Mass]

61. Two issues here : Brown and the Senate leadership

Brown is great - He was by far the one I favored in this race and those here called him DLCer, centrists, pro-war, ... are just plain stupid. They show how little they care about issues and how much they care about show business.

The Senate Leadership should have let the primary happen. Somebody would have run. This is another of these poor leadership skills that Reid and Schumer have shown throughout 2005. The problem is that the same folks who are yelling right now because Hackett dropped from the race are the same who find Reid wonderful because he talks tough once in a while and are ready to forget as soon as he calls Bush on something (even if he calls him a good man the next day). This story is not different from staffers leaking that Reid and Schumer were not supporting the filibuster, not different from Reid closing the Senate for the Phase 2 report and then not following up. Poor leadership, that is all.

[LynneSin]

67. Senate Leadership made pressures but did NOT stop the primaries

I think Eleanor Roosevelt once said "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

Well, no one can stop a primary without your consent either.

Senate Leadership knows that Ohio is a tough win and decided to support the man in the lead in order to be money well spent and that is something that many people here are angry about.

But they cannot stop the primaries. Primaries can be stopped only if enough candidates drop out that only one opponent is left.

In a nutshell Hackett allowed the Senate Leaders to make him feel inferior.

[bvar22]

70. That is naive.

When the Washington BIG BOYS come to town and start spreading their BIG BUCKS around and calling in favors, they can pretty much have their way with a Primary.

I like Brown. He is a LIBERAL!

BUT, I am DEADLY OPPOSED to DC Party Insiders interfering in local primaries! PERIOD!

[LynneSin]

73. Oh so you're saying that Hackett was bought off them

:eyes:

Seriously, I'm glad this guy is retiring from politics. I know I wouldn't want him representing me and it's money saved in election costs.

If the guy was so 'grassroots' as everyone says about him then what the DC Dems are saying is a moot point and so is their money!

[bvar22]

74. No, that NOT what I'm saying.

Re read my post. THAT is what I am saying.

Note for your future reference: Almost ALL Strawman Logical Fallicies are preceeded by the statement, "So what you are saying is..."

[The Magistrate]

90. What Is A "DC Party Insider", Sir?

Is it someone who has won election to national office in the government, or reached the highest rungs of national leadership in the Party? What is your objection to people who have achieved these things exertinh influence in an election for national office? Do you imagine government and politics a business for amateurs?

[Roland99]

64. "Holding out for a hero" mentality has struck us all

We're looking for that "savior" figure.


That "savior" is us. Our voices. Our votes.

[Justitia]

71. This is not about Brown (although he screwed up), it's about the

OHIO DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY VOTERS

getting to pick their own fucking candidate.

Very, very undemocratic what those assholes did.

[LynneSin]

75. Don't yell at me!! Yell at Hackett

he's the one who sold out and quit!

[Justitia]

76. You're the one trashing him. And I hardly call what happened "sold out &

quit".

He was knee-capped by his own party in the very same governing body he is trying to join.

Brown fucked up, but Reid and Schumer's actions were the coup de grace.

They said "Fuck you" to the GOOD DEMS OF OHIO, and that is what is WRONG, WRONG, WRONG.

We're both in a red state (Texas) and my sympathies lie with my Democratic red state brethren, not the party poobahs sitting on their asses in Washington.

[LynneSin]

79. It's such a shame that Ohio could be stuck with such a DINO

I wish we all could have a senator who is pro-choice, pro-environment, anti-war, anti-patriot act and led the fight to try and defeat CAFTA.

Paul was not knee-capped. The DSCC and the rest of the world found time and time again in the polls that Brown was doing much better than Hackett, last time was a 20-pt lead. Maybe we should all stop listening to the noise on-line and get with the real-world because it seems that in the real-world Ohio prefers Brown.

Hackett quit. Not seeing Chuck Pennacchio quitting in PA even though it's clear that Casey is the favorite for the dem party.

[Justitia]

81. Excuse me???? I have NEVER called Brown a "DINO"! I like him, & I don't

appreciate you putting words in my mouth! Or trying to twist your own argument into something else entirely!

That is really shitty.

I have a strong, disgusted objection to Reid & Schumer hijacking the OHIO PRIMARY, interfering where they don't belong and calling a Democratic candidate's contributors in an attempt to dry up his funding!!!!!

How on earth can you not see that was WRONG???

Don't you dare say that I said a single thing negative about Brown as a representative, because I have NEVER done that.

Now, go back to trashing Paul Hackett like you have all over DU today. Christ almighty!

[eridani]

93. And Christine Cegelis is not quitting in Illinois

Even though the same people backing her primary opponent Tammy Duckworth (not from the district, a disabled veteran, basically a good person who is clueless on most issues) are backing Brown.

All kinds of candidates not supported by party old-timers continue to run, and some of them have won in the past and could win now. Hackett had the choice and decided not to.

[Totally Committed]

77. Brown's "record" is not the issue here, as I see it...

It is this Party's inability to go outside the box for answers to questions that needs answering... to embrace someone who could win a f*cking election for them... to not shy away from a boat-rocking truth-teller. The Democrats who forced him out were hypocrites and NOT looking out for our good or the good of the Party. No way.

TC

[radio4progressives]

78. LynnSin - you just don't get it do ya? This isn't about Brown's Record

This is about the principles of democracy, and the democratic PROCESS - allowing the PEOPLE to decide who best represents their views.

I'm a hard core progressive, i don't agree with Paul Hackett's views 100% percent but none of that isn't even the issue.


:thumbsdown:

[LynneSin]

80. You don't get it either - this is about Paul QUITTING

He did it to himself.

He claims this is about a 'grassroots' movement so what the hell was Paul doing taking advice from the insiders?

As I've said many many times - Ohio is not the only state that have several candidates vying for the democratic nomination. I guess Paul is the only one that doesn't have the balls to fight back!

[Old and In the Way]

86. Why aren't all the pro-Hackett posters pissed at him for quitting?

Blaming other Democrats for a decision he made seems quite odd to me. Mr. Benchly produced the poll numbers and you've provided some good voting stats on Brown. IIRC, Sherrod entered the race first, so I have to assume he had commitments from the Party.

Fact is, I've never seen a pic of Brown, but Hackett's gotten a lot of recognition for his race last year. For non-Ohioians, I guess that makes us generally biased in favor of Hackett.

I have no dog in this race and Hackett is quite welcome to move to Maine and run against either of my 2 Republican Senators, but I'm amused at how people will blame the Democratic leadership for being...political. Maybe it's better that the DNC take no position on primary candidates. They are guaranteed to piss off 1/2 the Democrats, regardless of who they support.

[The Magistrate]

91. That Is Not What It Is About, Ma'am

It is about depriving the Republicans of their majority in the Senate and the House. Hard-fought primaries, particularly ones involving a man with a loose mouth, contribute nothing to this. They aid the enemy in the general election and consume funds better spent in the general election. The point you are urging is a mere frippery amid the serious business at hand.

[RazzleDazzle]

82. Who cares? That's NOT what this is about

It's about WHO GETS TO CHOOSE who the candidate is? The people, or certain people in the Party?

In a democratic republic, you'd not be called crazy to expect that the people would get to choose since there are processes set up for that. They're called primaries. Remember?

[The Magistrate]

92. That Is Not What It Is About, Sir

It is about depriving the Republicans of their majorities in the Senate and the House. In the current situation, nothing else matters.

[thatsrightimirish]

84. Should schumer have called the donors?

No. People should have the right to donate to whoever they want to. We don't need Reid or Schumer to decide that for us. I do agree that Brown's record should be praised and he is an excellent progressive candidate. So please don't call him a DLC er because HAckett was the more conservative candidate. although not by much

[guruoo]

88. Nothing personal, against you or Brown, but I really couldn't care less

how Brown voted now. :banghead:

[Douglas Carpenter]

89. more of Sherrod Brown's record

Brown Tops DeWine in New Poll
An Opinion Consultants poll finds Ohio voters favor Rep. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) for the U.S. Senate over incumbent Sen. Mike DeWine (R-OH), 43% to 38%

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2006/01/26/brown_tops_dewine_in_new_poll.html

Sherrod Brown is endorsed by PDA (Progressive Democrats of America) and is an outspoken member of the Progressive Caucus.

Representative Brown is at least as liberal as Sen. Kennedy or Sen. Feingold

courtesy of vote smart - link:

http://www.vote-smart.org/issue_rating_category.php?can_id=H3141103&type=category&category=Foreign%2BAid%2Band%2BPolicy%2BIssues&go.x=12&go.y=8


2006 In 2006 Citizens for Global Solutions gave Representative Brown a rating of A.

2005 In 2005 Citizens for Global Solutions gave Representative Brown a rating of A.

2005 Representative Brown supported the interests of the Council on American-Islamic Relations 100 percent in 2005.

2004 Representative Brown supported the interests of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation 100 percent in 2004.

2004 Representative Brown supported the interests of the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs (WRMEA) 100 percent in 2004.

2004 Representative Brown supported the interests of the Peace Action 100 percent in 2004.

2003-2004 Representative Brown supported the interests of the American Civil Liberties Union 84 percent in 2003-2004.

2005 Representative Brown supported the interests of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People 96 percent in 2005.

2004 Representative Brown supported the interests of the Arab American Institute 50 percent in 2004.

2004 Representative Brown supported the interests of the National Council of La Raza 100 percent in 2004.

2003-2004 Representative Brown supported the interests of the Human Rights Campaign 77 percent in 2003-2004.

2003-2004 Representative Brown supported the interests of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People 90 percent in 2003-2004.

2003-2004 Representative Brown supported the interests of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights 100 percent in 2003-2004.

2003-2004 Representative Brown supported the interests of the National Education Association 89 percent in 2003-2004.

2005 Representative Brown supported the interests of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers 100 percent in 2005.

2005 Representative Brown supported the interests of the Service Employees International Union 100 percent in 2005.

2005 Representative Brown supported the interests of the United Auto Workers 93 percent in 2005.

2004 Representative Brown supported the interests of the American Postal Workers Union 100 percent in 2004.

2004 Representative Brown supported the interests of the AFL-CIO 100 percent in 2004.

2004 Representative Brown supported the interests of the United Auto Workers 93 percent in 2004.

2004 On the votes that the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers considered to be the most important in 2004, Representative Brown voted their preferred position 88 percent of the time.

2004 On the votes that the Service Employees International Union considered to be the most important in 2004, Representative Brown voted their preferred position 100 percent of the time.

2004 Representative Brown supported the interests of the Communications Workers of America 100 percent in 2004.

2004 Representative Brown supported the interests of the United Electrical Radio and Machine Workers 100 percent in 2004.

2003-2004 Representative Brown supported the interests of the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees 100 percent in 2003-2004.

2003-2004 On the votes that the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers considered to be the most important in 2003-2004, Representative Brown voted their preferred position 100 percent of the time.

2004 Representative Brown supported the interests of the Americans for Democratic Action 95 percent in 2004.

2005 Representative Brown supported the interests of the American Wilderness Coalition 100 percent in 2005.

2005 Representative Brown supported the interests of the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund 100 percent in 2005.

2004 Representative Brown supported the interests of the American Wilderness Coalition 100 percent in 2004.

2004 On the votes that the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance considered to be the most important in 2004, Representative Brown voted their preferred position 100 percent of the time.

2004 Representative Brown supported the interests of the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund 100 percent in 2004.

2003-2004 Representative Brown supported the interests of the League of Conservation Voters 94 percent in 2003-2004.

2004 In 2004 National Organization for Women endorsed Representative Brown.

2005 Representative Brown supported the interests of the NARAL Pro-Choice America 100 percent in 2005.

[LittleWoman]

94. I can see a lot of people are upset about Hackett

But there is more going on in Ohio than this. During the last week Eric Fingerhut withdrew from the governor's race as did one other lesser known Democrats. Now there is only one Democrat, Strickland, running for governor. I think the effort to persuade Hackett to drop out of the Senate race is part of an effort by the Ohio Democratic party to avoid any hotly contested primary races. My husband and I have heard Hackett speak and we both were impressed by him and we contributed to him in August and again in December. One problem with Hackett which came up recently is that he made some very personal and nasty remarks about Brown at a recent Democratic candidate forum in Columbus. I am afraid that in a state wide primary more of that sort of remark would have been made which just gives the ugly Republicans some ammo they might not otherwise have. I think those who wanted Hackett to run for Congress again were giving him a way to serve without appearing to quit. This was handled badly, but Hackett threw gasoline on the fire with his comments and he may later regret what he said.

With regard to that Congressional race, I think there is at least one Republican challenger to Schmidt in the primary and to my mind it is quite likely that she will be less than a one term wonder. Even some of the Cincinnatti Republicans think she is over the top.

In the bigger picture, the Republicans are going to have a very contentious primary between Blackwell and Petro over the governor's race. Neither of them will drop out so it will play out to the bitter end. I got an anti-Petro push-pull poll phone call last night and I think this is just the beginning. Our daughter registered as an independent so we get all these calls from the Republicans. With this sort of primary I sincerely doubt that there would be many Republican crossover votes in a Democratic primary. In fact, if the Democratic primary is pretty much uncontested there is plenty of opportunity for the Democrats to cross over and vote in the Republican primary.