Paul Hackett has a post up at DFA.

[madfloridian]

http://www.blogforamerica.com/archives/007500.html

[mzmolly]

1. I am highly disappointed.

this statement confuses me: "behind the scenes machinations, that were intended to hurt my campaign." :wtf:

[IndianaGreen]

4. Schumer, Reid, et al, were calling Hackett's contributors

cajoling and threatening them if they did not stop the flow of money into Hackett's campaign.

[John Q. Citizen]

13. If you were close to a political contributor and they were giving to

an opponent, wouldn't you try to dry up your opponents funding?

I would.

If you hold this against me, that's ok.

I concede that Hackett might well do as well or better than Brown in the general. But I also think Brown was more likely to win the primary. And in the end, the decision to stay in the race or drop out was Hackett's exclusively. I believe Hackett's decision to drop out was based on a lot of factors.

Hackett got screwed, to some degree, since he was asked to run and then asked not to. But I don't believe anyone set out to screw him. Unless you believe attempting to dry up your opponents funding is screwing. It sounds like normal politics to me. Hackett's funders could have sided with him or not. This is standard stuff.

And believe it or not, it's "not what's wrong with politics." Unless you believe boycotts or strikes are morally wrong. i don't.

I like Hackett. I was glad to hear he was running and I was sad to see the situation devolve into inter-party sniping. I hope he stays involved and works to elect Dems in Ohio and beyond.

[mzmolly]

15. Very thoughtful post.

Thanks JQC.

[mdmc]

26. strong arm tactics

good if we win both seats. bad if we don't. very negative for the progressive vs. triangulate rift within the party.

http://www.acme.com/heartmaker/heartmaker.cgi?text1=DU.&text2=com&color=Yellow&r=625952059

[John Q. Citizen]

31. Yeah, except in this one case we see the progressives strong-arming

the triangulators.

I guess it was bound to happen someday.

[mdmc]

32. sounds like shitty politics, imho

Sounds like neo-cons + gop vs. dems (+/-) progressives. pretty shitty...

[John Q. Citizen]

33. Do you disagree with Paul's decision to withdraw from the primary

race?

I would consel that you be compassionate toward him. He might know something that we don't that affected that decision.

Do you believe that if Paul had thought he could win the Primary that he would have withdrawn?

If he withdrew only because the party elders told him to, then we are far better off without him, aren't we?

See, as much as both sides of this debate want someone to blame, I don't buy it.

When was the last example of shiney clean "nice" politics you can point out to me?

[mdmc]

38. Thanks for your post... allow me to retort

I support his withdrawal from the race - ending a campaign is a candidate's prerogative.

I think that he got a shitty deal. I feel for him.

You need the party to win a primary - if he thought the party was with him - he might have stayed.

This is a disaster only in political capital. Agree with me that Brown running for Senate and Paul running for house (both happy and supported by the DNC) would be a much better situation for the DNC (obviously, right?). This is why I use the term "shitty politics"; we could have handled this far better.

Shiny, clean, "nice" politics - The DNC supports VT (I) Bernie Saunders instead of running some loser against him. Bernie, in turn, tries to stop a progressive from running in the house race against a liberal Dem.

[John Q. Citizen]

40. I agree with you as to the process. It's been botched.

Right now on Ed Schultz, Ed is saying that some Dems were swiftboating Hackett, which if true, takes this whole thing to another level (He says someone was running a whisper campaign that Hackett is tied to war crimes)

Ah, shiney clean as in smart! And shity as in stupid.

Ok, now I understand.

[mdmc]

41. peace and low stress jqc

peace...God!

[sendero]

34. Oh, so Hackett..

... was a "triangulator"? Is that what you are implying? That's ludicrous.

[bucklebone]

16. People use dontations to get their voices heard.

This is just another suppression of FREE SPEECH through the use of intimidation. This disgusts me.

Maybe Hackett will push to be a write-in candidate or take another road via Green, Libertarian or Independent parties.

[mzmolly]

19. I didn't get a call?

;)

[MrBenchley]

23. Really? They were calling the grass roots?

I'm sure you can back that up.....

[IndianaGreen]

43. According to Hackett in NY Times, they were calling his contributors

He said he was outraged to learn that party leaders were calling his donors and asking them to stop giving and said he would not enter the Second District Congressional race.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/14/politics/14ohio.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

[sasha031]

2. `this is a great loss to America

I don't understand why the party has not backed him...x(

[cali]

5. Because they choose to back

an experienced liberal fighter- Sherrod Brown.

[IndianaGreen]

6. Because they chose to prevent the Ohio Democrats from voting

and expressing their choice in the primary.

[cali]

9. So Bernie Sanders

should shut up and not try and keep Progressive VT House member, Dave Zuckerman from running for Congress? Sorry, it's not the way politics works.

[IndianaGreen]

11. They are doing the same thing to save Lieberman in Connecticut

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2458941#2459069

[mzmolly]

18. Hackett had the ultimate choice, but he didn't have the money.

:(

[ChiciB1]

8. I Posted On An Earlier Thread That They Should

have let him lose fair & square. By doing so it would have made EVERYONE look so much better! I don't agree with the high handed tactics here. Yes, Brown may be an excellent candidate, but he probably would have won anyway. What was the big deal??

Isn't this how they treated Howard Dean?? Kind of like a pariah of sorts? For crying out loud, we need all the help we can get and Reid & Schumer makes it look like Democrats AREN'T the Party Of The Big Tent!!

[madfloridian]

10. Yes, it is.

It is hard for a lot of us because the former president was calling Dean's backers behind the scenes.

The same thing has been happening all over Florida, and it happened to Cegelis in IL.

I don't have a horse in the race there in Ohio, but the memories are haunting.

[mdmc]

29. outsiders

:kick:

[mdmc]

28. kick

for your take on this

http://www.acme.com/heartmaker/heartmaker.cgi?text1=DU.&text2=com&color=Yellow&r=625952059

[phantom power]

3. What a fucking travesty.

He should have been their role model, and instead they shat on him.

[John Q. Citizen]

7. That's a great political farewell piece. I hope he works for the

Democrat in HD02 as well as for Brown.

[Totally Committed]

12. This is a sad f*cking day for this Party.

He was driven out when we needed him by a Party that should be on their knees thanking God for the likes of him. I am so angry at this moment, I can barely type.

TC

[John Q. Citizen]

14. No one can drive someone out of a primary if

they really don't want to leave. He was on the ballot.

Sure, some people could make it tougher on him, and some people did.

But in the final analysis, it was his decision alone to make.

[Totally Committed]

17. I heard averse polling had been done.

Please don't blame this guy. He was trying to help revolutionize this Party, and they couldn't let him do it.

I have been around politics for decades, and increasingly over the years, this is the sort of "hardball tactic" used to strongarm candidates whose candidacies are problematic or unstrategic. Do not assume he just left for no reason. Why run if others are out to stop you any way they can? Kos says polling was done by Brown that could have had something to do with this departure. If that is so, then we are the poorer for it.

TC

[mzmolly]

21. By Republicans trying to take him out early perhaps?

I don't belive for a second that Dems would engage in adverse polling.

Ultimately, as I've said, Hackett made the decision to leave. That is sad, however.

[John Q. Citizen]

25. I don't blame Hackett.

I just don't buy into blaming other Democrats either.

Who knows what the deal on the polling is? Maybe it shows Hackett would have an all but impossible job of winning the nomination.

That might dry up funding.

Maybe Hackett has some of his own polling showing the same thing. Maybe not.

I don't have an inamate enough personal knowledge of why Hackett made the decision he did to be able to blame "them" for anything.

[OzarkDem]

36. Let him do it how?

By losing the race?

Hackett was and is an unknown in Ohio. He's popular in the online community, but no one else knows who he is. Its not enough to have a cult following here, you have to win the race in the real world, too.

[bucklebone]

20. That's what primaries are for...

to pick the stronger candidate for the general election. Now we are not even given the chance to pick the strongest candidate to go against DeWine. Some yahoo in Washington or Columbus gets to do that for us.

Only in America

[John Q. Citizen]

27. Hackett made the decision he did for some reason. You suggest

some "yahoo" in DC or Columbus is to blame for Hackett's decision.

What's up with that?

[mdmc]

30. welcome to DU, bucklebone

peace and low stress!

[OzarkDem]

37. Hackett made his own choice

no one forced him to leave the race. If he wanted to stay in he would have.

[Jacobin]

42. Why work for a party that's going to stab you in the back?

They gave him their blessings early on and then reneged.

I wouldn't want to be in a political battle with 'friends' like that

[WildEyedLiberal]

22. I'm not going to cry for Hackett's center-right candidacy down the tubes

But then again, it's far more important to be on record calling Bush an SOB than it is to actually support liberal issues. No one knows anything about Hackett other than he a) objects to the way the war is being run, b) used to be a registered Republican, and c) has neanderthal views of immigration.

Hackett is just another candidate who is all about rhetoric and bullshit "tough talk" over real substance, and I can't say I'm sorry to see this happen.

[sendero]

35. Yeah sure..

.... let's run another classic liberal and lose again. There's a really untested strategy.

[Douglas Carpenter]

48. 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%

link:

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

[mdmc]

24. thanks for the link

r+:kick:

[bvar22]

39. *

"I said it. I meant it. I stand by it. At the end of the day, my word is my bond and I will take it to my grave." ---Paul Hackett

Clearly not Senate material.
The Democratic party Leadership prefers someone that can flip flop at the drop of a dollar....
like the candidate THEY support.....remember....the guy that at first was NOT going to run....and NOW IS going to run.
Deja Vu?

All Politics is Local????
Not anymore!

[Douglas Carpenter]

44. yes, Mr. Hackett got treated very badly. but Sherrod Brown is a strong

progressive with an overall VERY strong progressive voting record all around.

He is supported by PDA (Progressive Democrats of America) and is a strong 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.

[madfloridian]

45. One can appreciate Brown very much, and still be irate at this.

This is going on so much in our party, that the people have no way of getting their voice heard at all.

Neither Howard nor Jim Dean criticized Sherrod Brown in ANY way at all. They never would.

But we have to demand a voice in choosing candidates.

[Douglas Carpenter]

46. I honestly do see your point

And I know you never accused Mr. Brown of being DLC, DINO or whatever. But when I do see those sentiments going around from some others, I wonder where on earth they go that idea.

Before any of this happened I had already made a contribution to Sherrod Brown's race simply because he is the most progressive.

[PassingFair]

47. Sherrod Brown could be mother*ucking Mother Teresa and it STILL

would not excuse this level of meddling in party politics.

The people have no real voice in this party.

A horde of Hobson's choices.

:puke:

[pat_k]

49. Draft him BACK into the race. . .

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2460839&mesg_id=2460839