Jim Dean, DFA, has a few words to say to party leaders about Hackett..

[madfloridian]

This is a very good post by Jim. Thank you, Jim. That was nice to see today.

http://www.blogforamerica.com/archives/007501.html

Our Thanks to Paul
Jim Dean is the Chair of Democracy for America.

As they say in life: "You gotta take the good with the bad." Yesterday, we had a blast rolling out our Vermont endorsements of Peter Welch for Congress and Bernie Sanders for Senate—two fabulous candidates who understand that the highest political office in our great country is that of the citizen; and who can bring independence and integrity back to Washington.

Today we are deeply saddened by the announcement that Paul Hackett is withdrawing from the race for U.S. Senate in Ohio.

We and many of you supported Paul in the Ohio-2 special congressional election last year. While we had not taken a position in his senate race (in deference to DFA members in Ohio who support Sherrod Brown), we nonetheless were thrilled that Paul had stepped up to run for higher office. The integrity and activism that his campaign embodied were—and remain—critical to a Democratic victory over the Republican incumbent.

Paul has been, and always will be a man of integrity, guts, authenticity, and courage—characteristics that too often don't seem to matter to our Party's congressional leaders in Washington. Whether you agree with Paul's positions or not, his campaign has represented the resurgence of the authentic candidate. One who speaks honestly and openly about his or her values and political positions because it is the right way to communicate with voters, and the ONLY way to gain their respect.

Anyone who has looked at poll results knows that the Democrats have been losing for over 15 years because voters don't trust Democrats on the issues. Paul's campaign gave all of us hope that the Democratic Party can again have candidates who are honest and open about their positions; thereby regaining the interest of the voters.

More importantly, Paul's campaign gave us hope that the Democratic Party has the discipline and drive to innovate by embracing the entrepreneurial competition of ideas and candidates which are so critical to honing our message and preparing candidates to battle the right-wing spin machine.

Our community understands the importance of this, and regrets that we must continue to baby-sit the congressional leadership until they have the maturity, confidence, and discipline to embrace and encourage the kind of innovative campaigns that Paul brought to the Party.

Today that baby-sitting job got a lot tougher.

More at the link.
http://www.blogforamerica.com/archives/007501.html

[Jacobin]

1. What he said

:thumbsup:

[madfloridian]

2. Oh, wow, I missed this statement. Go, Jim.

"Paul, thank you for everything you have done. Take some well-deserved time off, but please, please, come back to the fight as soon as you can. You are the future of our democracy. You are the future of the Democratic Party—or the next Party—depending on whether the Democratic leadership in Congress can ever get beyond its remarkably oversized sense of entitlement.

Today they lost, but you kept your word and didn't compromise your values. We thank you for this, hope to see you soon, and wish you and your great family all the best.

—Jim Dean

[madame defarge]

3. Per Hackett on Ed Schultz show today...

Here's a paraphrase of what he said:

It was the right thing to do to withdraw and that he didn't have the millions necessary for the March primary. In order to do justice to the cause, he just didn't have the money to get it done in the next six weeks and that Brown's war chest would have allowed Brown to shape the battlefield, he says. He is not bitter why is Ed? He's not going to run for Congress b/c he gave his word to the other candidates. He is not bitter why should we or Ed Schultz be.

Let's move on; let's get some good Democrats elected, says Hackett. His goal is as a team player to defeat Mike DeWine for the good of the country.

[mod mom]

7. The sad thing is the Dems just killed their chance to beat Dewine. Brown

is seen as a northern liberal and he won't draw Republican votes but Hackett proved he could in district 02 against Jean Schmidt. It also helped that he was from Cincinnati. The fact that Brown told Hackett he wasn't entering the race, then Hackett does and later Brown goes back on his word IRKS the hell out of me. If he goes back on this what else will he backtrack on?

He lost two votes in my household. I also will NOT work one iota for him.

[madfloridian]

10. He should be angry for a while. It is time to address this issue.

It is going on all over the country, and it is time to let it be known that the party leaders can not just set sums of money to have, then raise the stakes repeatedly.

I have often said I will vote my conscience in the primary, and vote Democratic in the election.

But we must have primaries, that is what our country is about, letting the people pick their candidates.

[mandyky]

4. Jim is beginning to sound like his big brother,

Howard. LOL

I agree whole heartedly!

[madfloridian]

5. Yes, indeed, he is.

He is very outspoken, a very nice man.

[WilliamPitt]

6. "...candidates who are honest and open about their positions..."

Does Jim Dean feel that Sherrod Brown is not honest and open about his positions?

If so, how and why?

[madfloridian]

8. I think he is referring to being outspoken, and being kicked in the gut.

Read the DFA position on Brown and Hackett. I think he is referring to how the party might be so very afraid of outspoken people....like his brother. They are, you know.

He is not critical of Brown. Many DFAers are supporting him, just as they are supporting both Duckworth and Cegelis in IL.

Let's face it. They need to stop being afraid of outspokenness.

[MercutioATC]

9. Maybe because he aided in Hackett's ousting?

Brown is the one who said he wouldn't run and then "changed his mind" three days after Hackett announced. I'm not saying that Brown's not good on issues, but he's playing insider party politics...and I can't respect that.

[madfloridian]

11. When Jim Dean speaks of the feeling of entitlement of the leaders..

the congressional leaders of the party..he apparently refers to the fact that they think it is their right to choose who runs.

I don't think either of them would ever be critical of Brown. It is not about Brown, it is about who gets to run and who doesn't, and how far the party will go to get someone out.

I would like to hear more about the war crimes that the party is rumoring, sounds like the rumors in Iowa that Dean performed abortions, or that he was crazy.

I want to know more about it all. That does not make me anti-Brown at all. I was upset that DFA did not support Cegelis again in IL, but Jim was right about this. They did not support Hackett again either in this race.