Was Hackett Swift-boated?

[ECH1969]

Shortly after Paul Hackett announced the end of his Senate Democratic primary fight against Rep. Sherrod Brown, The Plain Dealer asked the Iraq war veteran if one factor in his decision was a rumor that circulated in Democratic circles during the campaign that photos existed showing he committed war crimes in Iraq.

Hackett acknowledged hearing rumors that he had committed war crimes dating back to the day he first announced his candidacy in October. He called the rumors an "absolute falsehood and lie" and said that in the fall, he had contacted New York Sen. Charles Schumer about them. Schumer, who heads the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, "assured me he would put a stop to it,'' he said.

Hackett said he also got a call from Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid about the rumors, and met with Reid in Washington to put the matter to rest, he said. Hackett said the rumors disgusted him and smacked of a particular brand of "dirty pool" that is "a common method to attack veterans.''

Hackett declined to speculate publicly on the source of the rumors but said he knows the source. "As much as I'd like to grab that son of a bitch and wring his neck, it hurts bad enough I'd just as soon let it go.''

http://www.cleveland.com/weblogs/openers/index.ssf?/mtlogs/cleve_openers/archives/2006_02.html

[alfredo]

1. If the republicans want to ferret out war criminals, they need

to start with their Glorious Leader, and work their way down to the Pentagon.

[insane_cratic_gal]

2. In another article

He says he coundln't raise the money to combat them .. they would no doubt be used during the last two weeks of the final push for the primiaries
<Snip>
In late November, Hackett got a call from Sen. Harry Reid. “I hear there’s a photo of you mistreating bodies in Iraq. Is it true?” demanded the Senate minority leader. “No sir,” replied Hackett. To drive home his point, Hackett traveled to Washington to show Reid’s staff the photo in question. Hackett declined to send me the photo, but he insists that it shows another Marine—not Hackett—unloading a sealed body bag from a truck. “There was nothing disrespectful or unprofessional,” he insists. “That was a photo of a Marine doing his job. If you don’t like what they’re doing, don’t send Marines into war.”

A staffer in Reid’s office confirmed that Hackett had showed them several photos. “The ones I saw were part of a diary he kept while serving in Iraq and were in no way compromising. The one picture in question depicted Marines doing their work on what looked like a scorching day in Iraq,” said the aide.

<snip>

But the whispering continued, and Hackett was troubled. “It creates doubt and suspicion,” Hackett told me, saying his close supporters were asking him privately about the rumors. “It tarnishes my very strength as a candidate, my military service. It’s like you take a handful of seeds, throw them up in the wind, and they blow all around and start growing. It really bothered me.”

With the very real prospect of a smear against him going public late in the campaign—a la the Swift Boating of John Kerry—Hackett knew that dollars would be especially important for him. “If I don’t have the $2 million or $3 million it would take to respond in the final weeks, to influence the battlefield with my message, then I would just be reacting and I’ll get trounced,” said Hackett.


http://www.motherjones.com/news/update/2006/02/hackett_drops_out.html

[mzmolly]

3. You left out the part where he said he felt it was a Republican dirty

trick.

"Who did it? I have no idea. It sounds like a Republican M.O. to me," ~ Paul Hackett


THIS is why Hackett is no longer in the race, the Republican swift boating led Dems to fear another Kerry smear.

[ClintonTyree]

4. Until somebody stands up and fights them..........

they'll continue to get away with it. It's never going to stop if we keep backing down.

[mzmolly]

6. It takes money to fight them, Hackett didn't have that.

And, with the "quesions" about his so called "war crimes" he wasn't going to get it.

We'll have to fight with Brown - a progressive who's been vetted.

[RazzleDazzle]

20. Yeah, Brown's SUCH an impressive figure that Limbaugh

didn't even know anything about him. Thought, in fact, that he must be black.

He's a real powerful figure.

[Algorem]

26. Yeah that makes a lot of sense.Believe Limbaugh.

[mzmolly]

33. Does Limbaugh live in Ohio? Cause that's who gets to vote in this case.

Paul Hackett was so well known that the people of Ohio had to be push polled in order to get him on par with Brown in polls? Doesn't make sense to me.

[insane_cratic_gal]

7. There was speculation it wasn't the RW

but "others" I left that out on purpose to not cause hate and discontent.. In the article in the orginial OP, above he suggests it was someone other then the Republicans stating he was terribly hurt by it.


Hackett backers suspected the smear was being floated by Sherrod Brown’s campaign. A senior Brown staffer angrily dismissed the charge this week as “ridiculous.”

Brown campaign spokesperson Joanna Kuebler declined to respond to the rumors. She offered this prepared statement: “This campaign has never been about Paul Hackett or about Sherrod Brown. This campaign is about the hard working people of Ohio, and what Republican corruption has done to them.”


Honestly I don't know who was about to Swift him, all I know if that's what you have to do to win... accuse a vet of Prisoner Abuse, that's just sick in my opinion. If republicans had been the ones doing it.. it would NOT go over well with their base.

But I dunno how it would of played out on our base? We abhor the things that happened at Abu, given that piece I can only imagine it wouldn't of played well with the Democratic base.

Draw your own conclusions

[mzmolly]

9. What? I did go over well with their base, they did it to KERRY.

I've drawn my conclusions. "Swift boat = Republicans."

[insane_cratic_gal]

14. Except Hackett drew in republican votes

that's why they feared him. (both sides) Our side because we just assumed he wasn't liberal enough if republicans might vote for him. Plus his two cross over issues Guns and Immigration that got him labeled a "moderate loose cannon" here.

They said kerry's record didn't count because he wasn't there earning his purple heart.. bullshit.


Now my own ideas on the subject if the RW were to use that against them.. and SW Ohioans liked him! that included Dems, Liberals. Moderates, Rednecks, republicans. They couldn't use he was involved with Abuse. Do you think RW party cares about Hackett abusing "terrorists" hell no they'd probably eat that shit up. RW couldn't use it.

Dems on the other hand that's ammunition if you want to label your competition as a torture and a barbarian HooRah Marine. It wouldn't work for the republicans.

They did try and use a form of Kerry swiftboating.. stating he only joined in Iraq for political reasons, but it didn't work because Hackett wouldn't allow them to do it. Now dismissing his service records sure does damage him in the eyes of the republicans.

But it just speculation on my part, and of course my worst nigtmare that we'd even do that to one of our own.

[mzmolly]

16. I've seen no proof that he drew in Republican votes at all.

I in no way think we would take out an Iraq war veteran who had any chance of winning an election. It would be IGNORANT.

[insane_cratic_gal]

18. Oh here then..

While the initial head to head in that memo showed Brown with a 46 percent to 24 percent edge over Hackett, Blumenthal wrote that when a paragraph of only positive information about both men was read to voters, Hackett held a 43 percent to 41 percent edge. Among those who identified themselves as Democrats, Brown led 44 percent to 42 percent after voters heard positive information about both candidates. Among those who identified as themselves independent or other (Ohio has an open primary where independents can vote), Hackett held a 50 percent to 31 percent margin.

http://www.mydd.com/story/2006/2/14/193851/113

[mzmolly]

23. "Independents" not "Republicans.

One QUESTIONABLE poll showing a 2% margin overall??

Identifying candidates with a skewed bio is quite "questionable" as noted in the article:

While so-called "informed ballot" ballot tests are of questionable value, Blumenthal concluded that if Hackett could raise the money to simply introduce himself to voters, he would win the primary. Money, however, proved to be Hackett's undoing as he was unable to raise anywhere near the $2.1 million Brown had on hand as of the end of 2005.

That poll is junk. If he had 3 million in the bank, it might have meant something.

[insane_cratic_gal]

42. Did you see his SW Ohio run 2004?

Were he nearly won a section of red strip that hasn't seen a speck of blue since 1951?

he lost by mere 3,500 votes that was with an FULL onslaught of the GOP down there!

So there is some pretty well grounded proof

http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2005/11/paul_hackett.html

Btw the poll isn't skewed it's the same poll that you refereed to with the 20 point lead. They asked question in a favorable manner Hackett only was behind Brown by 2 points not 20.

Also the INDEPENDENTS and "others" who are the others? 50/30 In favor of Hackett. Given his 2004 run I think it's safe to say he'd pull in a few republicans.


So I'm just calling it like I see it. It doesn't matter now anyway it's over. What's done is done, now we wait and see if it was the right move.

I'm not even attacking Brown.. I'm sure he's a great guy! I've read he has a wonderful record! That's fantastic! I'm not anti Brown.. I'm just upset at how things were handled.

[Coastie for Truth]

13. How to Battle Swift Boaters

When John O'Neill's original group began the original "Swift Boating" of Kerry, a Coastal Force ONE veteran (the parent command of the Swift Boats) started checking out the organizers of "Swift Boat Veterans for the Truth"

On August 11, 1966 one of the boats in Coastal Force ONE was attacked by two US Air Force jets, and two American sailors were killed (by the US Air Force). This is what is called "friendly fire" or "fratricide."

The official investigation had the characteristic aroma of a "COVERUP"

It did not take much leg work for an opposition researcher who was involved with Coastal Force One Casualty Affairs to do some digging - and find how "who" had engineered the "COVERUP" and "what" had been "COVERED UP".

The creator of the "COVERUP" was contacted - and while he didn't make a "noisy withdrawal" from the "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth", he did withdraw and make himself available for interviews.

[Adelante]

15. It wouldn't be the first time Dems have smeared Dems in a race

However, until there is actual evidence to the contrary, beyond what anybody suspects of anybody else, I say it's Rovian business as usual.

[RazzleDazzle]

22. You left it out on purpose?

I left that out on purpose to not cause hate and discontent..

You want to protect the evildoers, eh? You want to make sure they go unscathed, unchallenged, and basically free to sin again, do it to others, maybe even better candidates than Hackett?

Sounds like a great plan to me.

:puke:

[insane_cratic_gal]

41. I'm not letting anyone "off the hook"

Have you read any of my posts?


I left it out because I'm tired of trying to convince people (du'ers) their assumptions are skewed.

for instance see Mz's post? accuses me of showing skewed poll information when the fact is.. the numbers she quotes from there in favor of brown are from the exact same poll. But it's called Skewed when I present it in Defense of Hackett.

I've gotten quite a few elbows in my face that last few days.. fought and argued with people I once admired.

Reading all of the attacks on Hackett and DU talking points has left me quite disillusioned and just beside myself.

I have my own opinions, I've expressed them, I've accepted that there are many here who just are not interested in what I have to say or are too busy throwing talking points at me.

What else should I do?

I've chased one person around who's posted over 100 times in the last two days On Hackett threads alone ... yet denies "attacking Hackett." I'm not letting anyone off.. I was merely directing someone to another article, they could read it and decide for themselves.

I'm not your enemy.

[RazzleDazzle]

17. And YOU left out the part of the same article that implicates Brown

or his campign. Notice the non-denial denials:

Hackett backers suspected the smear was being floated by Sherrod Brown’s campaign. A senior Brown staffer angrily dismissed the charge this week as “ridiculous.”

Brown campaign spokesperson Joanna Kuebler declined to respond to the rumors. She offered this prepared statement: “This campaign has never been about Paul Hackett or about Sherrod Brown. This campaign is about the hard working people of Ohio, and what Republican corruption has done to them.”

http://www.motherjones.com/news/update/2006/02/hackett_drops_out.html


Oh yeah, it's Republican M.O. -- Rovian to the core. That's not the same thing as saying Republicans did it, is it? Boy, talk about SPIN.

[mzmolly]

24. Let's read both articles and draw conclusions shall we?

In one article Hackett says he knows who's responsible, in another he asserts it's a Republican dirty trick.

Talk about "spin" is right.

[Leilani]

27. You are distorting what Hackett meant

He meant he got swiftboated by the Dems, & swiftboating is a Reublican tactic.

Please go back & read the ENTIRE Mother Jones article.

Funny, no republicans are mentioned, only Dems.

And what did Howard Dean say? He knew what happened & was pissed off.

[mzmolly]

31. Uhm, I've read his statements. The statements in the Cleveland Dealer

and Mother Jones.

Dean said there was some dirty pool, he never mentioned the "war crimes" fiasco. My take - Hackett was a friend, Dean was pissed off b/c Dems were calling contributors soliciting funds for Brown.

[Leilani]

38. Many at DU scream & yell about "mindless" Repug voters

asking why they put their party above the country? How can they vote for these liars & all this corruption?

Well, the people trashing Hackett are no different. They are putting party above what is right, & the old "ends justify the means."

But in this instance it won't work. You're backing an ultra-liberal who's part of the smelly system, & he'll lose to DeWine because Ohio is not a liberal state.

This entire incident is not only sickening, but in the end, it will be unproductive.

[mzmolly]

40. What party? As far as I know MY party has not done anything wrong?

PH is new to politics, what happened to him is "politics" and nothing more. He even said so when he had time to reflect. He also said it was an "amazing experience."

Now WE should move on as he has. I've never trashed PH, and for the record I dontated to his campaign.

[WilliamPitt]

5. No

[insane_cratic_gal]

8. Come on Will

Not 3 weeks ago you posted an article about Hackett and drew his attention to it. I sent you a link to an older 2004 Mother Jones article.


You have to admit some underhanded tactics were used to remove what "leadership" deemed a split in the party loyalty?

It was Hackett not Brown who was the Grassroots candidate, that seems to be where the division begins(certainly not where it ends). They want polish and spit not new recruits.

[Trevelyan]

11. Where is Band of Brothers? I thought they were going to mobilize Veteran

Support of any Swiftboated Vet?

[Coastie for Truth]

29. See append 13 NT

[WilliamPitt]

19. What of it?

I like Hackett a lot. I like Brown a lot. I posted about him, so that means I then have to buy into all the theories as to why he quit? No.

I don't see the kind of massive, nefarious plot behind this that many have proposed. Hackett was 20 points behind and had 1/10th the money as Brown. He was asked not to run, had a temper tantrum, and quit. Allegations of 'swift-boating' are pretty crass, an over-reach being put forth by people whose allegiance to the Democratic Party is ephemeral at best.

If the party was afraid of Hackett the vet candidate, why are they backing Duckworth the vet candidate in Illinois?

He didn't have the money or the numbers, and was asked to get out so as to avoid a primary fight. I thought the exercise here was to win.

PS, if you try to hand me a line about how Brown can't win, I'm going to ask to borrow your crystal ball. I'm going to Vegas tonight, and would like to see how I'm going to do this weekend.

[insane_cratic_gal]

21. What about polls?

http://www.mydd.com/story/2006/2/14/193851/113

I've seen lots of polls to suggest Hackett would of been fine.. hell even better against Brown.

Oh and here love






LOL couldn't resist.. But time will tell .. I wish I had your optimism

[Douglas Carpenter]

48. Brown Tops DeWine in New Poll

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

[insane_cratic_gal]

49. Lots of undecided too

that was taken on the 26th? Before any of this happened?

I guess we'll have to wait and see how it all plays out.

But I certainly hope your right!

I wish Brown the best in his endeavor for the seat. We know Ohio needs a dem to get them out of the nightmare.

[RazzleDazzle]

28. Hackett was NOT 20 pts behind, and his fundraising matched SB's

Would be helpufl to get your facts straight:

Hackett wanted to fight to the finish. He raised nearly a half-million dollars in the last quarter of 2005, matching Brown’s fundraising. But Brown entered the Senate race with $2 million in the bank, a strategic cushion. Early polls show both Brown and Hackett running in a dead heat against DeWine. An internal poll done in February for the Hackett campaign that was obtained by the Cleveland Plain Dealer showed Brown leading Hackett by 20 points, but Hackett took the lead if voters simply heard both candidate’s bios. The analysis concluded, “If Paul Hackett can raise the funds necessary to communicate his message to the voters of Ohio, he will present Sherrod Brown with a formidable challenge in May.”

from the same MoJo article http://www.motherjones.com/news/update/2006/02/hackett_drops_out.html

[WilliamPitt]

30. MoJo says one thing

I've seen ten links that say different.

[John_Madison_2006]

34. Funny

I probably subscribed to Mojo before you were born....now who should I believe?

[newyawker99]

47. Hi John_Madison_2006!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[applegrove]

10. Nobody attacked Hackett on his strengths. They didn't destroy

his career. He admitted he didn't have the stomach for it all. And that just shows you how harsh politics is. Cause the guy had been to war.

But being a soldier is tunnel vision. Being in politics is the art of compromise & talk. And negotiating numerous interests (I mean the population as a whole - in Democracy you close down all the corporations when the liberals get in, you make sure all parts of the country have what they need).

[Leilani]

12. He certainly was swift boated

by the Democratic party.

Please read the ENTIRE Mother Jones article.

Ironically, this is a topic on many discussion boards, & many Indies & Conservatives are saying they wanted to vote for Hackett. And that he was honest & for the people.

This is just another disillusionment with "Professional Politicians" & "Washington Insiders."

And it was Henry Waxman who sent the emails to Fundraisers to cut off Hackett funds.

What a disgrace!

[John_Madison_2006]

35. I agree

I worked on the Udall campaign in 1976...lots of grass roots support and people who were never involved in the primary run moved in and took things over. I still have never forgotten that.

[Beelzebud]

25. Oh how we forget what Swift-boated is so fast...

I'm starting to wonder about Hackett's motives.

He's come off as Eric Cartman taking his ball and going home, and then talking shit along the way.

Was he truely committed to politics? It doesn't seem like it.

And frankly, I'm not sure I even agree with most of his views.

[Algorem]

32. Why did Hackett not tell his campaign staff that he was leaving race,and

they had to find out on New York Times,then he said in an interview that he did inform his staff?-

http://www.cleveland.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news/113999629868420.xml?nnusa&coll=2

...However, there were indications Tuesday that some Hackett aides were taken aback by the way he handled his decision to quit. Though Hackett said in an interview that he informed his senior staff Monday night of his decision, an e-mail obtained by The Plain Dealer suggests that his campaign manager and others were caught unawares when the New York Times released an article Monday night quoting Hackett announcing his decision to quit the race.

The e-mail, from campaign manager David Woodruff, was sent at 11:36 p.m. Monday to key campaign aides and advisers and began with an apology “for passing this information onto you all in such an impersonal manner.”

It continued: “Unfortunately, I am also learning about what appears to be the end of our campaign through the newspaper this evening.”




I think it's time to compare Hackett's interviews and see how well his statements fit together.

[John_Madison_2006]

36. Doubtful

Doubtful many others, particularly newcomers to the rough and tumble of politics, would have acted much different that Hackett did if he got the "Rove Treatment" from people within his own party.

[Algorem]

39. What the hell does that have to do with what I posted?What is doubtful?

"Rove Treatment" my ass.Let's see some facts."Swiftboat",my ass.Let's see some facts,

[incapsulated]

37. If this didn't come from the democrats, explain...

Why he went to Schumer about it and why Schumer told him he "would put a stop to it". Chuck has control over Republican operatives all of a sudden?

[Algorem]

44. So what did Schumer mean by "I'll put a stop to it"?If he ever said it.

You read an awful lot into it.

[OzarkDem]

43. Consider the source in your link

One of the most virulently anti-Dem political reporters working for the Plain Dealer, who, by the way, is notorious for its dirty tricks against Kerry, Gore and Clinton.

If they're shilling this story, which, by the way, is just rumor, they're doing at the behest of the GOP.

[JI7]

45. i didn't know that

but if that's true then this was clearly meant to hurt Brown in his race against DeWine.

[OzarkDem]

46. Of course

That's what the Plain Dealer does. Keeps Dems from winning elections. IMHO this looks more and more like it has Rove's fingerprints all over it. Hackett and motherjones should think twice before they fall for it.