Somebody PLEASE... Explain The DU Disconnect On The Hackett Story !!!

[WillyT]

Man... its as if many here have not been following the story.

Hackett, an Iraq War Vet, runs against Jean Shit and barely loses in a race that shouldn't have been close.

Reid, Schumer, and there wives, telephone Hackett and his wife, and convince them that if he runs against DeWine for his Ohio Senate seat, that they and the entire party will support them. Financially, and in all other ways.

Sherrod Brown (who is more aligned with my political views BTW) says he is not interested in running for DeWine's Senatorial seat. The polls don't look good for him, and so he will remain safely ensconced in his congressional seat.

Hackett and his wife decide to go for DeWine's seat with promised party help. He also pledges to other Ohio Dem candidates, that he will not seek any Ohio Congressional House seat.

The polls start to shift in favor of the Dems in general, and in Ohio in particular.

Sherrod Brown changes his mind. Now that DeWine looks beatable, he decides that he just might be able to take the seat. He enters the race forcing Hackett into a primary battle.

Brown has more money, but that is because he's sitting on a 2 million dollar war chest. The money Hackett and Brown raise outside that war chest is about even.

The party bosses in D.C., decide that Sherrod brown is more 'their type' of Democrat, that it is his turn, and so the phone calls of support to Hackett and his wife, from the very people who encouraged him to run in the first place, drop off to nothing.

New phone calls start taking place that inform Hackett donors that they should not be putting their money into Hackett's campaign, but should instead support Brown.

Other phone calls are placed to Ohio Dem Party chairs, suggesting that Hackett might have been involved in some type of war crimes. The party chairs inform Hackett of this. Browns camp issues NO DENIALS.

Hackett says FUCK IT!

And I don't blame him one bit.

If Brown doesn't get to the bottom of this 'Democratic Swift-boating', if it really did come from within his campaign, if he doesn't publicly fire their sorry asses, than he, in his little Ohioan microcosm, is analogous to Bush not firing Rove or Libby after the outing of Valerie Plame. Not the same level of magnitude to be sure, but just as slimy and just as un-American.

Do I have this about right??? Because I REALLY do not understand the vilification of Hackett here, unless some are just not up on what happened.

:shrug:

[wallybarron]

1. I think you have that

about right. Did you read Skinner's message?

Have to say I don't understand this either.

[FreedomAngel82]

20. Here's the deal

Poll numbers came out and Hackett only had a 24% approval raiting with the democrats in Ohio. He had very low money and Reid and Schumer told him so. Others came into the game and told Hackett he should run for the House and gave him advice. They're supporting Brown since the DNC doesn't get involved in favoring primaries. So from my following all this it's a bunch of he said vs he said stuff.

[goodboy]

31. That poll number is meaningless this far out. What matters is that Hacket

is getting people fired up. he's invoking passion. that's what we need.

And let me ask you this...what if what you say is "He said, he said" stuff is found out to be true...in that brown, aided by other well known senators and congressmen did force hackett out and lied about his record to do it?

[acmavm]

2. I believe that's pretty much what I've read about what went on. And I

don't understand Brown not coming out and either denying (with proof) that his staff were not involved in what happened or fess up to the truth and publically get rid of the KKKarl wannabes in his campaign.

[emulatorloo]

3. I like Hackett, but I don't buy that Brown "swiftboated' him

I don't doubt that people told Hackett that Brown swiftboated him.

However, I don't put it past REPUGLICAN OPERATIVES creating this whole little swiftboat scenario.

Repug starting rumors about Hackett and War Crimes

Repugs starting rumors that Brown is behind it.

Goal -- get hackett out, and smear Brown, and divide Democrats

[WillyT]

6. Ohio Dem Party Chairs Told Hackett Is Was From Brown's Campaign...

so unless the Ohio Democratic Party is run by Republicans, I don't see how you could be right.

:shrug:

[ClassWarrior]

7. Proof?

NGU.

[ClassWarrior]

13. Yeah, I didn't think so.

NGU.

[WillyT]

22. Oooo... Good One... Ya Really Got Me There... Ouch...

Ya know CW, it seems that there are some here who want Brown in so badly because of his "Progressive" views, that I get the feeling that they really don't care how it happened. As long as a 'true Progressive' gets in there, that's all that matters.

Sort of an ends justify the means sort of philosophy.

A philosophy that totally sucks, and has been vilified throughout history, but a philosophy none the less.

:shrug:

[ClassWarrior]

23. And there are some here who want proof before stabbing their own people...

...in the backs. Does being responsible "totally suck" too?

NGU.

[WillyT]

24. ROFLMAO !!! - Um... Who Got Stabbed In The Back Here, Brown Or Hackett ???

Interesting, and telling, turn of a phrase there CW.

:shrug:

[ClassWarrior]

25. That's my point, genius. We know nothing for certain.

Meanwhile, WE'RE the ones stabbing one another and Brown and Hackett in the backs, while Rove giggles and rubs his pasty white thighs.

NGU.

[WillyT]

26. Um... Ya Never Answered The Question... Did You Read Those Two Articles ??

It seems I've gotten you... upset.
Do some reading, it will relax you.

:rofl::evilgrin::rofl:

[ClassWarrior]

28. Which question? You've asked several. All punctuated with multiple...

...question marks and exclamation points. :eyes:

NGU.

[WillyT]

18. I Have Absolutely No Reason To Doubt Hackett On Hardball, But...

did you read the Mother Jones or the Consortium News articles???

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

CN: http://www.consortiumnews.com/2006/021406.html

And... I have the same proof of the Brown campaign swift-boating Hackett, as I have of Rove outing Valerie Plame. So I hope that makes ya feel better.

:evilgrin:

[emulatorloo]

11. Easy - a whisper campaign about a whisper campaign

The Ohio Democratic Party doesn't have to be run by Republicans in order to be duped by Republican Operatives.

[emulatorloo]

19. Brown Campaign Denies It - New thread in GD

ON EDIT: DU thread http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2472356


http://www.cleveland.com/weblogs/openers/index.ssf?/mtlogs/cleve_openers/archives/2006_02.html#114489

<snip>
UPDATE: Sherrod's Brown campaign responded directly for the first time Monday evening to a suggestion that an aide to Brown, Dan Lucas,
might have played a role in undermining Paul Hackett's reputation.

Lucas' name came up when The Plain Dealer, at Hackett's suggestion, asked Clermont County Chairman David Lane last week if he knew the source of a whisper campaign about Hackett's service in Iraq. Lane, a supporter of Hackett, said he had no proof that a Democrat was behind the rumors. But he said he had told Hackett last fall about a comment Lucas made to him shortly after Brown entered the Senate race.

Lane said that Lucas told him: "There are things out there about Paul that I don't think he (Hackett) really wants to be made public.'' Lucas offered no specifics, Lane said.

Joanna Kuebler, a spokeswoman for Brown, issued the following statement Monday evening: "The campaign has been assured by Mr. Lucas that he was not part of any supposed effort to spread rumors.''

<snip>

[ClassWarrior]

4. This kind of thing happens in backrooms all the time, but now that...

...it's happened in favor of a true Progressive, the trolls are trying to gin up a feud between Brown and Hackett to divide us and to scuttle Brown.

NGU.

[WillyT]

10. And Maybe The 'Backroom Geniuses' Need To Have Some...

grassroots savvy advisers, who understand that that type of shit will run wild over the blogesphere in a couple of nano-seconds, and inform them that these types of moves can have major grassroots blow-back!!!

:shrug:

[ClassWarrior]

14. Yes, maybe THEY need to be responsible for what WE say.

:eyes:

NGU.

[sandnsea]

30. Ooooh scaaaary

A. Hackett needed alot more money and the grassroots didn't come through. B. If Brown was spreading some sort of whisper campaign, the grassroots didn't knock it down. C. If Brown is such a wimp, how'd he manage to rattle Hackett's cage with just rumors of pictures, not even pictures themselves.

There are no gimmees. If Hackett wasn't ready to fight a Republican Senate campaign, better we find out now. If he couldn't take out the wimply liberal Brown, what would he do up against the Ohio Republican Party.

Hackett quit. It's over. Let the thing die.

[Old and In the Way]

16. I think that's about right.....

"the trolls are trying to gin up a feud between Brown and Hackett to divide us and to scuttle Brown." Not my race to comment on, but Brown was polling way ahead of Hackett in Ohio. Seeing that Brown has a great record as a progressive Democrat, I don't see what the value is on swiftboating Brown. It's his fault because Hackett dropped out? Sorry, as much as I liked Hackett, I can't shed a tear. Are we so naive to think that both parties don't back their favoites in primaries? If Brown was a Cuellar Democrat, I'd be steamed...but the ones who have a real vested interest in keeping this non-story going and antagonizing Democrats to shoot each other are Republicans.

[proud patriot]

5. I don't understand it either

:-(

[leftofthedial]

8. Dem establishment used him as a stalking horse

to weaken the repukes

[bpilgrim]

9. i think that sums it up pretty well

the party activist here are muddying the waters though.

peace

[EFerrari]

12. People are not being careful -- with the issue or with each other.

A lot of stuff is being attributed carelessly and that's not a good idea. :(

[seabeyond]

17. i agree with your post. to many people stating rumor as fact per agenda

i do know that haskett since all this has happened isnt presenting himself well as a representitive of the democratic party though. i knew he wasnt a dem, but i like his talk and if he wanted to get a seat in ohio under dem, i was supporting him. sending him money. but i havent been way impressed with haskett now.

[FreedomAngel82]

15. Hackett still backed down

He still failed for the second time. And we don't know what happened either. It's all a bunch of he said vs he said crap.

[Malikshah]

21. Simple-- the DLC whores are working extra hard

It's shades of Jan 2004 all over again.

[Harper_is_Bush]

27. "I REALLY do not understand the vilification of Hackett here"

Maybe it's because he's turned into an enemy of the Dem party now. He's speaking out against them, no?

Maybe he was too much of a nut-job. If he would have been an embarassment then they had to get rid of him.

[sandnsea]

29. Hackett dropped out,

If he wanted to throw punches, he should have done it in the race, that's what they're for. Now it's time to either get behind the candidate, or just go home.

Reid's office said they had seen the pictures and there wasn't anything in them. Perhaps the reason Brown's office didn't deny anything is because there was nothing to deny. Not to mention, rattling Hackett over perceived insider politics is a good way to test his metal. Politics is nothing if not a constant mind game of competing political pressures, where you truly don't know who your friends are and where your enemies lurk. Hackett failed and failed miserably.

Finally, nobody is villifying Hackett. If he had been cleaning Brown's clock, he'd have gotten the backing of the party. He wasn't. Plain and simple.

[DemonGoddess]

32. Okay, here's what I don't understand

Is not the primary focus of this upcoming midterm election to get the majority back? With supporters of each going at each other tooth and nail HOW does this accomplish winning a Dem seat and unseating a Republican? This race is now what it is, with no primary opponent, so shouldn't you in Ohio be joining together to get rid of DeWine instead of eating each other up?