Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Swift Boat Veterans 2: Electric Boogaloo

For those of you who are suffering through this dry season of national politics -- nearly halfway between the post-traumatic stress disorder of the 2004 race and the reckoning of 2006 -- I'm happy to say that there is an election out there.

A special election is about to happen in the 2nd District of Ohio, between Republican Jean Schmidt and Democratic newcomer Paul Hackett. (No, not that Paul Hackett. This Paul Hackett's a former Army major who presumably knows how to run an offensive strike.) Normally, a race in OH-02 would be a Republican landslide, but in light of the current GOP problems in the state -- including, but not limited to, the scandal over their decision to invest worker health funds in that oh-so-safe realm of rare coins -- this race has become a dogfight.

And, as we all know, when the going gets tough, the GOP starts playing dirty. Well, this time, as they flounder around, they've decided to give Hackett the old Swift Boat treatment. One of Schmidt's advisers, Eric Minamyer, had this to say recently:
I understand that Hackett did not participate in combat at all. It is still dangerous over there as I can personally attest. Let’s just not act as though we led marines in combat if we did not, okay…

I have asked the question time and again, what role did he actually play?

Given all the opportunities he has had to say “I served in combat” one fair conclusion is that he did not.
And you know, given all the opportunities that Eric Minamyer has had to say that he does not frequently dress up in a tutu and fondle goats at the petting zoo, one fair conclusion is that he does.

Anyway, if you'd like to help fight back against this tried-and-true douchebaggery, and help win a seat deep in the heart of Republicanland, click here. From what I've read about Hackett, he's the real deal, a tough, smart Democrat. And it's long past due that we start building a bench in what's likely to be a swing state for decades to come.

11 comments:

Yossarian said...

this is a quote from blog.oh02.com: " When I called last night I talked to someone working on the campaign who had actually served with Hackett in Iraq. He told an interesting story of them almost being killed on a trip to Baghdad. To get further clarification I asked Hackett’s campaign manager about Hackett combat ribbons:

I am not a military guy, but from what I understand he is slated to receive at least 2, but has not been sent them yet. "


I live LITERALLY one block from this district and so I am sad to say that I cannot vote for Paul. But I have meet him many times and I can tell you that he is the real deal. Senator Max Cleland came here and spoke on his behalf AND Senator John Glenn (yes, probably the greatest American Hero next to Ralph Hinkley) will be doing some work for the Hackett campaign.

If Hackett wins this should be the biggest story of the year. He has been out spent in an district that has a Republican index of 60%. However Unempolyment is as high as 12 - 13% in parts and it is Matt Maupin country.

Studiodave said...

I know someone who worked on Hackett's competitor's campaign in the primary.

Apparently, this dude is fairly fluff and can't hold his own in a debate.

That being said, I never met the candidate and my friend could just be bitter.

Finally, all people in Cincinatti are subject to questioning given their fascination with Skyline Chili - aka "bland meat paste" to the rest of us.

Otto Man said...

I think your friend just has sour grapes, Studio, since most of the reports I've seen stress how good the guy is in a debate.

Here's a MyDD report on his debate with the Republican candidate:

"Hackett highlighted his world travels, ownership of a small business, and military service in Operation Iraqi Freedom, presenting himself as a tough-talking civil liberties Democrat. "I don't need Washington to tell me how to live my personal life or how to pray to my God." Throughout the evening, he peppered his speech with "aints" "darns" and "hells"- a dialect foreign to his birthplace and residence, Indian Hill but more at home in the cornfields of Brown County. Be they affectations or the real deal, Hackett announced himself as a Democrat with blood in his veins.

"...

"Hackett, seizing upon Schmidt's hesitancy to assert the vehemence of her anti-abortion stance, reached the peak of his momentum. He propounded the need to fund preventive education and stated that, until there are no unwanted pregnancies, abortion should remain legal, safe, and rare. Hackett managed to make the pro-choice position seem manly and obvious, dominating a debate that Republicans almost always rhetorically win."

And Hackett's closed the fundraising gap, with a crapload of cash on hand for the final stretch. Meanwhile, Schmidt's in debt. He really could pull this out.

Otto Man said...

Oh, and it looks like the conservative Cincy Post has just endorsed him too.

Otto Man said...

More from Hackett: "Schmidt commends Hackett for his service, but believes Hackett should "stand with the president" by "supporting the Iraqi war effort and our troops that are over there," her campaign manager Joe Braun said. (Through Braun, Schmidt declined to speak with Salon.) When asked to answer that charge, Hackett is blunt: "The only way I know how to support the troops is by going over there." He doesn't hesitate to criticize Schmidt's support of the war: "All the chicken hawks back here who said, 'Oh, Iraq is talking bad about us. They're going to threaten us' -- look, if you really believe that, you leave your wife and three kids and go sign up for the Army or Marines and go over there and fight. Otherwise, shut your mouth."

I think I'm in love.

Yossarian said...

Studio Dave -
ARE YOU HIGH? I have never heard such silly and wrong statements from one person. It boggles my mind how one person can operate such a fine site and get sooooo many facts wrong. Let me help you out my friiend -

Skyline Chili ROCKS! It is the greatest type of chili in the world. Sure it doesn't have beans but it does have cinnamon and chocolate (you can't taste it though). Also you're not suppose to eat the chili by itself - usually it goes on spaghetti or a hot dog (with onions and cheese). Someday you must visit Cincinnati and try Skyline. Here is the website until then: http://www.skylinechili.com/

Otto Man said...

Yos, I have to side with Stu-stu-studio on this one. Chili and spaghetti just should not mix.

Chili and Studiodave should not mix, either, but that's another gruesome story.

InanimateCarbonRod said...

Chili + spaghetti = this is all I could find in the cabinet.

Keep your cocoa out of my chili and put it in my mole. (That's the national dish of Mexico, not the thing on my back with the hair growing out of it.)

Yossarian said...

To end this Skyline talk with an obscure 80's reference, I quote Austin Millbarge:" We mock what we don't understand."

Otto Man said...

I've had Skyline chili, so I feel comfortable in my hostility. The odd combination reminded me of "Nuts and Gum, Together at Last!"

Otto Man said...

By the way, excellent "Spies Like Us" reference there. Emmett Fitz-Hume would've been proud.