I’m exhausted. Hackett really gave Schmidt a run for her money. He gained 20% overall on the 2004 Democratic performance. Needless to say, if we get numbers like that in 2006, we’ll see a Pelosi Revolution.
So, this is a good indicator, and the liberal blogosphere really flexed its muscles.
Tell the DLC to go get fucked.
I think the DLC’s problem is that they aren’t getting fucked.
I’ve been trying to follow this, but am confused about getting a total vote count this early. All Diebold machines? No absentees back there?
Even if he lost he won. [left that part out – oops.] DLC? Just ignore them. They’ve been neutered. Congratulations to the campaigners.
The absentees were all counted before the polls even closed.
But I’m tired of looking on the bright side of a loss – I want to win. Almost winning doesn’t give us any power in the house or senate.
of losing, I am bone-tired of losing.
this guy to my eye and ear is a much better media figure than Kerry or (strategic knowledge aside) even Clark. Given the state of the Democratic talent pool, there’s just got to be a better mission for him than Rep.
Now, if he goes back to Iraq, yes, it’ll be a loss, and a double loss at that.
I get real tired of giving money to a campaign, only to see my candidate get his butt kicked. It could give a guy a complex.
I mean, there really are small wins here. For one thing, we made Repubcorp™ spend a lot of money on what should have been a safe seat. You know how they hate spending money they don’t think they have to.
But I still want to see the big enchilada.
Think of Lincoln-Douglas for the Senate in 1858. Nobody had heard of Lincoln nationally before that race, and even though he lost it set up him for the presidency two years later.
Something tells me this election might be kind of like that. Maybe for Paul Hackett, but even more importantly for the Democratic Party as a newly-viable contender for national power.
Maybe I spend too much time reading the left blogosphere echo chamber, but, man, I feel there’s a shift in the wind. Our time is coming. The American people are going to dump those Republican bastards.
I can feel it.
(Of course, I thought Mondale was going to pull an upset in 84, too, so that’s what you can do with my feelings…)
Visiting outlanddish’s diary about Barbara Jordan today, I was reminded when I went looking for a good bio link to post, that she LOST in ’62, and she LOST in ’64, but she WON her seat in the Texas Senate in ’66.
Then on to the US House in ’72 where her eloquence during the impeachment hearings was instrumental in turning the tide of public opinion from “impeaching Nixon is a partisan witch hunt” to “this is about defending our constitution.”
I hope Paul has the determination and persistence that she had. We still need him.
Again? Christ, I’m hoarse from telling the DLC to go get fucked.
Besides, their candidate won. </snark>
I second your DLC motion but include the NDN. As Hightower rightly exclaims there are only two things in the “center” of the road… yellow lines and dead armadillos…
Is this really indicative of what the liberal blogosphere will do in 2006? In this case, everyone across the country was giving their support, financial and otherwise, to a single candidate. Our efforts are going to be much more diffuse in ’06.
And the RNC got into this race very late. Not to mention the immense corruption of the OH GOP really hurt Schmidt. We wont have those same circumstances in 2006 in very many places. In fact, I almost hope the CIA outting thing goes well into ’06 and ends in multiple indictments, plus a DeLay indictment in 2006 would be nice, too– then maybe we can use those two examples to show America how truly corrupt the GOP is. To top it off, maybe Limbaugh can be convicted on drug charges in 2006 so their echo chamber has a little less reverb.
I expect us to pick up a few seats in 2006, but not enough to give us Speaker Pelosi. I hope you’re right and I’m wrong.
there was some sort of system established that we donated money into say a Pay-Pal account and then someone, or some people, who we absolutely trusted donated that money evenly or where it was needed in 2006?
(Good points, btw).
I went to sleep last nite knowing Hackett had probably lost but came quite close in a district he had no business running in. It’s like Falwell coming close in Berkley. It’s a positive indicator. A 20% improvement in performance may well be the highest ever in Ohio. Yes, we didn’t get that particular seat and mean Jean did but come on. Our county had the greatest improvement in Dem performance in our state in 2004 and that was 10%. We worked hard and smart. Continue to work hard and smart and you’ll see the fruit in a little over a year. Not only do i not regret sending Hackett a check, I’ll send him another one. He deserves it.
And by 2006 we will be in the midst of full-fledged debacle in Iraq. Marines are now dying like flies in Western Iraq because we do not have enough troops to hold ground; what will things be like when we start to withdraw? Bush on his war to being first American president to lose a war he started.
Before I get off to work here, I want to add my 2 cents worth on all of this. I have tried to say out of this for I am just an independent; however, I am here to work with you guys not against you. I want the party to tell the dlc to go away and hide. I do not like them at all. We have to fight fire with fire if we are to win ever again. Tell the repubican lite ppl to make up their minds on their stance. Being middle or centrist is not the way to win in my opinion. This is not what the ppl want from us, as I think of it. They want a definate difference not the same thing to vote on/for. I want this man in Ohio to stay around for us to get him in someplace, somewhere. He is a definate asset to the party.
wow, I get swarmed when I type things like that in SOME places …
😉
I agree w/ Parker, the DLC’s little Mini Me clone, the NDN, can go curl up with it’s pile of corporate cash too.
A turd by any other name …
Oh, and I hope that the lesson learned from this is it is OKAY to speak forcefully, directly and sometime politically incorrectly. I hope that the lesson is learned that it’s OKAY for a candidate to be pro-choice in the reddest of the red states if you are firm in your convictions.
I still can’t believe how close it was.
That should be an op-ed in a major paper or at least a letter to the editor.
so, do we know for sure that he really lost?
Coming up with 4,000 votes is nothing. Nada. Dliebauld could spit out 4,000 votes easier than punching numbers into an ATM for a transfer…
I mean, this is Ohio. Ken Blackwell came up with 90,000. And he had to have 90,000 subtracted from one column and then added to another…
4,000? Pfffftttttt.
There was something going on (I think) with the Clermont County voting machines and counting. That’s Schmidt’s home base, apparently, and also she was reportedly outside the polling areas handing out stuff and urging people to vote for her.
Me, I think every little thing should be followed up and documented, and that lots of eyes should be on the Ohio electoral processes. We need to shine a HUGE spotlight on the voting irregularities way before 2006.
However, even if some anomaly is found, I don’t think Hackett should contest the election. It’s not that important a seat, and whereas right now he is set up for a good chance at a statewide run of some sort, if he becomes embroiled in controversy in this very Republican area, it’s my opinion that he will lose a lot of the good will he has now.
Mind you, I know relatively little about politics, and would probably have a different opinion is this was a vote for Senator or something, but still.
every seat we take away from the neocons is important. House, State House, Mayor, Judge, Dog Catcher….
Every single one should be fought to the tooth and contested.
Booman, I’d like to take a moment, w/o going into too much detail, to say that I admire that you are willing to show true leadership in the blogs, to insist that there is NOTHING wrong w/ asking uncomfortable questions about fraud, even if you disagree with them.
It is reassuring to have a host in an increasingly important group forum like this who is willing to have faith in the self-correcting nature of these wonderful open-source truth-engines called “blogs,” someone who is willing to stand up to bullies who seek to stifle questions, stifle debate and enforce orthodoxies in the name of political propriety.
I salute you sir.
Go to FReeperville.
Late last night I went over there for a while. The blustery gung-ho wingnuts were being smacked down by the thinking conservatives all over the place. They are worried. They see their party as complacent. They (rightly) think that Schmidt should have stomped Hackett. They openly admit that the Ohio corruption has hurt Republicans in Ohio immensely.
We’ve fired a shot across their bow. They’re going to try to hit back hard in 2006. We have to be ready to hit back just as hard.
Hackett lost by a small margin, and after Coingate this could mark a shift in Ohio politics…maybe we won’t need Jeb’s FLA in 2008 after all. Well, you can’t stop me from dreaming…
And maybe Hackett has shown us that rural America, red states and blue, can be won over by adopting a pro-gun stance? I come from a rural family of hunters, Democrats every one, and I know what I’m talking about.
Hackett told them to save their yard signs, that he’s be back. Maybe he should run for senate 2006.
And next time some neo-con gets all dewy-eyed about honoring our veterans, someone mention Paul Hackett’s name.
veebee