Tuesday, February 14, 2006

 

Dear Ed...

I contributed to Paul Hackett. I told Sherrod Brown that I felt the Ohio Democratic Party had failed after a brilliant era under John Glenn and Howard Metzenbaum, felt Brown was part of that failure, and would not contribute to him. I won't. I deplore any Democrat from outside of Ohio telling Ohioans what to do. But Paul Hackett and Ed Schultz should calm down. Ed Schultz should calm down a lot, unless he wants to hear this show played for the next 25 years in GOP ads. The Democratic leadership in Washington is a defeated army. They need to be withdrawn from the field and replaced. They are losers and they aren't treating Paul Hackett right. But the adults among New Democrats need to calmly walk by them and up to the front. Finally, Paul should have run for Congress. It's a huge jump to the Senate, enormously difficult, very demanding, incredibly expensive. I am sorry he let himself be talked into running for Senate, because any political pro would have told him he didn't stand a chance; not that that stopped me from supporting him. The pros who had him withdraw could not see the forest for the trees. But let's behave like adults. He has a bright future. He just has to wait a little bit longer. There are plenty of great Democrats running. I just sent generous contributions to five veterans. More money for them. Less money for Sherrod. ___________________ Update: Paul Hackett appeared on the Ed Schultz show and showed just what a thoroughbred he is. Why is he leaving the race? Couldn't raise enough money in time for the primary season. What does he think about Henry Waxman and Chuck Schumer mixing in a primary? That's politics as usual. Were smears against him and his service in Iraq circulated? He had heard second-hand accounts, but didn't know anything beyond the fact that his service was purely honorable. How did he feel about having to withdraw? It sucks, but that's life. What matters is the team, and if his withdrawal will help defeat DeWine, then it will have been well worth it. Maybe it was just the comparison of a calm and thoughtful Paul Hackett with a ranting Ed Schultz. But Major Paul Hackett just averted what could have been a Democratic debacle and turned it into a triumph.
Comments:
Normally I value folks staying quiet in the name of "party unity", but I'm glad that Howard Dean took a stand on this the other day.

Dean's had to bite his own tongue a lot over the past year as his enemies in the party have knifed him publicly and behind the scenes. Nice to see him get a little of his own back, especially since it's in the service of Paul Hackett.
 
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