Update on the Ohio race: Schmidt won by 3 points... Hackett says he plans to return to Iraq with his unit when it is ordered back. Political junkies are arguing about how to interpret the race---does a 3 point victory in a district that Bush carried with 64% of the vote mean anything? Hard to say...
In any event, we applaud Hackett for running and Schmidt on her victory. We hope more veterans will run for office---Democrat, Republican, whatever!
In any event, we applaud Hackett for running and Schmidt on her victory. We hope more veterans will run for office---Democrat, Republican, whatever!
posted by Hans Riemer at 1:28 PM
17 Comments:
Hans, did you fire Nicole for her obvious support of Hackett? This post sounds like a cover-up for the support that Rock The Vote openly provided in the previous post.
I hope you didn't fire Nicole. It is nice to hear Rock the Vote convey its true political leanings.
My thoughts exactly. Read Nicole's post then Hans' and see if you can honestly say this isn't a form of backpedaling.
Going by the poll numbers, as well as what we already know about the GOP primary in that district, it's very clear that the Democrats managed to get their people out- they got just about as many votes this time as they did in past elections in that district- but the GOP stayed home for the most part, except in urban areas. The urban moderate GOP vote actually won this election despite practically every Democrat in that county coming out. That's pretty sad. Sadder yet is the fact that Hackett's TV commercials made him come off as a pro-Bush Republican, while in reality he was anything but.
The Dems ran a fake candidate and they still lost. The guy was as two faced as it gets- acting like pals with Bush on TV, while calling him a son of a bitch in small group speeches in front of his base. It's pretty sad that they lost even after going to such lengths to be two-faced.
They also threw much more money and resources into this than the GOP did- and still lost.
This election isn't much of an indicator of anything, but I think the left will take it as a signal that their "policies"- whatever they may be- actually are working. I hope so, because they'll only continue to destroy themselves by thinking that their current idealess vision for this country works for them. And, of course, they'll lose to anyone who has ideas.
Anyway, Nicole must be having a horrible day today. Really sucks for her, that she can't come on here and prove once again that RTV isn't as "non-partisan" as it claims to be.
yes, given the troop deployment is such a big issue we need more former troops in office. The ones there are often ignored so maybe a few more will help make some noise on the troops' behalf.
Troops in office don't necessarily "make noise" on behalf of the troops. In fact, it can be said that many "troops in office" simply use their military experience for their own personal political gain.
I think we all remember what happened last year with the vast majority of Vietnam veterans staunchly opposing John Kerry, the supposed "Vietnam war hero". John Kerry clearly prostituted his Vietnam experience for political gain, and it did Vietnam vets- and current soldiers- NO good whatsoever.
Just because someone is a war verteran does not mean they are a good political candidate. Sometimes, they would be worse than an average Joe. Perhaps full of angst and hatred for having to go to war? What a pathetic attempt by the left. Haven't they realized after their 2004 verteran blunder that this tactic doesn't work?
and on the topic of MTV and Rock the Vote being biased......Give me a break. If this campaign was any more liberal it would be on it's side.
Hans- I have to say I am shocked. I applaud you on the only post I have ever seen you make that is truely unbiased.
These accusations are ridiculous. Nicole's blog didn't say anything that CNN didn't say or any other political observer watching the race said. If Hackett had won, it would have been a major blow for the GOP. If he came close it could foreshadow a problem. Newt Gingrich has said as much coming out of that election----that Hacket's close call is something that the Republican Congress should worry about. Nothing partisan about observing a political trend. Get over it.
Not partisan, huh? Then why did Nicole fail to mention that this was a special election due the seat being left vacant by the sitting representative to take a job on the hill? There was not much interest in this election except on the democrat side. Not to mention the so called democrat ran as a republican, which I don't blame him considering where he was running. By reading Nicole's post, you would think the race was really close, but when the truth is reported, anyone could understand that the circumstances leading up to this race was going to lead to an uneventful election.
By the way, it is funny how the democrats embrace a military man when he is calling Bush an SOB, but all others in the military are misguided and ignorant. It is a hard sell for Americans to believe that democrats are all for the military all of a sudden. If you are for the military, why don't you support increasing the budget for military spending? Yeah right, that would be the day.
These accusations are ridiculous. Nicole's blog didn't say anything that CNN didn't say or any other political observer watching the race said. If Hackett had won, it would have been a major blow for the GOP. If he came close it could foreshadow a problem. Newt Gingrich has said as much coming out of that election----that Hacket's close call is something that the Republican Congress should worry about. Nothing partisan about observing a political trend. Get over it.
Ryan, Ryan, Ryan.
You need to do some math.
You can think this is some huge Democratic victory all you want; delusions among the left always make things more humorous. As for me, I'll just look at the numbers.
The Democrats gained only 6,000 votes in that district despite a MASSIVE turnout operation that was engineered by far left blogs and far left organizations like MoveOn, etc. Meanwhile, a totally split GOP ended up losing a good 200,000 votes as most GOP members stayed home- Schmidt was a "Bob Taft" candidate and everyone in Ohio hates Taft at this point- so no one wanted to support her. Despite that, she STILL won.
Instead of Democrats running around going "holy crap, this means Ohio hates Bush!" perhaps they should do the math and look into the situation. A Bob Taft Republican like Jean Schmidt managed to beat out a Democrat who tried his best to look as Republican as possible on TV. That's sad.
Someone who supported the policies of the lowest-approved Governor in the US STILL managed to beat the Democratic candidate, in a special election with less turnout, with a weaker and less motivated get out the vote effort than her opponent used. This election doesn't show how far the Democrats have come; it shows how far they've fallen.
Your latest partisan attacks on Rock the Vote hold no more water than all the rest. Here you are attacking Rock the Vote for asserting that there could be a lesson from the Ohio race, as though that makes Rock the Vote partisan or "left." Here is Newt Gingrich saying the same thing.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/03/AR2005080301899_pf.html
washingtonpost.com
Gingrich Says Ohio Race Holds Lesson for GOP
By Dan Balz and Thomas B. Edsall
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, August 4, 2005; A04
Former House speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.) warned fellow Republicans yesterday not to ignore the implications of the party's narrow victory in Tuesday's special election in Ohio, saying the public mood heading into next year's midterm elections appears to helping Democrats and hurting Republicans.
"It should serve as a wake-up call to Republicans, and I certainly take it very seriously in analyzing how the public mood evidences itself," Gingrich said. "Who is willing to show up and vote is different than who answers a public opinion poll. Clearly, there's a pretty strong signal for Republicans thinking about 2006 that they need to do some very serious planning and not just assume that everything is going to be automatically okay."
Gingrich's reaction came after Democrat Paul Hackett, an Iraq war veteran and vocal critic of President Bush's Iraq policy, came within 4,000 votes of upsetting Republican Jean Schmidt in the solidly GOP 2nd Congressional District in southwestern Ohio.
[Read the rest at the link]
Here you are attacking Rock the Vote for asserting that there could be a lesson from the Ohio race, as though that makes Rock the Vote partisan or "left."
Learn how to comprehend.
I'm not attacking Rock the Vote for asserting anything about Ohio. What I AM attacking Rock the Vote for is being blatantly partisan- for the millionth time (read Nicole's post)- while claiming to be a "nonpartisan" organization. I can't find ONE post from Rock the Vote backing Republicans the way they back Democrats. They aren't bipartisan, they aren't nonpartisan, which makes them only one thing: partisan.
I don't care if Rock the Vote wants to think that Ohio is somehow socialist now because of this special election. They are free to think that. However, if they want to continue to post partisan drivel under their organization's name, they should at least be honest enough to remove their own "nonpartisan" status, and inform everyone to what their TRUE political stance is.
All I'm asking for here is honesty.
If Gingrich and some Republicans want this election to be a wake up call, more power to them. But that doesn't mean that the far left bloggers such as Daily Kos are right in thinking that this is some incredible turnaround from the 2004 election. In fact, given nationwide polling numbers and trends, it is still rather evident that the Democrats haven't gained anywhere. Hell, John Kerry's got a lower approval rating than President Bush does now. Hillary continues to lose out to GOP candidates in 2008 polls. But if Kos wants to continue to assert that the Democrats' current "we have no plan, but we hate Bush" strategy is working, good for him.
I, for one, would love to see the Democratic Party continue to move to the left. It only would reaffirm my decision to jump parties last year, and it would prove me correct in doing so. Thus, it's a great thing if the Dems want to declare a loss in Ohio a major victory, and it's a great thing that the GOP sees it as somewhat of a wake up call, for they will act.
As for Rock the Vote, they need to either remove their nonpartisan label, or start to actually BE nonpartisan.
Sure a combat veteran may not necessarily make a good politician... but these chickenhawks who have never set foot on the battlefield don't seem to know what they are doing either.
My thoughts exactly. Read Nicole's post then Hans' and see if you can honestly say this isn't a form of backpedaling.
I think Hillary should run for president!
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