Jean Schmidt called young Republican activists, "young Hitlers"

The Hill ^ | March 8, 2006 | Jackie Kucinich

[conservative_2001]

As a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1984, Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio) expressed her contempt for a future colleague and allegedly likened young Republican activists to Hitler, according to an interview published by the local paper at the time.

While shadowing Schmidt at the convention, The Cincinnati Enquirer reporter initially described Schmidt as a “woman who will speak her mind whenever she pleases.”

Schmidt, who was 32 at the time, provided evidence for this assessment during her time with the reporter, who quoted her taking issue with future Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-N.C.), who was then President Reagan’s transportation secretary. During her tenure at Transportation, Dole wanted to impose a nationwide drinking age of 21.

“I hate that woman,” she told the reporter. “I just can’t stand her. Anyone who wants to force an increase in the drinking age to 21. … She can send our boys off to fight wars when they’re 17 and 18 but won’t let them drink till they’re 21.”

She added, “That stinks.”

The article also details her “booing” during a Dole appearance at the convention.

A spokeswoman for Dole, chairwoman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, declined to comment for this report.

Barry Bennett, Schmidt’s chief of staff, said, “The conservatives and the moderates didn’t get along very well in the 1980s. You can’t take a remark in the heat of a campaign out of context. That’s not fair.”

Bennett added that Schmidt was a Reagan supporter when the article was written.

Later in the article, while expressing her opinions about young Republican activists, she said, “They look like young Hitlers to me. … They’re so grim and deadly serious about the cause.”

“How are we going to attract mainstream kids to our party, kids who like to have fun and don’t take themselves so seriously?” she asked.

Bennett disputed that Schmidt made the comment, explaining that her twin sister, Jennifer Black, who was also mentioned in the paragraph, made the remark.

When asked to comment about her sister’s supposed remark, Bennett replied, “I don’t work for her sister.”

Michael Harlow, a spokesman for former Rep. Bob McEwen (R-Ohio), who is challenging Schmidt in the May primary, said, “It is disappointing to hear the contempt Mrs. Schmidt holds for Senator Dole, a woman who Bob McEwen and most Americans hold in very high esteem.”

He added: “Also, the hardworking activists she called ‘Hitlers’ were instrumental in our successful efforts to gain the majority for just the second time in 70 years.”

Schmidt defeated McEwen in an 11-candidate primary in July in a special election to fill the seat vacated by former Rep. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), who became the U.S. trade representative.

James P. Urling, chairman of the Cincinnati-based Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes (COAST), a group founded by another former Schmidt opponent, Tom Brinkman, said, “Jean Schmidt has a history of nasty barbs aimed at values we all hold dear.”

Schmidt faces a primary in May against McEwen as well as a general election in November. Brinkman has since dubbed Schmidt “Mean Jean” and has called her a “pathological liar.”

Bennett responded by calling Brinkman “the king of outrageous comments” and "a fringe player in politics in Cincinnati."

Schmidt’s unabashed candor became national news and the butt of a joke on "Saturday Night Live" in November. She had made negative remarks about 17th-term Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) after he called for Bush to withdraw troops from Iraq. Schmidt later withdrew her words.

On Tuesday, Schmidt removed a claim on her website that Reps. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) and Steve Chabot (R-Ohio) had endorsed her in the Republican primary this year after Tancredo and Chabot’s office said it was not true.

[Torie]

What do Evangelicals think about check kiting? Since I don't know any, I don't know.

[AmishDude]

I do understand now. The only Republican you can trust is one who loses.

[conservative_2001]

It sounds like you're pissed that someone knew some info about a Member of Congress that you didn't. I didn't pick you to be someone who got as upset at the mention of someone's voting record as a few others do.

[Fruitbat]

How is it that those most resembling Hitler and Hitleresque tactics are allowed to call others "Hitler-like?"

[conservative_2001]

I am not sure what the smoking gun is here. Schmidt was opposed to the raising of the drinking age? How horribe. Help me with some of this, please.

Probably something about referring to a ton of Reagan delegates as, "young Hitlers" and booing Elizabeth Dole at the Republican convention. How convenient you overlook that.

[Torie]

It sounds like you're pissed that someone knew some info about a Member of Congress that you didn't.

Nope, almost no poster really pisses me off. I appreciate almost all who chose to contribute here. I really do. It is what the public square is all about. If you could effectively bag Schmidt, and get in a clone of the guy who was in before she was (Portman I think), I would salute you. But so far, it has been pop gun city. It has been one big nothing. That is my honest opinion.

[Steve_Stifler]

Well, doing both those things would seem to put her in the center of Republican politics somewhere between the "young Hitlers" and the wishy-washy Elizabeth Dole.

[Torie]

Ya, she was passionate in a discourteous and ineffectual way. That is a character flaw in her, to this day. But it is not a smoking gun. Many, and indeed perhaps a majority. of polticians. have character flaws. Being a human being sucks. We are imperfect.

[fieldmarshaldj]

"And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing."

"MacBeth" Act V, Scene V

(Thought you'd appreciate that one). ;-)

[Steve_Stifler]

If we had cloned Portman in this district, the Brinkman/McEwen crowd would have attacked the clone as a moderate RINO out of touch with the area's "true" conservative values.

[FRONTLINER]

Thank you for posting that . That's all we need to know , read no further people . Consider the source .....disgusting and lame

[Torie]

It is one of my favorites actually. Thanks.

[AmishDude]

It should be noted that her ill-advised "young Hitlers" remark if it did, indeed happen (smears from the Hill) was in dismay that the kids were so dour that they put a bad face on the conservative movement. So, she was, if anything, being too faithful to the cause.

[Galveston Grl]

Mean Jean was probably part of the Weld/Whitman wing of the party. They were trying their hardest to beat off all the conservatives from entering their pup tent minority party.

Remember Weld led a protest outside one of the Republican conventions because of a pro-life platform. He single handedly expelled all the Irish Catholics in Masshole who attracted to the party due to Reagan. It was a shocking display of Limo RINO destruction. We got him in the end.:)

[freepatriot32]

“I hate that woman,” she told the reporter. “I just can’t stand her. Anyone who wants to force an increase in the drinking age to 21. … She can send our boys off to fight wars when they’re 17 and 18 but won’t let them drink till they’re 21.”

She added, “That stinks.”

Absolutely right on and the worst thing about it was the way they got it past in all 50 states blackmailing the states with threats to cut off the highway funds unless the drinking age wasrasied to 21 because a prohibitionist crusader got her pantys in a bunch the same woman that was crusading during her failed presidential run to get all ak 47s off the street because in her words "why would a civilian need an ak 47"" well lizzy dolt why dont you go to south central la and ask any Korean grocer that question and see what answers you get.I hate the woman too.

Libertarian ping.To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here

[Tired of Taxes]

I noticed that quote, too, and agree she was right about the drinking age. Either you're an adult at 18 or you're not. These laws are not consistent.

[conservative_2001]

The Hill is a respected newspaper that gives excellent coverage of DC politics. And the source where they got this quote, the Cincinnati Enquirer, was running a puff story on some delegates to the Republican National Convention. It's not exactly gotcha liberal journalism.

It's amazing how many people want to stick their head in the sand and pretend the news is faked anytime it contains some information they don't like. Some people have a knack for making really stupid comments. Mean Jean has proven she's one of them.

[fieldmarshaldj]

If Schmidt were that bad, she would've set of my RINO radar like nobody's business. That surely, too, would've shown up in her votes in Congress so far (which would resemble the unlamented Connie Morella, who came close to making Murtha look like Jesse Helms), and they haven't.

[conservative_2001]

I don't even disagree with Schmidt on that point. I'd lower the drinking age to 18 myself. As if often the problem with Schmidt, even when she's right she makes the point so poorly that she only helps the other side. She's got the same problem Howard Dean does, except it's a lot less funny when it's a Republican making our party look stupid.

[Kuksool]

I am surprised James Dobson endorsed McEwen. Dobson must losing a few brain cells. Evangelicals in the OH-02 won't take too kindly to McEwen's blatant district shopping and check bouncing schemes.

McEwen represented the rural areas at the eastern edge of the OH-02. This was the area that had pathetic turnout in the special election. After losing the special election primary, I suspect McEwen had sour grapes and purposely suppressed voter turnout in the '05 special election with the hopes of getting unified GOP support to defeat Paul Hackett in 2006.