Posted on 08/04/2005 4:59:04 AM PDT by ChuckShick
Dear Chuck,
Your mandate to fight everywhere had its first test last night.
Marine Major Paul Hackett ran for Congress in a special election in the most Republican district in Ohio. Republicans vowed to "bury" him, pundits wrote him off, and the conventional wisdom asked why Democrats would even bother to put up a fight.
But then something happened. With the infrastructure of local organizers we're building in Ohio and every other state, the most Republican district in Ohio became the most competitive district in Ohio -- a district where Bush won in 2004 by a margin of two to one. We energized thousands of grassroots volunteers and small donors in Ohio and across the country. We made our stand and we fought.
No, Paul Hackett didn't get elected to Congress yesterday. But he received 48.2 percent of the vote in a district where the Democratic candidate received only half that in the last four elections.
The formula is simple. Paul Hackett didn't apologize for being a Democrat, didn't hold back from criticizing a president who has failed to lead in Iraq and at home, and took a strong Democratic message into the heart of a Republican stronghold.
This district used to be written off. Now we have a network of Democrats, independents, and sensible Republicans who are tired of the out-of-touch Republican leadership and its culture of corruption. It proves that we can compete everywhere -- if we show up and fight, and give people a real choice.
This unprecedented result shows that Americans are hungry for change. In the words of one political analyst, Hackett's performance in supposedly safe Republican district means that something is "very, very wrong" for Republicans in 2006.
That's absolutely true. It also means that something is very, very right with our democracy.
For too long, we have conceded huge pieces of this country to the Republicans. No more. When we roll up our sleeves and fight we can compete everywhere -- and we will.
We're just getting started. We have moved people and resources into 25 states so far, and we are on our way into the next 25. We're building a permanent infrastructure to organize and build the Democratic base in every single precinct in the country -- an operation that will not disappear after a single election.
This effort is unprecedented and will fundamentally change the way our party does business. But the only way to do this building the community of people who have Democracy Bonds. A Democracy Bond is a commitment to give a small amount every month to build and sustain the Democratic Party everywhere.
Thousands of people have made the commitment already and are using tools on Democrats.org to grow the community and track their progress. If you want to fight everywhere, now is the time to join the Democracy Bonds community:
http://www.democrats.org/democracybonds
Thank you for everything you do.
Governor Howard Dean, M.D.
Yup. Waste their energies on the solid red states while the GOP goes after the barely blue states.
Uh... no.
Serving military may not run for political office. FORMER MAJ Hackett ran and lost. As usual, the Dems can't differentiate between serving and former service members. Although I understand John Kerry DID serve in Vietnam...
"Paul Hackett didn't apologize for being a Democrat, didn't hold back from criticizing a president"
That's because in his ads he sounded like a Republican and he Fawned over President Bush. Basically, he hid his true personal agenda and not that many Republicans went to the poles.
Hackett is still in the military, albeit as a Reservist. Reservists can run for office, but they have to maintain the same standards of conduct active-duty military members are held to. By the way, the comments he made about the President can easily be used to prosecute him under Article 88 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
Paul hacket didn't apologize for being a Democrat... because he didn't mention he was one in his ad.
They have a winning strategy, they should stay with it.
They also should get used to 'winning' like they did Tuesday. It's going to happen a lot.
Couldn't agree with you more.
Much like the Deaniacs, there were more people from out of state, who couldn't vote, than there were local volunteers working for the faker Hackett.
Is he Selected Marine Corps Reserve or Inactive Ready Reserve?
A company that sells a crappy product that buys new warehouses and delivery trucks in hopes of selling more is in for a rude awakening.
so the RATS are basically admitting we are going to lie and decieve and misrepresent ourselves to get elected
i guess their next trick is they will wear elephant masks when they are on the campaign trail
In yesterday's post Dems Brand Ohio Loss as 'Shockwave of Voter Discontent', you find the following:
Regardless of the election outcome, both candidates will be heading to Washington, D.C., later this week -- Schmidt to be sworn in, and Hackett for weekend duty with his U.S. Marines reserve unit.
Looks to me like he's Selected Reserve, which makes his comments (...while Hackett at one point described Bush as the biggest threat facing the nation and even referred to the president as "that SOB in the White House.") prime UCMJ material.
Draw your own conclusions.
I hear the TV announcer intoning "People do stupid things...." and I hear the Vonage music playing.....woo-hoo, woo-hoo-hoo....
I hear the TV announcer intoning "People do stupid things...." and I hear the Vonage music playing.....woo-hoo, woo-hoo-hoo....
I didn't know that Reservists could run for office. I'm not sure how I feel about that...
As for the political comments, you're probably right that he could be charged under the UCMJ, but it would be pretty unusual if he was. Servicemen have the right to political opinions, too, as long as they don't inhibit the performance of their duties. If he'd said "I'm not serving under that chimp" or something like that, them he'd have a problem. As it stands, he may be technically in the wrong, but I'd be amazed if they went after him.
- ThreeTracks
Their next trick will be to get a fat-ankled shrew to campaign in black churches, go on TV & pretend that prayer is important to her, that she is against abortion & to run for president as a "conservative" - even though her record shows she is not.
Oh it was really smart for this joker Hackett to go calling his Commander-In-Chief a "chickenhawk" in a solidly Republican district. Factor in the reality that Schmidt (the winner) was actually a weak GOP candidate, and that translates to one more lost election by the 'Rat Party.
And as EVERYONE should know by now, having worn one of the uniforms of the United States Armed Forces does not equate to being a patriot, to being wise and sage in one's judgments, or being worthy of holding political office.
One needs only look at John F'in Kerry (Traitor-Mass) in the U.S. Senate to realize that.
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