Dean blames party "skullduggery" for withdrawal of popular Ohio candidate

[ECH1969]

Democratic party chair Howard Dean says he's not happy that Iraqi war veteran Paul Hackett is dropping out of the race for U-S Senate in Ohio.

Dean told a student audience in Miami that "some skulduggery in Washington" improperly led to Hackett's decision to end his bid. And he said Democrats will have a tough time winning if similar things happen to others.

Hackett was vying with Ohio congressman Sherrod Brown for the Democratic nomination. He said that Hackett was a "great candidate," and that a primary in Ohio wouldn't have hurt the party. Hackett says he's ending his eleven-month political career.

http://www.kfvs12.com/Global/story.asp?S=4503849&nav=8H3x

[wakeme2008]

1. I wonder if Swiftboater Waxman aids read DU

Way to go Dean.

[saigon68]

12. Its "Crazy Chuck Schumer" who is responsible for this

Maybe his buddy Joementum LoserMann is part too.

[wakeme2008]

14. HI

:hi: Quin Nhon 69 :)

[saigon68]

18. Welcome Home

We were winning when I left (68-69)

Iraq-Nam has 2395 years and a wake-up left in it.

:-) :-)

[Toots]

25. We were never winning just killing lots of people.

I Corp 68-70

[saigon68]

40. Winning as I explained it

Was totally sarcasm

We were "Never" winning anything---- but purple hearts

And if you listen to the pukes

most of the P hearts were bogus.

[IndianaGreen]

15. Schumer, Reid, and Emmanuel

Those are the culprits being mentioned, together with those nameless "leaders" that cajoled Hackett's donors to stop their campaign contributions.

[ShockediSay]

20. I'm betting on the Lobbyists>S Brown, however, seems the perfect candidate

to leave out in the cold.

NO DNC MONEY FOR THIS BAGMAN!

[jumptheshadow]

19. "Crazy Chuck Schumer?"

"Crazy Chuck Schumer?" Nice, let's do the Republicans' work for them.

I'm not thrilled about Hackett's departure, but Schumer is my senator, and he is a damn good public servant and a damn good Democrat.

The Republicans would just love to slime him and get rid of him because he is one of the most effective members of their opposition.

[ldf]

33. he's my senator, too...

but he is NOT a good public servant if he is running off the good, new blood candidates, and pissing on the base.

he is getting on my very last nerve.

:grr:

[jumptheshadow]

47. So one act negates years of service?

Schumer is trying to win the Senate back and, in the process, is attempting to save the system of checks and balances that has made our democracy flourish.

Again, I love Hackett, admire his integrity, and hate the fact that fundraising potential was a factor in this equation. But if Hackett feels so deeply about his convictions he will stay in politics and will someday run for an office that he can win and where he will make a difference.

[Trevelyan]

59. Don't forget Harry Reid We need to get rid of him as minority

leader. Don't forget Reid's cowardice over Alito and deliberate lack of preparation. Reid was one of the main "Dems" calling donars and asking them to stop giving Hackett money.

Someone at FireDogLake asked if it was legal for the Dem party "leadership" to tell private donars not to support a legitimate candidate because he was not the DLC official candidate.

This is only a high profile example of what the Dems have done to rank and file Dems like us. The John Kerry disaster is another example of Swiftboating a legitimate candidate like Howard Dean for an official approved DINO.

THIS HAS TO STOP!!!

[0007]

28. I'm more than sure they do! Then again who knows?

:shrug:
:shrug::shrug:
:shrug::shrug::shrug:
Would have liked to at least seen the primaries and the two slug it out. I've never seen Brown in action.

[calimary]

38. I hope Waxman didn't have a lot to do with it. He's my congressman,

and ordinarily, he's pretty damned great. A definite Good Guy in all the important categories. I hope he wasn't involved in this. And the only person he's ever tried to "Swiftboat" has been the hugely deserving dick cheney.

[Greyhound]

44. He is certainly preferable to his predecessor, but I remember a few

really stupid things he did, or tried to do when he was my rep on the city counsel. He is doing well in the House, but I'm afraid he'll end up as the west-coast Kucinich.

[KittyWampus]

41. I would like an EXACT quote from Dean in context and definately attributed

to him. The entire Opening Post contains only TWO words supposedly attributed to Howard Dean. TWO.

[orleans]

2. great...now i have to look up the actual meaning of the word

skulduggery

[orleans]

3. Crafty deception or trickery or an instance of it.

dictionary.com

[wakeme2008]

4. Per My Apple dictionary

skulduggery |skəlˈdəgərē| (also skullduggery) noun underhanded or unscrupulous behavior; trickery : a firm that investigates commercial skulduggery. ORIGIN mid 19th cent.: alteration of Scots sculduddery, of unknown origin. :evilgrin:

[calimary]

39. You could also define it accurately by saying: "WHATEVER bush

and cheney are up to."

[madfloridian]

48. Skullduggery is an interesting word....definition here.

"Verbal misrepresentation intended to take advantage of you in some way"

Interesting.

[napi21]

5. I think we are seeing the results of the battle that is ongoing

battle that the DLC doesn't want Dean to be any part of the Party!

They didn't want him in the Party leadership to beging with, and they're still fighting it. They really don't want anyone who makes waves! Dean and HAckett made waves!!!!

[wakeme2008]

7. Add to that Swiftboater Waxman

who is not DLC but will get dirty to promote a House friend at any costs. :grr:

[Teaser]

13. That's how politics is played

and we better get used to it. THAT won't change no matter who we get in there.

[IndianaGreen]

16. Until they pull the same stunt to ram the 2008 Presidential nominee

down our throats. What if these characters were to do the same thing to your preferred candidate in order to promote someone as unpalatable as Hillary?

[nolabels]

27. LIke they did in 2004? Howard has some experience with this also

This is the way current power structure of GOP works also. Democrats (or DINO's) kowtowing (or licking the boots) to their corporate masters is all that's going on here. Anti-war or even those that dare question anything about fraud (which they call a 'war') are purged in todays oligarch.
It will get worse before it gets better, combat tested war veterans are now traitors to these folks, who would of thought :shrug:

[Freddie Stubbs]

21. Why would the DLC force out Hackett in favor of a more liberal candidate?

:shrug:

[MadHound]

23. Because Hackett speaks truth to power

And it doesn't matter who that power is. He is as likely to blast the Bush regime for going to war in Iraq as he is to blast the Dems for enabling that war. Frankly it is a much needed change that we all need in the corridors of power, but apparently the Democratic leadership thinks otherwise.

[bucklebone]

29. Truth be told...

Hackett was more of a loose cannon, and the Demo leadership didn't know what he would say next or how he would respond when asked to tow the party line in Congress.

Sherrod Brown is a safer bet, although less likely to win against DeWine.

It seems like Schumer would rater lose to Dewiner than win with Hackett.

[Freddie Stubbs]

31. So, the DLC prefers politicians that vote liberal over

politicians that talk a good game?

[ldf]

35. the dlc doesn't prefer politicians who

will vote liberal.

they prefer politicians who will do as they are told.

[KittyWampus]

42. OH The Hypocracy! Just A While Ago We Were Hating Democrats

because they DON'T do as they were told. Remember during the Filibuster?

So many DU'ers bitched because the Democrats don't all vote in lock-step like the GOP.

[Demeter]

49. The Democratic Leaders Were Not Listening to Their Constituents

And any leader that doesn't hear his constituents when they plead for a certain course of action will have NO constituents.

[Freddie Stubbs]

52. Constituents actually live in the state the Senators represent

How many threads did you see during the Alito nomination listing zip codes in states so that callers could pretend to be that Senators constituents?

[yurbud]

56. "do as your told" mean on the big business issues, versus what is right

One of my senators, Dianne Feinstein, looks very progressive on a lot of cultural issues, but when it gets down to the nitty gritty like NAFTA and the Iraq War, her true patrician loyalties shine through.

[Freddie Stubbs]

45. So, who told Brown to vote like a liberal?

He has a liberal voting record, and the DLC allegedly pushed out hackett in favor of Brown.

[CAcyclist]

53. Exactly

If the DLC was for liberal candidates, they wouldn't have tried to derail Tom Ammiano's mayor's bid against Willy Brown. Anyone remember Clinton's comment about Ammiano - I paraphrase - "Ammiano is to the left of Brown? I didn't know there was enough air over there."

[Kelvin Mace]

26. I'll take a moderate

who will ACTUALLY stand up to the Right and defy them over a liberal who votes with Right or refuses to defy them.

[Freddie Stubbs]

30. Brown voted against the War in Iraq

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2002/roll455.xml

He has a liberal voting record.

[Kelvin Mace]

36. Thanks

for the update. I'll have to check his record better next time. I should have made it clear that I was make a broad statement about the party's tendency to resist people like Hackett in deference to "known quantities". Give me a Hackett over a Biden or a Byrd any day.

[brentspeak]

34. The Hackett/Brown thing is not the fault of the DLC

DLC has nothing to do with this particular incident. It involves the DSCC and the DCCC.

[wakeme2008]

6. Forgot to Nom

:)

[eridani]

8. What about the skullduggery against Cegelis and Pennacchio?

Oh, right. They didn't drop out just because the national party favors their primary opponents.

[wakeme2008]

9. Kick for the morning ppl

:)
:kick:

[keopeli]

10. kick for daylight lovers

[cantstandbush]

11. Dive and conquer. That's the name of the game.

This time we divided ourselves. Money and power...not political values or principle.

[xchrom]

17. i have to recommend this.

as a gay man -- i'm happy that sherrod brown is on our side -- BUT i financially supported paul hackett.

i won't make that mistake twice.

if a cadidate is associated with the dccc or dscc -- i will have to think long and hard before supporting them.

the folks in the beltway are engaged in very self destructive campaign if this is the way they are going to behave.

we NEED visible candidates like paul hackett -- they knew he wouldn't run for the house seat -- so you have to ask yourself if that wasn't what they wanted as well.

[Rose Siding]

22. Zounds

It was wrong wrong wrong for *whoever* went after Hackett. But as the dust settles over my own reaction, I have to wonder how Paul would have held up to the kind of pressure exerted by, say, the bushbot cabal.

[rexcat]

24. Yes he would have...

I live in the 2nd Congressional District of Ohio where Paul ran a tough campaign in the special election last August. For a district that runs 2:1 in favor of repukes he garnered 48% of the vote where typically the repuke gets around 70% of the vote. The repukes here in Ohio are relieved to see Paul go by the wayside. They will have an easier time keeping a weakened DeWine in office for another 6 years. The repukes have already started to define who Sherrod Brown is so the chances of Brown beating DeWine are slim to none in this state. Hope I'm wrong but I have lived here too long to be optimistic.

[ldf]

37. and you would have preferred

that hackett go back on his word?

now THAT is the type of candidate we really need.... :sarcasm:

more of the same 'ol, same 'ol.

[Rose Siding]

46. No, that's not what I meant

I understand why he didn't take up a House run. He dropped from the Senate race under pressure.

[rayofreason]

32. Of course he does...

...He knows skullduggery when he sees it - especially since he saw (and felt) the sharp end of it not too long ago.

[KittyWampus]

43. Yeah, it's not like Dean actually pulled any dirty tricks in the primary

or dug up dirt on his opponents or gave any of them the bird. :sarcasm:

Anyhow, prove Dean actually said what is alleged in the opening post.

All that's in quotes are TWO words.

IF Dean said what is alleged, then we can then have a valid discussion.

[rayofreason]

50. "..prove Dean actually said what is alleged in the opening post."

I assume he did say what was reported until other evidence comes to light. The fact that Dean is not above reproach does not change the fact that the party leadership has acted in an arbitrary and high-handed manner to derail a candidate. Why didn't they go to Hackett early on and pursuade him not to run in the Senate race instead of now going behind his back to torpedo his fund-raising?

[Algorem]

51. Is there any proof of this skullduggery or just a lot of talk?

[fjc]

54. No proof so far that I've seen.

There is more proof right now, frankly, that the party, or what's left of it, will further self-destruct over this. Excuse me, but Hackett was asked to run for Congress again. What's wrong with that? Seems like party leaders wanted to get both a House and a Senate seat. Brown for the Senate, and the chances there are good, and Hackett for Congress. What's wrong with that? If Hackett et al regard this as some kind of betrayal then its only further evidence that this party does not have the required unity to win anything.

[savemefromdumbya]

55. Hackett was making some people uncomfortable

e.g. his comments on the Iraq and his immigrants statement. The Democratic Party never want to take risks? I think he should stand.

[saigon68]

58. A certain small country with lots of nukes dosesn't like him

[lavenderdiva]

57. anyone know what the nature of the relationship is between Dean & Reid?

since I heard Reid and someone else were behind the pressure to get Hackett to step down. Just wondering....