With friends like these, who needs Republicans?

The Hackett situation, as it is being reported by the Left with a sense of righteous indignation, is filled with rumor and inaccuracies. I've spoken extensively with the Vice-Chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party (a childhood friend) and have learned that the primary entity that "betrayed" Paul Hackett was his own hubris. We on the Liberal side of the fence have long complained that Democrats need to develop serious strategies for regaining some seats in Congress. And the Ohio Democratic leadership had just such a plan in place - until, that is, Major Hackett decided that running for the House just wasn't befitting his "rockstar" status.

The Party's strategy, if followed by a team player (which Hackett most certainly is not), could have guaranteed Democrats a seat in both the Senate and the House come November. Hackett was a virtual shoo-in to defeat Schmidt in the 2nd District. Without the turmoil Hackett has caused over the Senatorial race, Brown had full support - and an excellent strategy - to oust DeWine.

But Hackett's conceit and disingenuous comments about "betrayal" by Party leadership are doing nothing more than painting a picture in the minds of Ohio voters of a Democratic Party at war with itself. How is that good for the Progressive cause? And how is this constant carping on the "Rovian" antics of the Ohio Democratic Party doing anything to help either?

By all rights, Major Hackett should have won his race last year against the woman who famously called John Murtha a "coward" on the floor of the House. But it is a commonly held belief in Ohio that Hackett's political inexperience, specifically his referral to Bush as a "son of a bitch," cost him the election. Whether that statement was refreshing and true or not, it alienated enough veterans and undecided voters to swing the election in favor of the GOP.

But Hackett believes that, based on his strong but losing effort, he should be able to write his own ticket or else, is arrogant and absurd. If he had actually been committed to aiding the Progressive cause, he would have worked with Party officials to help Dems gain as much ground in Ohio as possible. And a Congressional win in the redder-than-red 2nd district would have been HUGE.

Instead, being a lowly Congressman just wasn't good enough - and I think that exposes that Hackett's motivations aren't as unquestionably noble as the more vocal among us would like to believe. We should stop eagerly lining up to kiss Paul Hackett's ass while lambasting the Democratic Party. If there was any betrayal that went on in the Hackett affair, it was he that did the betraying - and not the other way around.

Bob, with all due respect, your recalling of the events is nothing short of a Rovian retelling.

Hackett did run against Schmidt when no one else would and barely lost. He then entered the Senate race ONLY when no one else would, including Sherrod Brown. I can prove that assertion and have yet to have anyone who argues otherwise to prove it. Allegations of "insider knowledge" and "I have it on good authority" have so far been unsubstantiated.

It was only after DeWine showed weakness in the polls following yet another Republican scandal, that Brown (and the Democratic "leadership) decided to enter the race and attempt to religate Hackett to the House race. When Hackett wouldn't play along, a concerted effort to undermine his Senate primary challenge began. Ultimately, in the face of fighting the Democratic establishment and THEIR dirty tricks, Hackett said fuck it.

Do we really want only "team players" in the Democratic party? What has that gotten us so far? And given you definition of a "team player", Hackett has done the only honorable thing to himself, other Democrats who are already running against Schmidt for the House, and the party, he's withdrawn.

Will he re-enter politics? I don't know. I wouldn't. Thus our political leaders continue to be "high-graded" with "team players" who are manipulative and slick. That's not my party, not one in which I want to be affiliated.

BTW, please check out the poll numbers on the Brown "shoo-in". He's significantly behind DeWine, particularly since Hackett left the race. And the "whisper campaign", if indeed it was begun by Republicans, is further proof of who they wanted to face in the general election.

Posts such as yours are showing up all over the blogosphere in order to try and stem the damage done by the Democratic "leadership". I'm not buying and anyone else who has followed the situation closely is not buying either.