NATION: Hackett Exited Ohio Race After Bad Poll

[Edgewater_Joe]

Hackett Exited Ohio Race After Bad Poll

John Nichols

Paul Hackett, who has dropped out of the race for the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination with his usual theatrical flourishes, says he quit the contest because of the pressure he claims he felt from national Democratic bigwigs.

That may well have been a factor in Hackett's decision.

But it appears that an even bigger factor was a poll that showed Hackett trailing far behind his progressive primary opponent, U.S. Representative Sherrod Brown. With the filing deadline for the May Democratic primary rapidly approaching, Hackett was confronted with new numbers from his own pollster, which showed Brown was ahead among likely voters by an almost 2-1 margin -- 46 percent for the congressman to 24 percent for Hackett.

Despite the fact that Hackett had been campaigning for the Senate seat since last fall -- while Brown had been tied up in Washington leading the fight against the Central American Free Trade Agreement and other administration initiatives -- the poll, details of which were obtained by the Cleveland Plain Dealer, revealed that Hackett had made few inroads among Democrats outside his southern Ohio base.

This is not to say that Hackett was a bad candidate.

An Iraq War veteran gained national attention with his blunt criticism of President Bush during the campaign for an Ohio U.S. House seat that he almost won in a special election last summer, Hackett would have been serious contender in a Senate race against just about anyone else. But Hackett had a hard time convincing most Ohio Democrats -- particularly more liberal voters in the northern Ohio counties where the party is strongest -- that he would be a bolder or better candidate than Brown, an early and consistently outspoken critic of the Bush administration's rush to war in Iraq who is one of the House's leading foes of corporate excess.

Posted 02/15/2006 @ 1:34pm

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/notion?bid=15&pid=59896

Enough already. Hackett didn't have the numbers, he knew it, and while trying to cover for that he went on both Ed Schultz and Randi Rhodes recklessly and selfishly trashing Sherrod Brown in the process.

Whatever else he is, he isn't a guy you should probably be thinking about in the future as a leader - and this, combined with his actions, seem to show it.

[Kagemusha]

1. Um, I don't recall Sherrod Brown being such a villain in this.

I thought it was more Schumer giving the hard bitch slap to Hackett to tell him his services were no longer required and to get out of the way of the candidate the establishment favored that people disagreed with.

If professional politicians are the only type you're comfortable with, and that the party's comfortable with, I don't hold out much hope for other Iraq war veterans trying to get into politics. After all, even one-limb decorated war veterans aren't immune from being called unpatriotic. I expected this fad to get out of fashion and, well, it did.

[sasha031]

2. I didn't hear Hackett trash Brown on Randi Rhodes!

On the contrary he said he would do whatever possible to support Brown for the good of the party! He claimed his exit was due to money.

I didn't hear him on Shultz, but I know what I heard on Rhodes. I like him, I really hope he doesn't disappear from politics, he is a straight shooter, we need more people like him.

if you go to Randi's site I'm sure you can hear the entire conversation.

[zulchzulu]

12. Agreed...Hackett didn't trash Brown on any show I heard him on

If anything, Rhodes failed to say that Brown was actually a very good candidate. She wants to jump Hackett's bones from what I've heard.

Hackett knew he (1) didn't have the money to win, (2) was expecting getting to get swiftboated for rumors about his service in Fallujah and (3) didn't have the numbers to win. He admitted all three in interviews I heard on Ed Schultz and Randi Rhodes.

He should run again in the future...it's not his time right now. No biggie.

[Catchawave]

3. He should have gone after Schmidt in the first place

I love Paul, I donated to his campaign last year, but was disappointed when he stepped into the Senate race, and I'm in another state. I'm crossing my fingers, he takes a deep breath, broadens his issues and go after Schmidt again. Do it for John Murtha, we need to clean House, and that bitch needs to go.

[mazzarro]

4. It's Fine That The Numbers Favor Brown But Backstabbing Hackett?

The issue is the way the democratic legislative leadership went about compelling Hackett to leave the race.

[wakeme2008]

5. I trust what Dean knows

on this matter.

[Aaaargh]

6. Complete BS -- the primary isn't until May, and besides

what does "likely voters" mean in this poll? It's awfully hard to say, because, although Nichols refers to the Cleveland Plain Dealer as the source for this contention, there's no link to a PD article, and I myself don't find any such article through a search on the PD website.

You guys aren't doing Sherrod Brown any favors by smearing Hackett.

[madfloridian]

7. You and Nichols told half of that poll. Hackett did NOT attack Brown.

It was up at the Plain Dealer, it is in format that will not allow copy paste. The other half is that when positive things about both were said, Hackett was a wee bit ahead of Brown. Maybe 3 points.

[Edgewater_Joe]

9. He Trashed Brown on Randi's Show

And what's worse, Randi kind of let him.

Extremely disappointing, but she likes the guy.

[madfloridian]

10. No, he did NOT trash Brown at all. And your poll is still half wrong.

I usually respect Nichols, but this time he did not give the whole story. Neither are you.

Other polls are posted all over the forum, so you need to take a look.

[Elidor]

8. Whatever else Hackett had going for him

He didn't have the follow-through to stick it out. Maybe he'll try again someday and mature into a seasoned politician, but his "they forced me out" bit is so juvenile that I thank god he quit.

[karynnj]

11. Badly titled article - not a bad poll, but bad news for Hackett

Am I the only one who read it as an inaccurrate poll that made him make a bad decision.

[radio4progressives]

13. Just for the record,, I lost trust in the Credibility of the Nation a long

long time ago. I don't trust the editors and I don't trust several of it's writers. John Nichols is acting as functionary which is his right to do,
but readers should be leary of the propaganda that is being advanced to justify the actions which have occured surrounding this matter.