| Submit your comments on this article |
| Home Front: Politix |
| Schmidt Defeats Hackett |
| 2005-08-03 |
| (08-02) 20:47 PDT CINCINNATI, (AP) -- A Republican former state lawmaker claimed a seat in Congress on Tuesday by narrowly defeating an Iraq war veteran who drew national attention to the race with his military service and a series of harsh attacks on President Bush. Name calling of the Prez backfires when you are military.... Very bad form... With all precincts reporting, Jean Schmidt had 52 percent, or 57,974 votes, compared with Democrat Paul Hackett's 48 percent, or 54,401 votes. Schmidt's margin of victory amounted to about 3,500 votes out of more than 112,000 cast. Wait a minute, Aren't they challenging this? What about Dick Tracy, and Homer Simpson? Didn't they vote? How about all the minority Dems who were too stupid to vote without help? Schmidt, 53, will replace Republican Rob Portman, who stepped down this year after being named U.S. trade representative by Bush. Portman held the seat for 12 years, consistently winning with more than 70 percent of the vote in the Cincinnati-area district. Parties out of power always do better in special elections... Democrats had viewed the race as a bellwether for 2006, saying even a strong showing by Hackett in such a heavily GOP district would be a good sign for them in the midterm elections. Close only counts in horseshoes? Haven't you ever heard that? "We began this race way back in late March, and no one had thought we'd be the focus of the national media or be the so-called first test of the Republican Party and the Bush mandate. Well, ladies and gentleman, we passed that test," Schmidt said. And the fact that a primary opponent DeWine, Jr was handicapped by his father's double-dealing association with the "Gang of 14" helped you too, Madame Representative. Congratulations - Good show! |
| Posted by:BigEd |
| #15 Let's hope Kos starts picking stocks & football games, soon... Kos would probably pick Florida State to win the ACC |
| Posted by: badanov 2005-08-03 18:31 |
| #14 Actually, I agree that this election was a bellweather for the Democrats: they are going to lose again next time... and the time after that, and the time after... ;-) Like the last presidential election, when Kerry lost while getting more votes than Clinton needed to win. Hackett was the best they could do, and it just wasn't good enough. The message of the Democratic Party has passed its "sell by" date. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2005-08-03 17:16 |
| #13 Perfection is so hard to achieve, let alone maintain, but if anybody can pull it off it's Kos. |
| Posted by: docob 2005-08-03 16:41 |
| #12 Let's hope Kos starts picking stocks & football games, soon... |
| Posted by: Raj 2005-08-03 16:10 |
| #11 Charles at LGF points out this makes Kos 0 for 16 in election results for candidates endorsed. A singular achievement. |
| Posted by: .com 2005-08-03 15:51 |
| #10 I'm glad the voters of Ihio decided to Hackit up! Like a furball. |
| Posted by: intrinsicpilot 2005-08-03 13:18 |
| #9 BigEd, Good job bringing up DeWine. Shame on me for, forgetting about the "son of a...Gang of 14" |
| Posted by: Poison Reverse 2005-08-03 13:15 |
| #8 This from an Ohio reader of the Buzz at NRO: "However, Buzz reader Melissa writes in with some interesting data from the last two congressional cycles: 2002-184,100. R-136,523 D-47,618 2004-310,000 R-227,102 D-89,598 2005-111,000 R-57,974 D-54,401, Comparing 2002 to 2005, the Republicans stayed home, the Democrats, if reports are true, invested millions to get 6,783 more votes. Relative to 2004, they lost 35,197 or 40% of the voters they had only 9 months ago. The backslapping that is occurring is far from reality." Seems the Dems are stretching the numbers again about this "success" |
| Posted by: Sherry 2005-08-03 11:39 |
| #7 Hackett lost because he was two-faced. He ran ads touting his military service as if he were a combat vet and a buddy of Bush. He's neither - he's a REMF officer, and no closer to the CinC than any other Marine. And he also harshly criticized Bush, calling him an SOB in order to play to the MoveOn crowd that dominated demcrat politics. Sorry Hackett, can't have it both ways. A two faced man is unstable in all his ways - so the voters essssentially called you on it - and didnt trust you. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2005-08-03 10:18 |
| #6 Democrats had viewed the race as a bellwether for 2006, saying even a strong showing by Hackett in such a heavily GOP district would be a good sign for them in the midterm elections. Again with the "bellweather" talk. He basically ran ads suggesting he was GWB's best bud in the world. That's a far cry from his previous statements. |
| Posted by: eLarson 2005-08-03 10:10 |
| #5 Trailing Wife I would agree with his noble service that is because I believe ALL service is noble. It takes clerks, cooks, guards, supply people, drivers, shooters, and unfortunately lawyers to run a war. I have no qualms about his service but I do have issues with his stealth and blatantly dishonest campaign. Never during his radio or TV ads does he mention that he is a Democrat and a liberal. In the TV ad he claims to AGREE with the President, but is on record for saying the opposite. I contend that if this were not short campaign (and the voters had got the full story) the race would not have even been close. It also is a prequel to what we will see when Sir Hillary runs for President, she will claim to be a moderate hawkish instead of the neoliberal that we have all come to love. Congratulations to Representative Jean Schmidt. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2005-08-03 10:01 |
| #4 For all that the man is an ass, and I am very pleased didn't win, he did step out of a very lucrative career when he didn't have to. (There are no poor people in the suburb of Indian Hill. We're talking solidly upper middle to lower upper class. Horses have the right of way.) He could easily have gone into politics without the military component. And it sounds like, unlike Senator John F. Kerry, he did right while he was out there, front line or no. I saw a snatch of his post-results speech, and he spoke of giving the voters a real choice -- and in this reliably Republican part of Ohio, he's the best choice the Democrats have offered in a while. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2005-08-03 09:13 |
| #3 Edward- IIRC...he's a JAG. Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2005-08-03 07:26 |
| #2 Aren't they challenging this? *snicker* I'm sure they don't want to call attention to how they managed to get 48%. |
| Posted by: 2b 2005-08-03 03:13 |
| #1 It's back to Iraq for Hackett! I wonder if his squadmates noticed? (For that matter, I wonder just what his MOS was.) |
| Posted by: Edward Yee 2005-08-03 01:53 |