Oh, You Have GOT to be Kidding Me

The Dem establishment is trying to pressure Iraq War Veteran Paul Hackett to withdraw his Senate bid in Ohio:

An advisor to Democratic candidate Paul Hackett says the Iraq war veteran is being pressured to drop out of Ohio’s US Senate Race. Mike Brautigam says after Congressman Sherrod Brown announced last week he would run for Mike Dewine’s seat, Hackett started getting phone calls pressuring him to get out. Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Charles Schumer of New York to drop out of the race. Brautigam says Brown had told Hackett earlier he would not be a candidate and Hackett now feels betrayed by the Democratic party. Brautigam says the Democratic leaders say it’s Brown’s turn to run. He says Hackett is still making up his mind about what to do and expects to make a decision by October 24th, the day he had planned to officially enter the race. Hackett narrowly lost to Jean Schmidt in a special election to fill the seat left vacant when Rob Portman took a position in the Bush Administration.

First of all, bad politics. This guy is well-liked, well-spoken, personable, good-looking, and can hit the GOP where they live—in the war zone for chickenhawks. He clearly touches a nerve with voters, having almost won a congressional seat in an Ohio district that is a Republican stronghold.

Secondly, what’s this shit about whose “turn” it is to run? That’s an old guard GOP mindset, which led them to run the likes of Bob Dole, because he’d put in his time and the top of the ticket was his due. That’s exactly the kind of entrenched traditionalism we don’t need right now from the Democrats, at a time when new ideas and new faces are what the party needs more than anything. Schumer ought to be ashamed of himself.

And Hackett ought to run. If the Democrats don’t want him, I’m sure the Greens would be happy to help him out.

(Hat tip AMERICAblog.)