Ohio 2nd Blog

Terri over @ DKos has posted a letter from Kael Weston, a State Department adviser in Baghdad and founder of Donkeys in the Desert:

While not a Ohio resident, I feel the need to write in support of Paul Hackett’s bid for Congress — the special eleciton to be held August 2. I worked with Paul in Fallujah over an intense three-month period, throughout a very difficult time - during and after U.S. Marine-led military operations in the city. He demonstrated the qualities of a real leader: brave, honest, conscientious and committed.

Washington needs to hear and benefit from more “ground truth” about Iraq — and less posturing. Paul has Fallujah “street cred” when it comes to Iraq.

Ohio and America deserve a representative in Congress who can help ensure that Iraq facts are presented in coming months, not spin.

Those of us still here, in the distant western Iraq deserts of Al Anbar Province and dangerous Sunni Triangle (including many Ohioans), would be well served by Paul Hackett in Congress. He would be able to hold Administration leaders accountable — there has been far too little of that – while we continue to work for success in Iraq.

I urge Ohio voters to give Paul the opportunity to continue to serve his country and Ohio, and in so doing, serve his fellow service members still in Iraq. We will be better off with him in Washington. The Iraq debate back home needs an Iraq war veteran’s voice and perspective. Paul uniquely offers that.

Here’s a little reading to go with your coffee before you head out to canvass for Hackett.

• The Enquirer > Schmidt can’t recall Ach favor
  Howard Wilkinson follows up on the story broken by The Blade. (We wonder if they’re trying to make up for the whole Fritz Wenzel thing.)
• The Enquirer > Go to polls, don’t ‘coast’ on election
  We’ve got to agree with that one. Vote for the person you think is the best candidate. Telling people to just stay home is pretty lame.
• The Cincinnati Post > 2nd District race heats up at end
• The Cincinnati Post > Iraq war veteran makes run for Rob Portman’s seat interesting [new]
• Georgetown News Democrat > Campaigns ‘heat up’
  Wade Linville covers the debate.
• The Mississippi Press > In Ohio, a veteran fights a new war
  Columnist John Leek on why he’s praying Paul Hackett makes it.
• MSNBC > Iraq war vet for Congress
  Countdown’s Monica Novotny has a profile up on Paul with video.

Eva Wolkowitz over @ Grow Ohio has posted two great reports on how things are going on the ground in the 2nd, one about phone banking and one from Hackett HQ. I love this kind of blogging.

Here’s the latest numbers that I’m getting:

Hackett: $350,000 (on TV and Radio)
Schmidt: $162,000

DCCC: $244,000
NRCC: $350,000

That means that the Hackett campaign has about 20% more in media buys.

Republican blogger NixGuy thinks that Hackett advertising actually does him harm since it just informs Republicans that there’s an election going on and they’ll vote for Schmidt anyway. Personally, we’ve always felt that the constant talk about this being a district totally owned by the Republicans was the case of people getting high off their own supply. You don’t just get people’s votes, you have to earn them. Jean Schmidt isn’t George Bush and Paul Hackett isn’t Charles Sanders. Watching people use those numbers to predict the election has been funny as hell.

Crooks & Liars has posted the radio ad that has been put out by the DCCC. They are stepping up and stepping up hard.

A lot of people are slamming them but I must say that the slow play has been working pretty good. Myself, I’m swearing off the hating. It’s never done me any good anyway.

ALSO:

I got a chance to hear the COAST anti-Schmidt commercial on WLW. Awesome and devastating. PARAPHRASE: I hear that Jean Schmidt is calling herself a fiscal conservative but didn’t she vote to raise taxes? In fact she voted to raise taxes everytime. She voted for every one of Bob Tafts tax increases… The WhistleBlower couldn’t have written a better anti-tax attack ad. Ouch!

From the Clermont County Democratic Party:

Watch Paul on TV. Please share this opportunity with any undecided voter: Friday @ 9:30pm – Watch Hackett and Schmidt Interview on Ch 48 CET/PBS Cincy

From the Hackett for Congress Campaign: (more…)

Hackett for Congress has up the flyers that you can print out and give to people.

Good morning Ohio!

We are now in the the end game of this campaign. It’s too late to buy TV commercials and soon it will be too late for radio. Money no longer plays a factor. It’s come down to boots on the ground. If you want to help make history and also have a lot of fun, give Hackett for Congress a call.

It looks like it’s going to be a hot one this weekend, so when you’re out there in the field make sure to drink lots of water.

We’ll be posting more details about campaign events for both sides later in the day.

And now, the news:

Howard Wilkinson over @ The Enquirer reveals that the conservative C.O.A.S.T organization is using a liberal PAC to purchase their media buys. Talk about strange bedfellows. They must really REALLY not want to see Jean Schmidt in office to pull that gambit. Something tells me that she skipped the first half of Dale Carnegie’s masterpiece.

The Enquirer also has an article detailing the last minute money. It’s fun watching them spin pouring a half a million dollars into a can’t lose race. It does make me wonder how popular Jean Schmidt will be in the corridors of power when they had to fork over $500,000 to get her into the most Republican district in Ohio. (I still have a source telling me there’s more, for what that’s worth. )

Something tells me that the 2006 primary is going to be a real barn burner no matter who wins this baby. One thing I can assure you, if Jean Schmidt is elected to Congress, the entire focus of her first term will be in raising as much cash as humanly possible, and something tells me that her new pals in Washington won’t be opening their wallets for her next time she comes a callin’. I’d start looking for Schmidt votes on Ebay at the rate she’ll need to sell off the district in order to raise cash.

Reuters has an interesting article on the race. Paul’s service is giving the election a lot more coverage than usual from traditional media sources.

Congratulations to the Ohio RNC for being named the Wanker of the Day by the blog Eschaton! A real honor for a local Party operation.