Gary Hart: Pressuring Paul Hackett To Abandon Campaign is Old Politics

Gary Hart: Pressuring Paul Hackett To Abandon Campaign is Old Politics at its Worst

Gary Hart Tue Feb 14, 10:50 AM ET

Based on news reports alone and knowing nothing (thank goodness) about behind-the-scenes politics, the pressure brought on Paul Hackett, the bold Iraqi veteran, to abandon his campaign for the U.S. Senate from Ohio is deplorable.


This is simply old politics at its worst. There is a party which hand-picks its candidates, decides who can and cannot run, directs money to the favorite candidate, and dictate terms. Up till now, that party has been the Republican party.

Now, it seems, my Democratic party is once again imitating the Republican party in a desperate effort to regain power. With the McGovern democratic reforms in the early 1970s, political bosses were diminished and grassroots voters were elevated. The theme was, Let the people decide.

Telling Paul Hackett that he cannot run for the Senate, and purportedly calling contributers to dry up his funds, is the worse kind of old politics. It will drive voters away from the supposedly "open" party, the Democrats, and further add to public cynicism about how politics in America is played in the early 21st century.

Shame on us.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/20060214/cm_huffpost/015637;_ylt=A86.I0oJFfJDOl8Btgj9wxIF;_ylu=X3oDMTBjMHVqMTQ4BHNlYwN5bnN1YmNhdA--

Reid & Schumer deserve a beating over this.
Who the fuck are they to usurp the Democratic Voters of Ohio?
To say they have no voice in who their candidate is?

They should seriously get their asses kicked for this kind of crap.

Of course, we will ALL suffer the consequences of their actions, as per fucking usual.

The Democratic establishment was solidly behind Mondale in 1984, even though he was an obvious loser.

Gary Hart had a chance to beat Reagan that year- and I personally think he would have. But the Dems were bound and determined to be self-destructive and use their influence and so called "super delegates" to stop the telegenic and intelligent Hart.

Reminds me a little of the DLC and Howard Dean in 2004.

Just goes to show how, in many, many ways the Dems are responsible for their own demise.

I posted similar thoughts earlier this morning but not at all as eloquent---nor do I have any chops to be listened to. Gary Hart does, so there!!!

Thanks DU:loveya: :loveya: :loveya:

to withdraw by the powers-that-be within the Dem Party is emblematic of why so many rank and file Dems feel alienated from the party and are desperately in search of some sort of viable, independent alternative. What they did to Hackett is disgraceful, old-style, smoke-filled room politics, and what I expect from Republicans. If this is an example of how the all important 2006 elections are going to be handled by the Dems, we are doomed to failure.