[Mb-civic] Democratic Iraq war vet running for Senate this Tuesday

[Jef Bek]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/stephen-burt/paul-hacketts-ohi
o_4836.html

07.28.2005 Stephen Burt

 Paul Hackett's Ohio

The most exciting-- and to me, heartening-- political news of the moment
isn't in Washington, D.C., New York, or Iraq: it's in Ohio's Second
Congressional District, outside Cincinnati along the Ohio River, where
Democrat and Iraq war veteran Paul Hackett faces Republican hack Jean
Schmidt in a special election this Tuesday, August 1.

If elected, Hackett will be the first Iraq war veteran to enter the U.S.
Congress.

The district voted for GWB last year, and reelected its then-incumbent
Republican, Rob Portman, by  almost three to one: it's one of the most
Republican parts of the state. [This paragraph corrected after reader
comments-- thanks, hostile Josh!]

When Hackett got into the race, he had nothing going for him except his war
record, his determination, and a few bloggers. And their readers, and their
blogs, and their readers' blogs' readers, and their blogs... you get the
idea.

Soon enough, netroots, grassroots, and deep disillusion with the corrupt,
Coingate-tarred Ohio Republican party made this a startlingly competitive
race.

Now Hackett has pulled within five percentage points. Local papers with
Republican histories have endorsed Hackett. Scandal surrounds Schmidt's
campaign manager; she's bringing in the big elephant guns, and blasting
Swift Boat-style negative ads. Hackett is firing back. The national Dems
have noticed.

If a Dem can win here, Dems can win anywhere. Hackett could still use
last-minute contributions, but what he really needs are volunteers: the
campaign even promises to house them. Interested? Click here, or here, or
here.