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Last night, I saw Paul Hackett speak at the VFW in Kent, Ohio. The room was full, with about 160-170 in attendance. He first spoke, then took questions from the audience. He was blunt, outspoken, opinionated, and refreshing. In his presentation and his answering of questions afterwards, Hackett clearly staked out his positions on issues, as well as the direction he thinks the Democratic party needs to take. He began his speech by stating that he was a liberal Democrat, and proud of it: "What's wrong with `liberal'?, he asked, to loud applause. He emphasized the need for Democrats to fight for all seats, regardless of the chances of winning or losing.
He did not shy away from taking the fight to Republicans: he frankly stated that "the Republican Party has been overrun by religious fanatics." While taking the Republicans to task for their many failures and transgressions, he emphasized the need to reach out to those Republicans and independents willing to listen: "Do we have any Republicans in the audience? I always like to ask."
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