Jean Schmidt, who was batshit crazy before the Tea Party made it cool, is back to reclaim her throne. OhioDaily (of which I am an editor) is reporting this afternoon that the controversial Congresswoman from Cincinnati is chin deep in hot water after a local school was forced to send letters home to parents following her speaking engagement last week.
According to sources close to the situation, Schmidt delivered her routine "career day style" speech on government and the role of a congressperson. Near the end, Schmidt, sensing a chance to connect with very, very young future voters (some of the students were in the first grade), decided to launch into a graphic discussion about abortion. Beginning her special session with "I'm going to get political for a moment," Schmidt then went on to describe what one source described as "developmentally inappropriate things about abortion."
After working the entire room into a state of shock, Schmidt called on a young student who asked a follow-up question. Schmidt, sensing maybe even she had gone too far this time, told the student to "go home and ask your parents."
Yet again, Jean Schmidt has crossed the line. First, it was her hastily thrown together outburst on the floor of the U.S. House "calling out" Congressman Jack Murtha. Then, it was her (hush, hush) moment on YouTube where she's captured telling a birther that she doesn't believe the President is an American citizen.
Now this.
At what point does the Republican party step in and pull their support? They seem reluctant to do it. While they lack the courage to act, voters in Ohio's 2nd Congressional District can. They've got a chance to make history next week and be one of the big stories of election night by sending this train wreck to the stockyards for good. If they're smart, they'll elect someone with a fresh set of ideas and a truly independent voice like that of Surya Yalamanchili. In a district that is heavy on un-affiliated voters, and at a time when Yalamanchili has been on air 10 days ahead of Schmidt, it's certainly worth watching. It doesn't help Schmidt that she emptied most of her campaign coffers assuming she'd coast through the general election cycle. While Yalamanchili can continue running hard, Schmidt is going to have to rely on her...gulp...record.
Yalamanchili, the Democratic candidate, is the last candidate in the nation to not take PAC money in this cycle. If elected, it will make him accountable only to his constituents.
Jean Schmidt, on the other hand, is beholden to the Tea Party, their supporters, and the crazy things that come out of her mouth.
UPDATE : WLWT in Cincinnati has a copy of the letter. Here's an excerpt...
"Unexpectedly, towards the end of her address, Congresswoman Schmidt brought up the topic of abortion, and I am writing you to make you aware of this. Your children may come home with questions, especially if this is a topic that has not been broached in your home. I do not recall the exact words she used, but she paused towards the end of her speech and stated that this would be the only time when she would be ‘political’ in her address. She defined abortion as the taking of a child’s life in the mother’s womb. She indicated that abortion involves the killing of a child before it is born. She was not graphic or any more detailed in this regard. Later, when a child asked about it, she indicated that an abortion is something that a doctor does when a mother requests this. It was not a particularly long segment of her address (1½ minutes or so), and these words may not match the exact words she used, but this description does, I believe, express what your child heard. Her point was to address the increase of governmental activity in the abortion issue and her political resolve to fight against this."