In the 8/15 issue of The New Republic (posted online today), Michael Crowley analyzes what the Hackett campaign did or didn't mean for the future of Democratic politics and the '06 cycle.
More on the flip side...
In
Paul Hackett's Near Victory: Army of One, TNR contributor Michael Crowley basically credits three factors for Hackett's close loss in Ohio:
- Hackett's Iraq war veteran status
- Schmidt's being an "an uncharismatic, washed-up ex-state representative"
- The blogosphere
Mad props to Bob Brigham and Swing State Project in here, plus a funny recap of Hackett's maiden diary on dKos, when everyone was afraid he might be a troll:
Some were turned off by Hackett's Bush-bashing. But part of his appeal, one suspects, was that he never backed away from it.
<snip>
This sort of thing made Hackett a rock star in the world of liberal blogs--a figure who combined the defiant rhetoric of Howard Dean with the military credentials of Max Cleland. Schmidt's campaign sniffed at Hackett's Web following. ("The second congressional district doesn't fully involve themselves in the blogosphere," a spokeswoman told me at Schmidt headquarters, as Rush Limbaugh trashed Hackett on a radio playing in the background.) But one need only look at the astounding numbers. Whereas the dccc spent $200,000 on ads for Hackett, the campaign raised more than twice that much from online contributions. Most of that was thanks to the intense advocacy of a handful of liberal bloggers, several of whom traveled to southern Ohio from around the country and became a sort of informal arm of the campaign.
On Election Day, the bloggers' "war room" consisted of a dark corner of the Goldminers Inn, a dank dive bar in Batavia, Ohio, where four twentysomethings quaffed cans of Miller Lite and ruminated about their growing role in Democratic politics. The leader of the group was Bob Brigham, who blogs for a site called Swing State Project. After raising a six-figure sum for Hackett, Brigham had flown in from San Fancisco and "embedded" himself in the campaign, riding in Hackett's small convoy from event to event in baggy blue jeans and faded red canvas sneakers. "We're three times as relevant as the dccc. And you can quote that!" he told me between sips of beer.
<snip>
Whether this spirit means a 2006 Democratic sweep is another matter. While the bloggers who sustained Hackett are certainly around for the long haul, the midsummer timing of the race allowed liberals to focus on Hackett's campaign with an intensity that won't be possible when dozens of other races are competing for attention in the November 2006 midterms. And, while Democrats are trying to scare up more Iraq veterans to run next year, the list is likely to be a short one.
Which may not be all bad. It's not easy running political neophytes for office, as the Hackett experience suggests. For all his seemingly ideal qualities, Hackett chafed at essential parts of the campaign process. The marriage between Hackett and his broader fan base, for instance, sometimes seemed an uneasy one. On the Monday before the election, Brigham convinced Hackett to make a guest appearance on the militantly liberal website Daily Kos. The candidate sat with him in a darkened restaurant, squinting quizzically at Brigham's laptop. At one point, after Brigham relayed some slangy reader commentary, Hackett turned to him and deadpanned, military style: "Translate." It seemed that some of Daily Kos's more paranoid readers wanted proof that it was really Hackett posting. Hackett rolled his eyes. "What do they want, my Social Security number?" Then he dictated to Brigham at the keyboard: "It's me. Quit being a typical Democrat and get off my ass." Inevitably, someone took offense: "If exercizing [sic] critical thinking skills and healthy skepticism makes me a 'typical Democrat,' I'm proud to be one," harrumphed one reader.
It is important to note, however, that Crowley nevertheless thinks a lot of Hackett's near-success was his veteran status, something which will be hard to duplicate with other candidates across the country. He also thinks the amount of attention given to this race will not be able to be replicated for every race in 2006, just because of the sheer volume of seats.
As much as Hackett's straightforward "give 'em hell" attitude may have turned some people off, I think it turned more people ON to his campaign. I think the Dems have to become the party of fighters...whether it's fighting on the battlefield or fighting with words here at home, the future of the Democratic party has to be "we don't take no shit!"