Some Democrats would like to have Jean Schmidt to kick around some more. She was a hate-spouting GOP lunatic before hate-spouting GOP lunatics were cool. Michele Bachmann Overdrive minus any repentent apologies. The poster child for low Republican favorability ratings.
Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but we in Ohio's second district feel it's time we had some authentic representation in Congress -- "no taxation without..." and all that jazz. Let the residents of Charlie Rangel's district elect some crazed paleozoic symbol of Republican sociopathy if one is really needed. It's our turn to have a genuine (rhymes with porcupine) Member of Congress. And we got the guy.
His name is David Krikorian. You may recall that he ran for Congress in 2008 as an Independent, pulling a very impressive 18% of the vote, with little media attention or outside funding. Now, Krikorian is running as a Democrat for 2010. Be scared, Jean. Be very scared.
More below the fold.
What can one not say about Jean Schmidt? She made her debut on the House floor by calling ex-Marine Jack Murtha a coward. She was caught in a lie about having two bachelor's degrees -- a self-revealing lie because anyone smart enough to get two degrees would at least claim the second degree was a higher one. She became the first Member of Congress to endorse the centralized storage of high-level nuclear waste in her own district, albeit at the opposite end from where she lives. That last stunt made her the subject of a Halloween editorial cartoon by Jim Borgman, in which she played a nuclear ghoul "trick-or-treating" in the Cincinnati suburbs.
http://yfrog.com/...
You have to hand it to Jean, she is a brave person. She voted for a Constitional Amendment making "flag desecration" a federal crime, while simultaneously wearing a Captain America suit that would have made her a felon, under the proposed amendment:
http://yfrog.com/...
As to Krikorian, he describes himself as "a libertarian Democrat." That's a perfect description of the typical voter in OH-02. Krikorian is smart, he's got tremendous integrity, he's a successful businessman. He is also explicity anti-machine in a district that has been ravaged by the political machines of both parties, which often collaborate with one another.
In fact, Vic Wulsin bombed for the blue team in 2008, precisely because she caved to the Democratic machine, pulling her punches, not saying what she meant. Wulsin, having lost in 2006 and 2008, will not run again in 2010. She has indicated she may endorse Krikorian, who has offered to help her retire her campaign debt. But Wulsin hasn't yet done the deed. (Vic, get on the shtick!)
Independents outnumber Democrats and Republicans combined in the eastern part of the district, where Appalachians have been screwed by the party apparatchiks since the Ohio Company pulled off the original and still-greatest land speculation scheme in US history. We've been waiting for a tough-minded honest anti-machine politician to rise in these parts for two hundred years. Krikorian is our man.
Some distant analysts have blamed Krikorian for Wulsin's loss in 2008. They are totally wrong. I strongly supported Wulsin at the time, but I realized and wrote in numerous diaries that Krikorian, by running to the right that year, was drawing more votes away from Schmidt. Wulsin simply ran a lousy campaign in 2008, and stood no chance, even if Krikorian had not entered the race.
Now, with Krikorian uniting the anti-machine Democrats and Independents of the district, the path to victory is clear. Wulsin and Krikorian pulled a combined 55% of the vote in 2008. In 2010, Krikorian should garner at least that percentage -- I predict a 10 point margin in the general.
It appears that Krikorian will face only one serious primary challenger. The Democratic machine is backing Todd Book, a State Representative. But Book is known in only one of OH-02's seven counties, and a smaller one at that. There is no way for Book to overcome Krikorian's name recognition.
I'll be covering this race regularly. Support Krikorian through Act Blue! at https://secure.actblue.com/... Because the people of OH-02 have had all the Schmidt we can stand.