I think everyone knows the history here: Sherrod Brown says he's not running for Senate from Ohio, Paul Hackett decides to run, and then Brown changes his mind. It was a shitty thing for Brown to do (he could have just said "maybe") but Hackett is has come to terms with it, and we all can too. Now Brown is running ads on progressive blogs, including DailyKos, and calling for party unity and a clean campaign. That's fine too -- party unity and clean campaigns are generally a good thing. In my opinion, its a little ballsy for Brown to be calling for unity and a clean campaign after his change of heart, but I'll take his word for it that he means it.
What Brown can't do, especially in light of the history here, is call for a clean campaign and then have his subordinates take cheap shots at his opponent. I'm not talking about Brown supporters or volunteers -- a candidate can't control everyone who supports him or her. I'm talking about a paid Brown staffer -- Jerome Armstrong -- who has been attacking Hackett on this site. That is something Brown can control and for which he must take responsibility. As his paid staffer, Armstrong speaks for Sherrod Brown.
For example, here we have Armstrong accusing Hackett of taking inconsistent positions on Iraq and then mocking him for purchasing a bus (which was purchased with the understanding that Brown would not be in the race).
Good call on making the change in position (1.39 / 41)
Thanks for joining Sherrod Brown, who led the fight against going into Iraq, and recognizing that Iraq is a failure.
How's the $144K bus?
by Jerome Armstrong on Mon Oct 24, 2005 at 02:42:21 PM PDT
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Here is another comment by Armstong. The first sentence is actually a quote from Hackett. This is actually Paul Hackett to whom Armstrong is responding.
real class there Paul (1.22 / 31)
I'm motivated to fix what these clowns have let become broken. If you're happy with the status quo, you can have Sherrod Brown.
I'm sure you'll find that Karl will enjoy this type of destructive campaigning; does Sarah even know where Ohio is?
by Jerome Armstrong on Mon Oct 24, 2005 at 02:47:38 PM PDT
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And:
yes yes (2.33 / 9)
Look, you search and find me one place, any place, criticizing Paul Hackett or any of his supporters. I have not engaged at all in this fight, and have just let it play out while not engaging.
But I was sent this link, and saw Paul Hackett talking this crap, and regardless of whether I'm paid with Sherrod Brown or not, I am not going to let him slam Brown and sit back and watch it.
Let the chips fall where they will.
by Jerome Armstrong on Mon Oct 24, 2005 at 04:56:26 PM PDT
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Is that Sherrod Brown's position -- Paul Hackett is talking crap? Let the chips fall where they will? I suggest reading the entire threads to get the whole context of the discussions. As you can probably guess from the ratings, its not pretty.
Meanwhile, Over at MyDD, we get Armstrong insinuating that maybe Brown didn't tell Hackett he wasn't running.
Re: tired of the misleading comments about Brown (none / 0)
The thing that annoys a lot of people about Brown was that he told Hackett that he wasn't running.
You know, I heard that Hackett's people said that, but I don't know that Brown ever said that really, something to consider...
by Jerome Armstrong on Sat Oct 8th, 2005 at 03:27:52 PM EDT
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Well shit, Jerome, he's your boss -- why don't you ask just Brown if he told Hackett he wasn't running. I'm inclined to believe Hackett, especially given Brown's official statement.
After discussions with my family, closest friends, and colleagues in Congress, I have decided to seek re-election to the United States House of Representatives. The race for U.S. Senate is very winnable, and there are a number of impressive Democrats considering a run who I am confident will defeat the incumbent in 2006.
So here's the deal: Sherrod Brown needs to pull his ads and stop pretending he is interested in running a clean campaign. Or he needs to cut Jerome Armstrong loose. Otherwise Brown is a hypocrite.
In the interest of full disclosure, I don't work for or have any association with either campaign. I support Hackett, and even though I don't live in Ohio, I intend to contribute to his campaign. I think Hackett is really an impressive guy, and he has something new the Democrats really need that goes beyond the Ohio Senate race. Brown is a good progressive congressman from a safe Democratic district. He is a career politician and in my opinion is too liberal to get elected statewide in Ohio. I am not happy with what went down with his change of heart, and have previously expressed it in terms stronger than those set forth above. But This diary is not about what I believe or have previously said, although I am sure there will be responses that will try to make it about that.