CinciEnq: Closeness of race "nothing short of astounding"

[DesEtoiles]

This is the right-wing Cincinnati Enquirer:

Closeness of race a surprise
Few expected Hackett's performance in GOP-heavy district

By Howard Wilkinson
Enquirer staff writer


The win by Republican Jean Schmidt in Tuesday's 2nd Congressional District election was in no way shocking, but the fact that Democrat Paul Hackett made it a very close election is nothing short of astounding. <-----------

Seven weeks ago, when Schmidt won an 11-candidate primary, few on either side believed that - in a district where President Bush won 64 percent of the vote and no Democrat had come close to winning in decades - this would be much of a contest.

But Hackett, the Indian Hill lawyer trying to become the first Iraq war veteran elected to Congress, won the vote in Brown, Adams, Pike and Scioto counties and came close to pulling off a monumental political upset. <----------

"This election is a shockwave of voter discontent that will be felt all across the country," said Rep. Rahm Emanuel, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050803/NEWS01/508030355/-1/CINCI

[mattclearing]

1. Hear, hear.

Can only portend good things for 2006. Let's pray the momentum and the anger holds up.

[JuniorPlankton]

2. I don't buy it

A loss is a loss, no matter how glorious :(


All these second-order speculations are pointless, we need to win something!

:kick:

[theHandpuppet]

5. For one thing, there needs to be redistricting

Take a look at the map being discussed on this thread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=172x7587

As you can see, the 1st and 2nd Districts have been gerrymandered so that Hamilton County (Cincinnati) Republicans control two districts rather than one. The four rural counties in District 2 went for Hackett by large margins, but they have no chance against the more populous Cincinnati-area machine.

Hamilton County should be, in whole, part of District 1 only, whilst district 2 would pick up all of Scioto County plus Vinton and/or Jackson Counties.

Some might say that's a difference of only one congressional seat. But that's the way the Repukes have been picking us apart for years, redrawing the lines district by district.

[wli]

3. pure fraud

The "humidity" stunt is a dead giveaway.

[phantom power]

4. The Iraqi war veterans are going bring the neocons down.

Hackett is just the first of these guys who's going to come back, raging pissed. Some will run for office like Hackett, the rest will be voting for guys like him, and just generally speaking out about what a fucking lie that war was.