OH-3 Roundup

Give me a reason why the Montgomery County Prosecutor can't win first, at least. Hackett has said he isn't running, especially in a district he doesn't live in.  So if he doesn't run, do we just give up the district?

Frankly, instead of writing off all the possible candidates from within the district, let's at least take a serious look at them and see who's interested there first.

I like Paul Hackett, but I simply don't think our answer to every race is him.  And, frankly, neither does he. 

Why would Schumer and Reid get involved in recruiting a candidate to run for a House seat?  Call the DCCC if you're going to call anyone.  Honestly, Schumer and Reid have enough on their plate as is.

Maybe other candidates have a slight chance, but Hackett is easily the best candidate right now. I live in Dayton, and Hackett has great name recognition in the district.

I also doubt that he'll change his mind and run. However, I also thought Hackett would never endorse Sherrod.

Maybe Paul is disappointed with what Reid and Schumer did to him in the Senate race. If the call him up, apologize and offer to help, maybe he'll change his mind.

seeing as I suppose I'm partially responsible for the whole "Hackett said he wouldn't do it" meme, I should clarify a couple of things. He did not say "especially in a district he doesn't live in." He did say. "unless I win the lottery."

It's a money issue folks... 

BBBBBBAAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 Please tell me you live in Deleware. 

He has a great presence and there have been commercials featuring him and his family on local TV for years. I've known of the family for years because my son went to school with his son. I would be happy to continue volunteering for this campaign with him as a candidate.

Staff, lets just be real for a minute. In 3 of the 4 counties that make up CD-3, Kerry had NO organization and Mitakides outran Kerry. And that "pathetic" 37% can be turned very easily.

Mitakides has one thing none of the other candidates have - the ability to step in and run right now. Lieberman is not as well known in the district and it will take her time to get up and running. Also, there would be charges of nepotism, because of who her husband is and what he does. Carne is a registered lobbyist who is in D.C. Do you realize how much damage that could do to Strickland and Brown?

We need a ready-made nominee and the fact is, Jane Mitakides is that candidate. She can be and I am willing to bet be the Melissa Bean of Ohio 3!

Jane Mitakides is from the district. She knows the people and she earned the right to run again.

Paul Hackett is a great guy but he doesn't want to run. Tony Hall does not want to run either, nor does McLin.

The three possible candidates right now are Mitakides, Lieberman, and Carne. Of those three, Mitakides is ready to roll.

How would you like to know we lost a chance at recapturing the House and it came down to Ohio CD-3 with an inexperienced, ill-prepared, or lackluster nominee other than Mitakides?

Stephanie, I hope you would consider Jane Mitakides. She's supports choice, supports equality, and supports working families. Most of all, she can have across the board appeal, due to her ties to the strategic communications arena and her "A" rating from the NRA. She is a consensus choice.

Most of all, she can be more than just a sacrificial candidate, but someone who is viable, well-liked, and a winning candidate.

This spin is obviously inspired by scared Republicans or some other candidate who has a lot of talk. You say Mitakides underperformed. She ran in a district, without support from the National Party, in three counties where there was NO Kerry or party infastructure. We also know that the order of preference for the 2004 race was focusing on Debbie Lieberman for County Commission first, John Kerry second, and Jane Mitakides last.

But these same arguments were used against Melissa Bean in Illinois and Stephanie Herseth in South Dakota. They won however when they had party support.

Tony Hall doesn't want to go back to Congress. He's been there and done that. He's making money and is happy where he is at.

Why does Carne want to come back? Carne is a DC Lobbyist and that is what would hurt Strickland and Brown's image.

But tell me another potential nominee who has access to national party funding, personal funds, a staff familiar with the district, a candidate with an organization leftover in every county, an understanding of the opponent, and who cuts across all areas of support better than Mitakides?

Mitakides is the candidate we should unite behind. She ran without party support last time and did well. If we unite behind her, she will draw out core Democratic Party voters, as well as force the Republicans to defend ANOTHER House District that they had not previously planned to fight for.

Jerid are you a Republican or something? To answer your question, much of Mitakides 2004 staff has offered to come back. I know of a national consulting firms that has consistently beat Republican incumbents talking to her.

Why attack a good Democrat? Our party is about showcasing the best and the brightest. But our party is also about winning. Why are you attacking a good Democrat?

Lets talk reality - state your candidate and their strengths. Not intangibles such as former service, or why they underperformed, or their personality.

I help good Democrats get elected for a living. Lets talk turkey and lets keep this dialogue positive. I have not personally attacked any of the other Democrats, so why are you?

We're glad to have your imput here!  We'd all like to see Turner out!  Let's keep the comment positive.  Jerid is definitely not a Republican.  He asked a reasonable question. Facts are facts - Mitakides did run considerably behind Kerry in 2004 in OH-3.  I'm sure Turner is less afraid of her than he was of Studebaker whom I've read was almost even with Turner in some polling.

A strong Democrat could beat Turner this year.  He's very vulnerable in the light of the economy here and the unpopularity of Bush/Cheney.  

According to Survey USA's new poll, Bush has only 34% approval in Ohio and 63% disapproval.  That's his worst showing in any state he allegedly carried. (I don't believe a majority of Ohioans supported him in 2004.) 

If Jane Mitakides is the nominee she'll beat Mike Turner.

So here's my bet....if she is the nominee and loses to Turner, I'll buy you a drink of your choice in Dayton or Columbus.

If Jane wins, you come to the Election Night party and buy me a drink.

DEAL?

I may have come across as a jackass to some of you, I am not really. I am intent on helping good, progressive Democrats win as well as I am intensely loyal to my friends.

BTW....I look forward to a nice rum and Ginger Ale to celebrate a much needed win.

Mike Turner is a VERY strong Republican candidate because he is a very smart Republican candidate. You aren't going to get any cowards cut and run boners like Schmidt. Turner has worked very hard to keep his name out of the press as much as possible. His game plan for victory will be to simply ignore his opponent and run some touchy feely ads shortly before Election Day. If I was betting I'd give the point spread at 10 points in his favor. 

Any candidate that doesn't create the spark that will get the media to pay attention will lose by a very wide margin. You HAVE to foul. You HAVE to be SUPER aggressive. You HAVE to be innovative in your ways to attract attention to the race.

I have never heard any person in the district that wasn't a diehard partisan Democrat say anything negative about Mike Turner. I do hear a lot of people look back on his days as Mayor of Dayton with fondness after contrasting it with the state of Dayton today. Because of the incredibly weak opposition that Democrats in the district have offered he benefits from his District's lack of prosperity.

Any candidate that isn't prepared to use Iraq as a bludgeon to dramatically hammer Mike Turner repeatedly over the head with will lose by a wide margin. Personally, I will feel very comfortable ignoring any candidate that doesn't have the guts to do this since they obviously don't want to win.

So far I have seen no Democratic candidate in the 3rd that has a realistic view of what it will take to beat Mike Turner, nor the political chops to set such a view into motion.

Get real or get your ass kicked.

Go stand on his lawn.

I'm serious.