In the upcoming race, there's been a lot of talk about what it is going to take to win the general election against incumbent Republican Sen. Mike DeWine (R) and which Democratic primary candidate - Paul Hackett or Rep. Sherrod Brown - knows what it takes to actually win an election. Beyond simply the political records of the two candidates (ie. Hackett's record consists of losing a special election congressional race, Brown's consists of winning two statewide races and 7 congressional races) is who has the guts to actually stand up to DeWine and tell it like it is.
And that's where we come not just to the difference between Brown's consistency on Iraq and Hackett's changing positions on Iraq, but now Hackett's apparent willingness to give DeWine a free pass. In a story about the Alito nomination in today's Hill Newspaper, Hackett says "[DeWine] has some insulation from the extreme right, the religious right of his party," Hackett said. "That's good."
Why would he say this? It may be true that DeWine was poked a bit by the right for joining the so-called Gang of 14, but why would a Democrat go out and say that essentially means DeWine isn't truly connected to the radical right? Seriously, why would a candidate running against DeWine say this and give DeWine ammo to claim he is supposedly a moderate (he isn't, though he and the GOP will most definitely use this Hackett quote to claim he is)? And why would Hackett say this about DeWine especially if it's just not true over the long haul? The fact is, DeWine has consistently voted with the far right over the years. For instance, he receives 100% ratings from the Christian Coalition, and high marks from other ultraconservative religious right groups.
Sources:
DeWine receives 100% rating from the Christian Coalition, and high marks from other right-wing groups
Hackett's changing positions on the Iraq War
Hackett gives DeWine a free pass
