Can't Hackett

I wish the best of luck to Paul Hackett and his future, be it in or out of politics. Clearly his message was a strong one, and one the Democratic Party would do well to keep. It will no doubt take months to get Hackett back into the fold if he comes at all, and if party leaders did as he claimed, then they should feel a certain sense of shame.

But now, instead of talking about Hackett and his failed potential, we are left to talk about what might have been. In all honestly, Hackett did not stand much of a chance to win the Democratic Senate nom in Ohio this year. The battle between Hackett and Sherrod Brown would have been bloody and a waste of resources that the party cannot afford in it's attempts to take back control of something in Washington D.C.

And the party isn't afraid to support people like Hackett, as he claims in his statement. It's quite clear they were will to get behind him as he gave Jean Schmidt a run for her money last fall. And the party would be more than willing to support Hackett in a House run. The party, however, realized that Brown was the horse to back, and Hackett get left out in the field. I'd be bitter, too.

But if Hackett believes in the Democratic party, he has to see this was the best end for it.

*UPDATE* The party supports Paul Hackett:

Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory joined the chorus on Monday, publicly urging Hackett to switch races.

And Hackett, it seems, still supports the party:

“Whatever personal emotions I have about Sherrod, if he asks me to help in some way, and I can help and it doesn’t interfere with my own life, I will do the best to help him,” Hackett said.