Cleveland Plain Dealer: Do We Have a Blue-Talker for a Red State?

By Elizabeth Auster

Politicians are like the rest of us. If you want to find their flaws, look for their strengths.

One of Paul Hackett’s greatest strengths in his long- shot bid to represent Ohio in the U.S. Senate is his freshness. But that could also prove to be one of his greatest flaws.

Hackett is fresh in more than one sense.

When it comes to politics, the Cincinnati-area lawyer and Iraq war veteran is certainly a fresh face - and that’s potentially a big asset in a year when political corruption seems rampant. His only political experience, before running for Congress last summer, was on a suburban city council.

And Hackett is trying to make the most of his inexperience - portraying himself as a bold alternative to career politicians, whom he dismisses as timid characters terrified of doing anything without first consulting pollsters, handlers and hapless party leaders.

Hackett’s freshness is not confined, however, to his resume. It is also abundantly evident in his language, which may not be especially raunchy for a Marine, but is definitely salty for an aspiring senator.

Hackett’s biggest claim to fame, before he nearly won a special election in August in a conservative southwest Ohio congressional district, was his blistering characterization of President George W. Bush. In interviews about the Iraq war, Hackett called Bush not only a “chicken hawk,” but also a “son of a bitch.”

“I don’t like the son of a bitch, but I was willing to put my life on the line for him,” he said.

Such language was largely responsible for the surge of attention and money Hackett got in his congressional race. Bloggers loved it. So, apparently, did some voters during the short, intense contest. But how will it go over in a long, statewide campaign?

In an interview in the December issue of Gentleman’s Quarterly, Hackett continued the tough talk.

“Bush is a fraud,” he said. “He wants to be perceived as a macho guy, but he didn’t have the stones to serve in his generation’s war. He didn’t have the balls to do it.”

Hackett then used the infamous

F word, and went on to say of Bush: “He didn’t have the balls. Because he wanted to drink alcohol and snort cocaine and party.”

Asked about those quotes on MSNBC’s “Hardball,” Hackett backed down a bit, but only after Chris Matthews, the show’s host, challenged him to explain how he knew Bush snorted cocaine. Hackett said he’d seen reports to that effect.

“They’re not reports; they’re charges,” said Matthews.

“Right. Fair enough,” Hackett responded. “Point well taken. I think, though, where there’s smoke there’s fire.”

Such quotes have made more than a few people wonder if Hackett might be a loose cannon - a perception that in recent years doomed two colorful presidential candidates often compared to Hackett: John McCain and Howard Dean.

Jennifer Duffy, who analyzes Senate races for the Cook Political Report, says a style that worked wonders for Hackett in a House race could prove more problematic in a Senate contest.

“There’s a difference in voters’ minds between serving in the House and serving in the Senate,” says Duffy. “One of the things Hackett has to do is prove he’s senatorial, which means you’ve got to stop the stuff about calling the president names and talking about cocaine use.

“You’ve got to show people you’re up to the task.”

Hackett spokesman Karl Frisch says Hackett’s well aware of the difference between “the decorum of the campaign trail” and the “decorum of the Senate floor.” He also says Hackett isn’t about to change his style.

“One of the reasons people are drawn to Paul is because of the way he speaks, because he’s straightforward,” says Frisch. “To change Paul Hackett would be to change him into something that we have plenty of in Washington.”

December 18, 2005 | Filed Under Hackett, News Mentions 

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