Andrew Warner

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"It's not simply about winning," said Paul Hackett. "It is about the future of this country, make no mistake about it."

Paul Hackett, perhaps one of the most famous Iraqi War veterans, was tapped to rally the troops at the Hamilton County Democratic Forum on Thursday night. Though this time his troops were not United States Marines, rather they were the foot soldiers and party faithful of the Democratic Party.

Former candidate for the United States Senate, Paul Hackett was introduced with fanfare equivalent to professional wrestling. A musical mix of the Shaft theme song, "Born in the U.S.A.," and "Come Together" boomed through Oakley's 20th Century Theater, welcoming the renegade star of the Democratic Party. He swore he had nothing to do with the musical choices.

Though slightly ironic, Hackett delivered a message of party unity. "We as a party have to have the will, commitment, and leadership to fight," he said.

The evening provided a forum for the Hamilton County Commissioner Race as well as the 2nd and 1st district races for the United States Congress.

David Pepper told the crowd that he hopes "to be known as 'The Heimlich Remover,'" a slogan he admitted he was trying out for his yard signs. His opponent Stephanie Dumas stressed her experience in politics and her experience as a union member. Neither candidate seemed to acknowledge the other was in the race.

The question which generated the most audience response between the candidates for commissioner was in regard to privatization of county services. Dumas responded with a point blank "no." She went on to elaborate that "cheaper is not always better." Pepper responded by saying privatization is not the "cure-all" as he thinks many Republicans are inclined to feel. He also said that there is almost no area where giving services to the private sector would benefit the county. Pepper then went on to discuss the importance of the social net provided by the county and it's importance in this year's race.

John Cranley, the sole entrant in the Democratic Primary for the 1st district race against Steve Chabot, arrived late and left early. He told the crowd his father was just coming out of surgery and that he felt it necessary to be with him. He also assured the crowd that his father would be fine, in spite of having major surgery.

"I love my country... Thank God the Democratic Party is here to fix things," said Cranley.

Cranley's vision of fixing things included energy independence, a living wage and health care for all children. He also sank his teeth into his opponent Steve Chabot, focusing on the over $100,000 that Chabot has accepted in free trips, especially those to India. "We need a Congressman who will spend more time in Delhi than New Delhi," Cranley said.

The free for all in the 2nd district included 5 candidates at the forum: Victoria Wulsin, Jim Parker, Thor Jacobs, Gaby Downey, and Jeff Sinnard.

There was little room for disagreement amongst these candidates. However, Jeff Sinnard raised some eyebrows with his pro-life stance, holding up an ultra-sound of his child followed by a photograph of his son in his current form. He said that both pictures are of his son and that is his belief. Wary that his decision may bother some Democrats, he was quick to remind the forum that the district, which is heavily conservative, holds a similar view to his. He urged people to choose in the primary based on electability in November.

Jim Parker also captured the crowd's attention with his obvious passion for health care. He passed around an empty jar, in the tradition of the collection plate, to collect for a young girl, a stranger, with cancer. His quirky brand of speech earned many laughs. On one occasion he stopped his speech mid-sentence when the card was held up telling him his time expired; other times he would continue his speech, without a microphone, on the way back to his seat. His manner of speech has an interesting range, starting as the quiet guy in the back of your old high school classroom, transforming before the crowd's eyes into an impassioned, fiery politician.

David Pepper warned the crowd that a train wreck has been looming on the horizon. Now he said, 2006, is the last chance to avoid the train from completely crashing.

Posted by Andrew Warner on Thursday, March 30, 2006 at 11:35 PM | Permalink