That Time In 2005 Paul Hackett Got Sherrod Brown To Let His Mask Slip-- Here We Go Again

-by Tim Russo

Word on the street here in Ohio is that Sherrod Brown has reverted to factory settings as he prepares to run for president in 2020. What are Sherrod Brown’s factory settings? Sherrod don’t like primaries, that’s what.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

The last (and first) time Sherrod Brown ever faced a serious primary challenge (albeit briefly) was in fall, 2005, as Iraq War veteran Paul Hackett tapped the fervent anti-Bush sentiment across the Democratic Party to launch a campaign for the open US Senate seat up in 2006. Remember him? Hackett was the first manifestation of early 21st century online Democratic activism in Ohio. Hackett's online mojo blew him up out of nowhere to challenge and nearly defeat Jean Schmidt in the deep red OH-02 special election in August, 2005. Riding that wave, Hackett’s grassroots support for US Senate in 2006 mobilized as Hackett entered an at the time empty primary which, sadly, Sherrod Brown was planning to rig for himself.

It all came to a head at the December 19, 2005, Ohio Democratic Party Christmas Party, scheduled to occur immediately after ODP “voted” on its new chairman, Chris Redfern. After the comically rigged “election” for chair, attendees shuffled to the adjoining room for holiday "cheer". There, Sherrod Brown and wife Connie Schultz went on an extended person to person tirade, targeting anyone they believed supported Hackett.

It was ugly. Reaction in the room varied from shock to resigned acceptance that it was primary season. It all would have been forgotten until Sherrod & Connie descended their rage upon an 84-year-old WWII veteran of the Women's Army Corps, who then blogged an account of the incident which survives to this day.

At the Christmas Party, when I found Sherrod Brown giving a friend of mine a heated lecture on why he should not support Paul Hackett, I naturally joined the conversation. But, in no way did I attack, assault, or even touch the Congressman, as was erroneously reported on the blogs. And, I definitely did not have any picture taken with him.

The only thing I did was remind him of the warning “to not split the party,” which he had received at the Upper Arlington Progressive Action fall meeting, and now it had happened. Over and over, he angrily declared that he did not split the party, and I replied “Yes, you did because Hackett was in first!” Needless to say, our encounter was very brief.

As already stated, Brown had numerous chances to run for DeWine’s senate seat before Paul Hackett was recruited, and turned them all down until Hackett said he would run. Then Brown suddenly jumped in. Now we are faced with an unnecessary, costly, and damaging primary.

The above linked account of the incident quotes Russell Hughlock, at the time a Hackett supporter blogging as “Pounder” at Buckeye Senate Blog (now long gone), who described the Sherrod & Connie Rage Routine thus, “I’ve never seen a candidate lose it like this in a public setting, let alone a Christmas Party.” All the while, Hackett was in the same room,

"While Brown was berating people, just across the room, Paul Hackett was constantly surrounded by admiring fans wanting to shake his hand, and described in Buckeye Politics, as being “something of a rock star.”

Stupid me, I made an attempt to calm things down, by going over to say hello to Sherrod, who immediately mistook me for Hackett supporter Hughlock. "HEY CONNIE HERE'S THAT POUNDER GUY!" Sherrod dragged Connie over who launched into the same unhinged attack she'd just unloaded on an 84-year-old woman. Multiple blogs (most of which are now gone, including mine at the time, BuckeyePolitics.net) reported on Sherrod & Connie's behavior.

Guess what happened next?

The Brown campaign immediately launched a two month online scorched earth war against Hackett supporters, combined with a primary rig job against Hackett within the ODP. It all ended with Hackett's withdrawal from the primary he was actually first to enter, and carnage across the Ohio blogosphere, featuring the now all too familiar troll attacks which would one day evolve like protozoan ooze into today's David Brock Peter Daou million dollar online destruction ops. Before we were all smeared as Bernie Bros in 2016, we were all smeared as Hackett Bros in 2005.

Brown Now Raging Across Ohio for 2020

Since Brown benefitted from his bad behavior in 2005-2006, instead of facing a cost, he is repeating it. I can report that today, Sherrod is not content with rigging the Ohio Democratic Party; Brown is now actually attempting to rig processes outside the Democratic Party, in progressive groups naturally leaning toward Bernie Sanders in 2020. Brown is reaching into the internal decision making of every Ohio progressive group he can, to stunt and halt any organizing for anyone who isn't Sherrod Brown. Brown's 2019 efforts seem based entirely on geography-- that everyone in Ohio simply must support fellow Buckeye Sherrod. In short, it's Paul Hackett all over again.

Thus, it is highly likely that every establishment Democrat 2020 prospect is repeating this same approach with their own geographic base. Perhaps not with the same...er...fervor that Sherrod displayed in 2005 (and is no doubt unleashing today), but certainly the same intent. Democrats simply cannot stop attempting to rig primaries. They have learned precisely nothing from 2016.