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August 02, 2005
Gunning for It
(By Toni L. Sandys -- The Washington Post)
August marks the start of the Patrick Ramsey photo parade by local publications here in Washington. Its my favorite part of training camp season. Those who track the stats of the Washington quarterback know that apart from his good looks and Southern charm, Ramsey maintains a dead-on downfield aim if he is allowed to play to his capacity.
Yet, for the last two seasons, Patrick Ramsey has suffered from injury and incompletions. Under former coaches, the quarterback was routinely coaxed into caution. He would routinely hold the ball too long while surveying the field, and ultimately get sacked by the opposition due to his timidity.
Smart sportswriters are now calling on Washington coach Joe Gibbs to give Ramsey the freedom to aggressively move the ball downfield. "[Gibbs] has to let Patrick Ramsey be the gunslinger that he is," Tom Knott of the Washington Times argues.
Democrats have now taken the same approach to Paul Hackett, congressional candidate in today's special election in Ohio. Hackett - a recent veteran of the Iraq War - is challenging Republican Jean Schmidt to fill a vacancy in Ohio's 2nd Congressional District. The very, very Republican district (72% Republican) should be a no-brainer for the GOP. Yet, Republicans are pouring unlimited resources and manpower into the race.
Why? Democrats are allowing Paul Hackett to be aggressively Democratic. Pro-military and pro-marriage equality, Hackett is chasing Republican candidates in a Republican district with Democratic issues. Odds favor Schmidt - but look for Democrats to gain in this district thanks to the efforts of Hackett, which very well may bump a number of votes into the Democratic column in 2006.
Read more at the Swing State Project, which is live-blogging today's election in Ohio.
UPDATE: Unbelievable. Hackett pulled within just a few thousand votes of Schmidt (Schmidt was expected to win a super majority).
Republicans are in trouble when they fail to win one of the titular conservative districts in the nation. This is like Rick Santorum nearly beating Barney Frank in his most liberal precincts. Unprecedented.
Jean Scmidt may have her own trouble in 2006. The more she leaks about herself, the more she appears to be earning the nickname "Sally Santorum." With her extreme agenda, look for Republicans to find a challenger to Schmidt in the primary next year.
Meanwhile, folks over at the Hackett campaign and the Swing State Project are celebrating. Democrats are more energized in southwest Ohio than they have been in decades. The party is already urging Hackett to challenge Scmidt in 2006. I hope he gets the chance.
Posted by John at August 2, 2005 10:19 AM
