The Hand of Connie Schultz

  • Posted by Eric
  • February 24, 2006

the revolution will not be bloggerizedTim got me thinking today. I blogged earlier on the Hackett “Hell Freezes Over Tour”, which was first seen by me in the PD blog Openers. The curious thing is the quick replies from the Brown campaign. Take a look at the post. Notice the first “counterpoint” at 10:03: “Brown’s campaign points”. Who at the Brown campaign? Who would have the kind of access that could get a blogger at the PD to update their post so quickly?

Then again at 10:27, more flows in from the Brown campaign: “And supplies these quotes”. Who supplied the quotes, which were very organized and sourced neatly? Who has that kind of access to Sloat and the PD? Any old campaign? If I have information to add will it get posted in mere minutes?

Connie said upon taking a leave of absence (paid LOA?) that “I cannot play a significant role in his campaign as long as I work at this newspaper.” (link)

Then Sherrod says:

Brown said his wife, who has taken a leave from her job as a columnist for The Plain Dealer’s lifestyle section, will be “very active” in his campaign, serving as a surrogate speaker and as a strategist.

Which is it? Based on the blog entry I’d say strategist sounds like a good bet, but maybe Bill can stop by and clear it all up. Even if there are layers of plausible deniability, it is clear that something is going on given the quick counterpoints and the influence a Pulitzer Prize winning LOA’d writer might have. It seems highly irregular that a blog post gets updated within hours of coming out…that stuff normally takes a bit longer for a campaign to react, no? It would also seem to make sense to make this a separate post, entitled “Brown Camp Responds to Hackett Comments”…or is that just me?

She might not work there actively at the moment, but it appears the influence is alive and well.

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February 24th, 2006
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Comment Number:
1
Written by:
anomolous
Posted on:
February 24, 2006 at 4:40 pm

Well, it might not be as sinister as all that but….I still question the wisdom of using as a “surrogate speaker” and campaign “strategist” someone who has a rather adolescent star-struck attitude toward the candidate (”Love sick middle-aged bride”, quote from Connie’s farewell column). People like that tend to take everything too personally and can’t separate when others don’t see their love object as they do. Ever tried to argue with a ten-year-old about how Lance bas from Nsync really isn’t that attractive?

Comment Number:
2
Written by:
Chris McVetta
Posted on:
February 25, 2006 at 12:15 am

Connie Shultz is playing people like a Baby Grand Piano…

Comment Number:
3
Written by:
Betsy McCall
Posted on:
February 25, 2006 at 1:12 pm

Sherrod Brown has always made a point of hiring top notch media people during his campaigns, yeats before he met Connie.

Like Dennis Kucinich, he learned the value of having bright, articulate, respected people staying on top of media coverage of his campaign and working overtime to make sure his campaign’s message isn’t distorted.

I know some of his media advisors on this campaign, and they’re not Connie Schultz. Give them credit for doing their own job.

The constant bashing of Connie Schultz is growing old. While it plays well in the anti-Sherrod blogosphere, believe me, it won’t play well with the voting public who are likely to see it for what it is - sexist bullsh**.

Comment Number:
4
Written by:
anonymous
Posted on:
February 25, 2006 at 1:44 pm

The voting public will never hear any of this. Instead, they’re going to see a dull-as-dishwater candidate who doesn’t spark their interest. Also, Betsy, when someone puts herself out there as Connie has, she’s got to expect to take some knocks. It’s not sexist bullshit; it’s commentary on where she has put herself. She’s not above criticism because she’s female.

Also, if Brown already has the brightest and most articulate people he can find representing him, he’s in trouble. His campaign so far has been a series of blunders and toothless rejoinders. We will see how effective this team is at “making sure his message isn’t distorted” once the campaign is in full-swing, but right now, it’s failing pretty badly outside the so-called “blogosphere.”

Comment Number:
5
Written by:
Betsy McCall
Posted on:
February 25, 2006 at 2:38 pm

It is sexist bullsh**. Connie is out on the campaign trail making speeches and public appearances. If you disagree with something she has to say or her stance on an issue, that’s fine.

But making up lies about her is completely different. You’ll notice no one made these remarks about Hackett’s wife, even though she was visible in his campaign.

Good Dems don’t need to stoop to the level of the right wing GOP to make their points and this sort of bashing of the candidate’s wife will backfire against the GOP in a very big way.

Comment Number:
6
Written by:
Eric
Posted on:
February 25, 2006 at 2:56 pm

Sexist? Are you kidding me? If it were Sherrod who had the Pulitzer and Connie running for office you’d get the same damned thing. So put your sexist pistol back in it’s holster.

I don’t think asking questions about the ties campaigns and media have is out of bounds at all. I got a reply from the Openers editor and will post that as soon as I get permission to….along with my commentary.

Comment Number:
7
Written by:
anonymous
Posted on:
February 25, 2006 at 6:43 pm

Actually, Betsy, I heard some really nasty things about Suzy Hackett from some Brown supporters I know. They claimed that she was nothing but a putdown little housewife who homeschooled the kids because Paul didn’t want her outside the house, and that he was this sexist “man in charge” kind of guy.

Anyway, who made up any “lies” about Connie? Rather, Connie and Sherrod seem to have a record of making up lies about people who are not on their side. No one, including him, was ever able to come up with the name of a single blogger who wanted to cost Connie her job as he so speciously claimed.

Comment Number:
8
Written by:
Betsy McCall
Posted on:
February 25, 2006 at 10:25 pm

Anon, do you have a link to some blogs where Dems were bashing Hackett’s wife? I doubt it.

Enough of the so called allegations from anonymous Brown campaign staffers. If you have some proof, please share, but otherwise lets keep the political discussion to issues.