OH Sen: Hackett (D) Pledges to Continue Speaking Out, Calls on Supporters to Fight On

From Paul Hackett's email message to his supporters, the following encouraging words. Although Hackett feels betrayed by his party and will not run for Congress in 2006, he vows to continue speaking out. He calls on his supporters not to give up on the Democratic Party but to work to improve it:

To my friends and supporters, I pledge that I will continue to fight and to speak out on the issues I believe in. As long as I have the microphone, I will serve as your voice.

It is with my deepest respect and humility that I thank each and every one of you for the support you extended to our campaign to take back America, and personally to me and my family. Together we made a difference. We changed the debate on the Iraq War, we inspired countless veterans to continue their service by running for office as Democrats and we made people believe again. We must continue to believe.

Remember, we must retool our party. We must do more than simply aspire to deliver greatness; we must have the commitment and will to fight for what is great about our party and our country; Peace, prosperity and the freedoms that define our democracy.

Rock on.

Paul Hackett is a great man whose voice and determination are badly needed in this nation. I look forward to seeing him on the campaign trail working to support the many Afghanistan and Iraq War Veterans inspired to run for office as Democrats by his example. And, I dedicate myself to working hard to revitalize and improve our party as we push forward.

Addendum: I realize there's a lot of rage and pain out there today, but I agree with Cindy at Heightsmom on this one. Those of you who are swearing off the Democratic Party are doing a disservice to Paul and everything he has been striving to achieve. The party needs changing, so take up the task of changing it. Don't turn this into a victory for those other people, the ones who have run this state into the ground.