Finally, our man gets the attention he deserves:
Republicans feel they have a strong candidate to capitalize on this sentiment in Ed Herman. The first-time candidate is emphasizing his support for tax cuts, the cultural conservatism that predominates in the district, and his hands-on experience in the war on terror. Herman speaks fluent Arabic and served in the Army in Afghanistan post-9/11, where he interrogated captured al Qaeda operatives.Some contrasts the campaign is likely to highlight: Herman is pro-life, while Kucinich abandoned that position to cultivate left-wing support for his presidential campaign. Herman is a veteran in a district with a high proportion of veterans; Kucinich has called for creating a Cabinet-level Department of Peace.
But most of all, Republicans will present Kucinich's presidential run as a distraction that separated him from his constituents. "Dennis Kucinich had a reputation for being a man of the people in Cleveland," says Herman. "He has decided that it's more important to impress his new friends in Hollywood."
Hollywood is probably the best place for Kucinich. As I discovered when walking door-to-door with Ed last weekend, even independents rolled their eyes at the mention of Kucinich's name. My friend Danny O'Brien writes in:
I have a report on a very unscientific indicator of what I hope to be Dennis Kucinich's waning popularity in this district. Rin and I spent all day yesterday at the 22nd annual Irish Cultural Festival in Berea, and we spotted no less than 15 people wearing green "Edward Fitzpatrick Herman for Congress" t-shirts (perfectly accented with a white shamrock) — versus only ONE sighting of that yellow "DENNIS!" t-shirt that has existed in Cleveland since, I think, the beginning of time. This was really amazing to me, because for the past two years, the festival has always been utterly crawling with Kucinichites, even — if I remember correctly — at a time when he wasn't actively running for his seat. Could Irish winds be shifting?
Feels like a whole front to me. I doubt the Local Boy Done Good can do good enough this time.