Here's What's Left

Jean Schmidt, elected Tuesday in a special election, will be in the US Congress, representing a district from the state of Ohio. Ohio is the state in which the 20 Marines who have died this week in Iraq were based. Chris Matthews asked her about that last night. Here's what she said:

MATTHEWS: Let's take a look at something you said here on this program last week and see if you still think this way right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCHMIDT: They're not solely focused on this war. Maybe the national media is, but the people right here in southern Ohio are talking about issues that affect them. They're talking about having tax cuts that are permanent, because they want to spend their own money. They don't want government to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTHEWS: Issues that affect them. Do you think that the loss of the 20 guys over there, servicemen fighting for their country over in Iraq, that Ohio-based unit, is going to bring this war home to people?
SCHMIDT:  I don't think it is going to bring the war home any more differently than the button that I wear on my lapel.  And that's for Matt Maupin, the only missing soldier in Iraq. 

The people in Ohio are very smart.  They understand the sacrifice that these men and women are making on our behalf.  But they also want to talk about other issues, issues like taxes and tax reform, like a strong energy policy.  They want to talk about national issues, including Iraq, but also border patrol and border security. 

And yesterday, as I stood outside the polls for 13 hours, I never heard people talking about the war.  They talked about issues that were more important and more local to them.

Congressperson-elect Schmidt sure does have her priorities straight; she knows what really matters.  Congressperson-elect Schmidt knows that there are issues that are "more important and more local" to the people of Ohio than when 20 US Marines based in Ohio are killed in a matter of days.  Congressperson-elect Schmidt wants to remind us what they really care about: "other issues, issues like taxes and tax reform, like a strong energy policy."  Read on...