David Krikorian has just had one of those weeks where he has gone from local personality to whipping boy, with the stampede of critics that only the blogosphere can bring.
Krikorian's remarks at a campaign event last week with veterans in Clermont County struck one attendee as racially insensitive in how Krikorian referred to his opponent for the Democratic nomination, Surya Yalamanchili. That attendee then wrote a letter to the current representative for Ohio's 2nd District, Jean Schmidt, concerned that Krikorian had suggested to the audience that Yalamanchili could not get elected in the Second District of Ohio because of his name.
Jean Schmidt then took the surprising step of writing a letter to David Krikorian, deploring his conduct and intolerant attitude. Her public reprimand was quickly joined by similar letters to Krikorian from David Lane, Chair of the Clermont County Democratic Party, Tim Burke, Chair of the Hamilton County Democratic Party, and Chris Redfern, Chair of the Ohio Democratic Party. Such a broad condemnation for a candidate less than a week before the primary election is virtually unprecedented, according to people who have been in Ohio politics for decades.
In this exclusive sit-down interview for The Huffington Post, David Krikorian takes the opportunity to respond to Keith Olbermann for naming Krikorian the "Worst Person in the World," as well as hit back at those who had singled him out, particularly Ohio party leaders. In the interest of fairness, their responses to several of Krikorian's charges have been included in this video, as this debate has intensified in recent days and devolved into further internal party conflict. In as much as conflicting accounts can allow, this report from the Ohio campaign trail is intended to illuminate Ohio voters amidst a local political dust-up, and also satisfy onlookers observing the cultural sensitivities of Southern Ohio.
UPDATE:
Keith Olbermann has responded to my interview with David Krikorian on tonight's episode of Countdown, again naming Krikorian one of the World's Worst.
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