Lieberman and Lamont: Six Days and Counting
Bump and Update: According to a new Quinnipiac poll, Ned Lamont leads Sen. Joe Lieberman 54% to 41% among likely Democratic primary voters. This compares to a 51% to 47% Lamont lead in the last poll two weeks ago. 85% of those polled said their minds are made up.
The Washington Post has more on the poll. There's also a nice profile of Lamont in the Hartford Advocate, explaining his opposition to the war.
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Original Post:
8/2/06
The Connecticut Primary is six days away. Political Wire reports tonight that Joe Lieberman is planning for a loss and will shake up his campaign staff if it happens.
Expect Lieberman to can anyone who was associated with 2004 Kerry campaign and replace them with a team of pungent veterans who will take the fight to Lamont. As Lieberman tours the broiling state, you can almost hear the gloves coming off in preparation for a fight to the finish in November.
Lieberman thinks he will get the spotlight with his petition run if he loses the primary. Even the Republicans look like they will line up behind Lieberman, since the Republican challenger is so weak:
Support from Republicans for Lieberman will continue now that embattled GOP contender Alan Schlesinger (a/k/a Alan Gold) has finally filed his most recent finance report. It provides another dismal look at Schlesinger's effort to fight above his weight in the contest. To date, Schlesinger has raised a paltry $63,581.00 from contributors and has lent his campaign $50,000.00.
If Lamont wins the primary, I think it's due to the blogosphere and Firedoglake in particular. I just don't see how he could pull this off without them. In the event Lamont doesn't win the primary, the blogosphere still pulled off a huge coup. The national media has been all over this race, focusing on Lieberman's decline. Considering Lamont's limited prior political experience and that Lieberman has lined up some serious dough, it is a huge deal that there's even a serious contest.
It's gone beyond the war in Iraq. Connecticut citizens can't help but know right now that Joltin' Joe is the poster boy for "Republican Lite." I hope the Republican endorsements in the coming days do him in.
I'm not saying Lieberman has been a terrible Senator. I'm saying that he's held the seat so long he's come to believe he owns it, and that it is his moral compass, not that of the citizens who elected him, that matters. He was a horrible pick for VP in 2000 (Gore, what were you thinking?) and he's done nothing since to temper or adjust his views so they are in line with those of his constituents.
I could care less what Lieberman personally believes. He represents the citizens of Connecticut. He should have learned from Ben Nighthorse Campbell in Colorado -- when your values no longer mesh with those of the citizens who elected you, you either switch parties or quit. Should Ned Lamont win the primary, Lieberman's continued insistence that he is a true Democrat while staging a run against the Democrats' chosen candidate should show everyone his true colors. He's out for Lieberman, not the citizens of Connecticut.
Update: Digby found this video of Republicans coming out for Joe Lieberman.
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