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Original Post:

How worried is Joe Lieberman? With all the issues out there to differentiate himself from Ned Lamont, he's now picking on Lamont's wealth.

Yesterday the Quinnepac poll showed Ned Lamont ahead of Joe Lieberman by 54 to 41%. Today Lieberman acknowledges that his internal campaign polling shows him trailing Lamont, although he says the margin isn't as wide and he "hopes" he can win. Note that he isn't even saying he believes he can win.

Turning out more moderate Democrats who are not as keen to show up at the polls is going to be the key, the three-term senator said.
"We do a lot better" among Democrats who say they are not likely to vote, Lieberman said, which means the most hyped-up voters are, not surprisingly, mostly Lamont backers. In any case, he said, ""it's my nature to continue fighting for a victory until Tuesday evening and beyond.

His minions, such as they are, are still collecting petition signatures, which signals to me that he doesn't yet have enough. He also sounds somewhat defeated:

Lieberman said it bothers him that many voters say they "appreciate the work I've done and they respect my integrity" but plan to vote for Lamont anyway because of the war. He said he won't change his mind on the war because he thinks "it would be disastrous mistake for America" to set a deadline for the troops to pull out. That would only encourage "a brutal enemy," he said.

You can look at me. I'm not George Bush," the senator said.
He said, too, that "I am about more than just Iraq."

It's not just the war, Joe.

Two state teachers unions have endorsed Lamont over Lieberman, who has voiced support for experimental private school vouchers.

In interviews in recent days, voters also cited Lieberman's vote for an administration-backed energy bill, his refusal to support a filibuster against Alito, and other issues.

As for Lieberman's inistence that the Democratic party is so important to him, remember this?

His decision to seek two offices at once in 2000 was an irritant to some. Had the Gore ticket won, Connecticut's GOP governor would have been able to appoint a Republican to fill Lieberman's Senate seat.

Four years later, at a point in his own short-lived presidential campaign, Lieberman announced a symbolic switch in his residence -- to New Hampshire, part of a futile attempt to win the first-in-the-nation primary.

In other Lieberman's news, Joe has turned down Stephen Colbert's latest offer to be on the show before the primary. Crooks and Liars has the video of Colbert's latest offer.

I wonder what Joe's campaign will do in the next few days. Will the workers be making a heavy pitch to get voters to the polls or will they have given up? If they realize they don't have enough signatures and Lieberman loses the primary, I wonder if he'll admit it or just claim he decided against an independent run for the sake of the party? Will anyone believe him?