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If he runs as an independent, he still will win re-election.
NY Daily NewsEmbattled Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman - facing a possible primary defeat Tuesday because of his strong backing for the Iraq war - yesterday launched a Hail Mary attack on the Bush administration's handling of the war.
"I supported our war in Iraq but I have always questioned the way it was being executed," Lieberman said.
"This administration took far too many shortcuts. We continue to suffer the consequences, as do the Iraqi people."
<snip>
But the cheerleader image was cemented last year when Lieberman chided Democratic Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) for suggesting a troop pullout. "We undermine the President's credibility at our nation's peril," Lieberman said last year of war critics.
Too little, too late Joe!
If he runs as an independent, he still will win re-election.
As a former resident of Connecticut, I have no qualms about saying there is no way in Lamont will beat Lieberman in the general election. The campaign Lamont is running is just sick, CT has more than it's share of kool-aid sipping leftists, but the majority of residents will stick with Lieberman.
EDIT: I should add that the above picture that was originally posted on Huffington Post wasn't from Lamont's official campaign, but from one of his biggest supporters. Just an example of the sick/crazy/bewildering stuff Lamont's people have been using to attack Lieberman. Not to mention that downright creepy campaign commercial featuring Markos "Screw Them" Zúniga from Daily Kos peering in people's windows.
Last edited by Gerryatrics; 08-03-2006 at 05:46 PM.
If Lieberman can't win his own parties primary then what makes you'll think enough wing-nuts will forgo their own party's nominee to vote for Lieberman? That's dilusional.
That's what I'm thinking. Are GOP voters really going to cross over to support a Demo who now looks like he's waffling on Iraq?
Alan Schlesinger is pretty much a non-issue in this race. Nobody cares about him and he has little support in his own party. He polls at 20% in a two way race with Lamont, and about 10% in a three-way race, so yes, I think CT Republicans wont have too much of a problem dumping him and supporting Lieberman. If it comes down to Lieberman and Lamont, who do you think the CT Republicans are going to vote for? In a lesser of two evils debate among Republican voters, the majority are going to swamp over to to Lieberman's side. Even if Lieberman does manage to lose the Democratic Primary, which I still find unlikely, he'll still enjoy support from a large amount of very influential local, state and national Democrats. Not too mention vast support among CT Moderates. Lamont will get absolutely no support from Conservatives, almost no support from Moderates and little support from influential Democrats. All Lamont's support comes from the MoveOn.org/Daily Kos/Huffington Post/etc. Leftists. That's not going to be enough to win the general election.
Only 5% of Connecticut voters will participate in the primary, mostly the far left. Lieberman will still enjoy broad support from moderates, and the usual advantages of in bency. He also is helped by a GOP candidate unusually weak even for Connecticut.
Independent's Day
Scott McLean, chairman of Quinnipiac University's political science department, said Lieberman's decision is a political "insurance policy" that could turn out to be expensive. "It's going to cost him some Democrats and it's going to give ammunition to Lamont," McLean said.
"I'd still have to bet on Lieberman to win a three-way race (in November)," McLean said, adding that he believes it could turn out to be much closer than Lieberman and his allies believe.
Republicans could do much more damage to the Democratic Party by supporting the Lieberman campaign than by voting for that Schelsinger guy, who is to the left of Lincoln Chafee and is embroiled in a gambling scandal.
Lieberman to the general public is sort of the John McCain of the Democratic Party. The publicity of his primary rejection as the general campaign unfolds will make it easy to paint the Democratic Party as beholden to the unhinged Daily Kos fringe.
All the Democrats have to do in order to win back Congress is not do galactically stupid things like this. But they simply don't seem to be able to help themselves.
Of course I'm sure that Republican strategists won't make hay of Connecticut lefties rejecting their Jewish senator amidst current world events.
I guess it could happen if Republicans turn out in huge numbers, but we just don't have the motivating wedge issues in 06 that we had in 04 to help conservative turnout. I don't think enough Republicans will show up just on the premise that we are winning the war in Iraq and thus the war on terra', not that many people watch FAUX News.
August 3, 2006
Anti - War Candidate Extends Lead on Lieberman: Poll
By REUTERS
Filed at 8:52 a.m. ET
BOSTON (Reuters) - A novice anti-war candidate seeking the Connecticut Democratic Party's nomination to run for the U.S. Senate has extended his lead against three-term in bent and 2000 vice presidential candidate Joseph Lieberman, a poll showed on Thursday.
Ned Lamont, a millionaire businessman and opponent of the U.S. military presence in Iraq, now leads rival Lieberman by 54 percent to 41 percent among those likely to vote in the August 8 primary, the Quinnipiac University poll found.
``The in bent has just five days to turn this race around, but never count out a veteran with his experience,'' said Quinnipiac University Poll Director Douglas Schwartz.
The poll found that 65 percent of Lamont supporters said their vote would primarily be against Lieberman, with his support for the war in Iraq their primary objection.
Lieberman has said that he will run as an independent if denied the Democratic nomination. Previous polls have shown him likely to win the November election if he runs as an independent.
The university surveyed 890 likely Connecticut Democratic primary voters from July 24-31. The survey has a margin of error of 3.3 percentage points.
Well, there aren't exactly any conservatives in Connecticut. The GOP candidate in 2000 only got 36% against Lieberman. This Schlesinger guy is a liberal. Lieberman doesn't need much Republican support to win, though they will giggle themselves to sleep on Election night with this self-inflicted wound by the far left.
Lieberman is a well-known name and an influential senator, and even without the (D) behind his name, he's going to carry the broad center-left vote and win in November.
Perhaps that is not the benefit it would normally be especially since this year is shaping up as a "throw the bums out" year.
LOL people posting the far left bloggers are going to hurt the Dems in November. How do a bunch of guys on the internet impact the whole state of Connecticut Democratic party? Answer: Not much, the people of the state themselves are the ones making the call on Lieberman.
If anything external is motivating Democrats in CT to vote for Lamont over Lieberman it would be Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, David Horowitz, etc... singing the praises of Joe Lieberman.
You folks are being needlessly dense. Lamont is beating Lieberman for the same reason theocrats win GOP primaries in the South. Hardcore partisans vote in primaries. Average voters do not. It is hardcore antiwar left-wingers in Connecticut who are leading the charge. This movement is being spearheaded by the Daily Kos blog community, which with its good friends at the MyDD blog are adept at just this kind of targeted local or state campaign.
Read a little bit. Educate yourselves on the dynamics of this race. The at ude of those watching the race is "maybe Lamont has a chance to give Lieberman a run in November." Lieberman is still the favorite, with or without the party nomination.
And it is not a "throw the bums out" year. It is a "throw the Republican bums out" year.
Lieberman is a pretty good example of "old guard" politics and what is ruining our political system. Hopefully he'll be collecting stamps with Daschel and Delay soon.
Not that it matters I though that Lieberman was the smartest choice
for VP I'd seen since 1945, except for maybe LBJ.
Rasmussen claims that Lamont has made huge gains on Lieberman with Schlesinger factored in
Connecticut Senate: Lieberman Neck and Neck With Lamont
Lamont (D) 40%, Lieberman (I) 40%, Schlesinger (R) 13%
July 23, 2006
Rasmussen ReportsSupport for Senator Joe Lieberman (D) is plummeting in Connecticut.
Just last month he mustered a fifteen-point lead over Ned Lamont in a projected three-way general election contest (with Lamont as the Democrat and Lieberman as an Independent). Now, Lieberman’s lead has disappeared. In this month’s three-way match-up, Lamont and Lieberman each get 40% of the vote. The Republican, Alan Schlesinger, attracts just 13%.
In April, Lamont could pull only 20% in the three-way, just half what he grabs now.
Lieberman could defeat Republican Alan Schlesinger by some forty percentage points if re-nominated as the Democratic standard-bearer. But Lieberman’s ability to get the nod is increasingly in doubt (see our story on the Democratic primary race).
Senator Lieberman is under fire from fellow Democrats for supporting the unpopular war of an unpopular President—unpopular especially with Democrats. Lamont has exploited that dissatisfaction to the extent that he now ties his primary opponent when voters consider a three-way general election with Lamont as the Democratic nominee.
Overall, Lieberman is viewed favorably by 58% of Connecticut voters. Just 49% say the same about Lamont. But, Lamont is more popular among Democrats (see crosstabs).
Schlesinger, viewed favorably by only 31%, loses badly no matter how the election is sliced. In yet another curve ball thrown into the race, Schlesinger has even been pressured by some to drop out because of questions about his past as a gambler. Conceivably, the GOP could then hand the nomination to Lieberman, and a rumor has been circulating to that effect. Let's just say this is one race that won't be over 'til it's over.
Because of Senator Lieberman's support for the war in Iraq, the Senator and the President are often seen as politically joined at the hip. Among those who "strongly" disapprove of Bush's job performance, Lamont now leads Lieberman by a more than two-to-one margin.
And in this state, a lot of people strongly disapprove of the President: 47% of all voters, 63% of Democrats.
As a former Connecticut resident myself (born and raised) I have to agree with you. Lieberman has done so much for the state - I really don't see how they could possibly not re-elect him.
Plus Lamont is a real ass.
Exactly how is voting for Lamont "far left"?
It seems to me that the vote against Lieberman is because of his support for BushCo policies.
I do read Kos and MyDD and it is clear they are supporting Lamont and trying to help Lamont but it still comes down to Democrats in CT as to whether Joe stays or goes. He still has to get through the primaries to face all the voters in November. He is the one choosing to run as a Democrat. If Joe had not lost touch with his state and party he would realize his best hope would have been to jump ship and run as a Republican. He would fit the Susan Collins, Lincoln Chafee, Chris Shays mode of a moderate Republican better than as a centrist Democrat.
If Lamont prevails in the primary he would still be the underdog in the general election because Lieberman is so popular with Republicans.
In this era of rabid partisanship, Democrats are sick of Joe Lieberman going on Fox News and crticizing Democrats not just for their position on the war but his silence in regards to the follies of BushCo. The Dems are sick of Joe buddying up with Sean Hannity on the radio and regurgitating Republican talking points. This is the guy who went on the floor of the Senate and ripped Bill Clinton over the Lewinsky affair but has been silent about signing statements, NSA wiretapping and torture by this administration.
Dems have a big party and can support diverse views. Harry Reid the Minority Leader in the Senate is pro-life. Bob Casey running in Pennsylvania against Santorum is pro-life. Ben Nelson in Nebraska supports the war. Hillary Clinton supports the war. None of them go onto the Republicans home turf and help rip their own party.
Lieberman has become a typical beltway politician with his own interest at heart and out of touch with his party. Recall this guy ran for Senate as well as VP under Gore which means had he won, a Republican Govenor would have appointed his replacement conceding the seat to the opposition party.
That is Republican spin.......
Anything that does not support their candidate or vision is termed "far left" It's called framing.
Not dead just yet:
It looks like Lieberman is getting a small bounce in the latest polls heading into tomarrow's primary...
Boston.comHARTFORD, Conn. --U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, fighting for his political survival, appears to be cutting into challenger Ned Lamont's lead the day before Connecticut's Democratic primary election, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Monday.
The poll shows Lamont, a wealthy Greenwich businessman, with a slight lead of 51 percent to 45 percent over Lieberman among likely Democratic voters heading into Tuesday's primary.
Last week's Quinnipiac poll showed Lamont leading 54 percent to 41 percent. Lamont also had a slight lead in Quinnipiac's July 20 poll.
"Obviously we are very thrilled," Lieberman spokeswoman Marion Steinfels said. "People who are making this decision are taking a serious look at Lieberman and Lamont and believe that Joe's the one who has been fighting for them."
If Joe loses the primary it'll be a squeaker, but he'll win as an independent. He's the only democrat that doesn't just constantly repeat the same old tired that the party throws out there, so he has the respect of people outside the party in spite of his embarassing performance in the run for the white house.
Oh common, when was the last time a 'independent-minded' Republican crossed Karl Rove? Yeah, that'll be the first.
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