Independence Day for Lieberman

I don't know if the radical wing of the Democratic Party is celebrating Ned Lamont's win or Joe Lieberman's loss; but they are celebrating.

I wouldn't hang up the "Mission accomplished" sign just yet.
From Associated Press writer, Robert Tanner:

Three-term Sen. Joe Lieberman fell to anti-war challenger Ned Lamont in Connecticut's Democratic primary Tuesday, the first major election-year test of sentiment over the conflict that has claimed the lives of more than 2,500 U.S. troops in Iraq.

"Tonight we voted for big change," a jubilant Lamont told supporters.

No, I don't think so.

To borrow a quote from the late Peter Jennings, "The voters had a temper tantrum."

They turned out to express their dislike (that's putting it mildly) for George Bush. They rejected Lieberman, a liberal, in favor of a more liberal liberal.

If the Lamont supporters think that they're going to get "big change" by electing Lamont, they're not too bright. "Big change" takes more than a win in a Connecticut primary.

The MoveOn.org anti-Bush contingent succeeded in mobilizing and tossing out Lieberman; but what makes them think that the rest of the country will follow suit and move sharply to the Left?

Are Utah and South Dakota and all of the other conservative bastions of Red state America ready to support a Lamont Dem?

Of course not.

"Big change" requires more than a swing to the far Left in Connecticut.

...Unbowed, Lieberman vowed to fight on, announcing plans to run as an independent this fall.

"Of course I am disappointed by the results, but I am not discouraged," Lieberman said. "For the sake of our state, our country and my party, I cannot and will not let that result stand."

Now, things will get interesting.

Lieberman is forcing his Dem colleagues in the Senate and other high profile Dems to take a stand.

Actually, he's putting them in a bind. They either must move to the fringe and align themselves with the Michael Moores and Russ Feingolds and Ned Lamonts or they must stand with Lieberman and engage in a struggle to wrestle power back from the well-moneyed extremists.

If a Dem hopes to win the presidency, it's not going to happen by moving to the Left.

A truly wacko lib Dem would bring the conservatives out to the polls in droves.

...The Connecticut Senate race dominated the political landscape, and its outcome promises to echo through the fall. The race was watched closely by the liberal, Internet-savvy Democrats who lead the party's emerging "netroots" movement, groups such as Moveon.org that played a big role in pushing Lamont's candidacy.

The "netroots" movement is a group of loons.

We're not talking about Internet-savvy computer geeks. We're talking about an ugly group of character assassins.

Critics targeted Lieberman for his strong support for the Iraq war and for his close ties to President Bush. They played and replayed video of the kiss President Bush planted on Lieberman's cheek after the 2005 State of the Union address.

Is that how to select a senate candidate? Should a video of a kiss and hug from the president after the State of the Union speech be proof that a three-term senator is no longer qualified to serve?

It's a sad reflection on the Connecticut voters that they bought into such substanceless trash.

...Now attention turns to how party leaders will respond: Rally around Lamont? Pressure Lieberman to step down?

I'm sure Lieberman is already being pressured to go away quietly.

I'd love to see party leaders rally around Lamont. It would be great for the public to realize that the Dems are completely out of touch with mainstream America.

I also think it would be a mistake for Lieberman to bow out. He shouldn't betray his constituents by letting the loons seize control. Lieberman should run as an independent.

Jubilant Lamont supporters predicted victory in November.

"People are going to look back and say the Bush years started to end in Connecticut," said Avi Green, a volunteer from Boston. "The Republicans are going to look at tonight and realize there's blood in the water."

First, the Bush years are guaranteed to end in about two years. That's a given. The Connecticut primary results have nothing to do with that. Until Bush leaves office at noon on January 20, 2009, he and his adminstration will continue to shape the country and the world.

Second, I think the Republicans will look at tonight and realize that there's a whole lot of Dem blood in the water.

On the final day of the race, Lieberman accused his opponent's supporters of hacking his campaign Web site and e-mail system. Lamont said he knew nothing about the accusations.

I hope Lieberman follows through with pursuing the guilty parties.

Connecting the tampering of his website and e-mail system to a Lamont operative would definitely call Lamont's integrity into question. It would be a legitimate campaign issue.

Lamont, the millionaire owner of a cable television company and former Greenwich selectman, will face Republican Alan Schlesinger in the general election.

And Joe Lieberman.
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Read John Nichols' take on a potential Feingold-Lamont alliance here.

Nichols is the associate editor of The Capital Times, "Wisconsin's progressive daily newspaper" (AKA liberal rag).

A day before the primary, Nichols wrote:

While Lieberman was in the forefront of efforts to thwart Feingold's proposal to censure President Bush for authorizing illegal warrantless wiretapping of the phone conversations of Americans, Lamont says he would side with the Wisconsinite on the censure issue.

Lamont also said he would like to work with Feingold to challenge the abuses of the Patriot Act.

On the economic front, Lamont shares Feingold's skepticism about free-trade deals that undermine protections for workers, consumers and the environment in the United States and abroad - another position that puts both men at odds with Lieberman and the Bush administration.

If Lamont wins on Tuesday, as seems increasingly likely, it will be a defeat for the Lieberman wing of the Democratic Party. At the same time, it will be a win for the Feingold wing - and for the great majority of grass-roots Democrats, who, like Feingold, want their party to stand in stark contrast to the dangerously misguided policies of the Bush administration and its neoconservative allies.

Nichols must have popped the champagne last night.

Feingold, too.

I wouldn't be surprised if Feingold is preparing for a Dem presidential primary debate already.