Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Former Democratic State Chair Advises Lieberman to Run as an Independent

John Droney, a former Democratic state chair, is encouraging Joe Lieberman to run as an independent in August. Surprise.
"I think to be terrorized through the summer by an extremely small group of the Democratic Party, much less the voting population, is total insanity for a person who is a three-term senator," Droney said.
...
"Every single weirdo in the left wing will be there," Droney said. "That's what the Lamont strategy is all about."
...
Droney's suggestion was not welcomed by the Lieberman campaign. The senator's staff has been trying to discourage speculation that Lieberman, who is more popular with Republicans and unaffiliated voters than Democrats, might run as an independent. (Pazniokas)

There's a lot that's interesting in the article, such as the attack ads on Lamont's record that just serve to make the Lieberman campaign look small, and the fact that Nancy DiNardo is a little less than neutral on the subject of the primary.

But maybe the most telling bit comes at the end.
Ken Dautrich, a public policy professor at the University of Connecticut, said the ad [in which Lamont calls on Lieberman to support the Democratic nominee] reinforced Lamont's claim that Lieberman's relationship with the Democratic Party has grown tenuous.

"It's brilliant, because people who vote in the Democratic primary are people who like being Democrats," Dautrich said. "True believers in the party are the ones who actually turn out to vote in the primary."(Pazniokas)

Given that we don't know what turnout is going to be like (probably low), those true believers may swing things Lamont's way. They also won't be thrilled by Lieberman's refusal to answer whether or not he'll run as an independent.

Lieberman could have done this better. He could have run high-minded ads defending his position on various issues, like Iraq, without referring to his challenger at all. He could have stayed away from negative ads altogether. He could have redoubled his efforts to reach out to the left and to activist Democrats, and he could have very easily promised Democrats that he wouldn't desert them if he felt too threatened.

But he didn't. So now he may be sailing right into the perfect storm.

Source

Pazniokas, Mark. "Lieberman Ally Advises: Run As An Independent." Hartford Courant 13 June, 2006.

1 comment:

ctblogger said...

Why is the minority controlling the majority?

That's laughable.

Joe Lieberman (unlike other Democrats) is the only senator who has consistantly undermine the Democratic party and that's why facing a primary challenge.

Whether it's Social Security (he was the VERY last senator to jump on board in opposition to Bush's proposal), voting in favor of the Energy bill (the ONLY Democrat is New England to vote in favor), or consistantly criticizing fellow Democrats and leaders of the party (never heard a Republican criticize the head of the RNC), it's apparent that Joe Lieberman cares more about Joe Lieberman than the Democratic party.

Notice how I didn't say a thing about the war...

How dare you call any Democrat a "kook." Comments like that are exactly why we're the minority and the Republicans win election after election. I never hear a moderate Republican criticize a radical right wing neo-con (How many Republicans who don't live in New York have criticize Ann Coulter's latest statements...none. But somehow since there are voters who are unhappy with the performance of Lieberman and want a primary (which is our right), we're somehow "kooks"

My question to you Patricia is this, if Joe Lieberman jumps ship, are you going to jump ship with him or support the Democratic candidate?

I think I know the answer.