Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Lieberman Plays to his Strengths

Joe Lieberman is trying to salvage his swiftly sinking campaign as the primary, which he has stated he will remain in, approaches. He's doing so by playing to his stregth: his image as a principled, bipartisan Senator who is above the fray:
Lieberman, speaking to reporters after an address at the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce, said he is fed up with what he sees as "rigid partisanship" on multiple issues facing the country, not just the war in Iraq.

"Washington has become much too partisan and that partisanship gets in the way of doing the job that you send us to do," Lieberman said. "I feel Mr. Lamont, in Washington, would add to the polarization."

He dismissed a question about whether he is taking a political risk by touting his bipartisanship less than two months before the Aug. 8 primary, as critics claim he is too cozy with President Bush and too supportive of the war.

"I'm telling the truth," he said. "Whether it's risky or not, I don't know." (AP)

Of course it's risky, especially when he's been attacking Lamont for not being partisan enough:
Lamont, a Greenwich businessman who has put more than $1.5 million of his own money into his primary campaign, said he's confused about why Lieberman accuses him of being too partisan, but is running television ads attacking Lamont for being too supportive of Republicans. (AP)

Of all of the accusations Lieberman has made against Lamont, this is the one with the most potential to do damage. Many voters are sick of partisanship.

Of course, one breed of voter who isn't sick of that partisanship is the likely Democratic primary voter. Many hard-core Democrats wish that Lieberman had been more partisan on the issues that matter to them. What he sees as compromise, they see as capitulation.

Still, it's the first smart attack Lieberman has made in this campaign. At least it isn't petulant, vicious or an unbelievable exaggeration or distortion. Lamont will be more partisan than Lieberman. But that's also his strength.

Source

"Lieberman touts bipartisanship, says Lamont would be polarizing." Associated Press 20 June, 2006.

4 comments:

Weicker Liker said...

Disgruntled....

I was able to attend the President's Dinner last night in Washington, sponsored by the National Republican Congressional Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

About 5,000 donors were in attendance.

The Chairman of the NRSC, Elizabeth Dole, gave some speech. She highlighted the races around the country the NRSC were excited about and were targeting.

No mention of your man Alan Schlesinger at all in her speech.

Mr. Schlesinger has a LONG way to go.

Weicker Liker said...

Disgruntled....

I wouldnt say my comment was pointless.

National Republicans don't have Alan Schlesinger on their radar.

He has a LONG way to go.

Weicker Liker said...

Alan Schlesinger tells WNPR that he supports plans to bring back half of the troops in Iraq in the coming year.

Does this smell like a candidate that favors a timetable for our exit from Iraq?

Click on the link and listen to the interview below

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wnpr/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=930479

GMR said...

Lamont is certainly going to be highly polarizing if he wins, for a bunch of reasons.

His supporters.

If Lamont wins, he's going to win without the help of the national Democratic establishment. Schumer has basically implied that the DSCC would support Lieberman in a three way race. Lamont's financial supporters will not be the traditional Democrat sources: the various PACs and such, but will instead by largely Lamont and anti-war folks around the country.

Lamont would feel little need to coöperate with other Democrats, much less Republicans, when they didn't align themselves to the far-left position on a particular issue.

In the House, there's a Republican from Texas named Ron Paul (he represents the district where King of the Hill is set). He's a "pure" libertarian: he never compromises. He always votes his conscience. He's also never gotten a bill out of committee.