"If you're disappointed with the ugly tone of our politics, if you're fed up with the nasty partisanship in Washington, then I ask your help too," said Lieberman, looking into the television cameras.
Lieberman called on Americans to visit his Web site and send ideas "on how we can build this new politics of unity and purpose." He also hit them up for campaign contributions.(AP)
What is he up to? Suddenly, this isn't even remotely about Connecticut anymore, is it? It isn't about Joe clinging desperately to a single Senate seat.
This is about the White House.
Joe Lieberman was a few hundred votes from becoming Vice President in 2000, and ran for his party's presidential nomination in 2004. He believes he ought to be President of the United States--and now he's hit on a way to get himself there.
"I'm looking for people from outside of Connecticut to help me with their support, by coming to Connecticut to help, and by contributing money if they want," Lieberman said Thursday. "This is saying to a lot of people across the country, who I know are as fed up as I am with the partisanship in Washington that stops our government from doing anything about the big problems that average people face." (AP)
He's trying to start a national campaign against "partisanship," which he has on many occasions helped to fan the flames of (remember his attacks on Wesley Clark for being too recent a Democrat?), and he's enlisting the support of people from all across the country. To what end? First and foremost, he wants to win his seat back. But then what? If he can manage to defeat Lamont, he will spin his victory as moderation triumphing over extremism, the center defeating the fringe. The public will take notice.
Lieberman is a long way from winning his party's nomination. In fact, he will probably never be able to win a Democratic primary. But he may be exactly who these guys are looking for:
For most of the 20th Century, the contest for the U.S. presidency was waged over those “in the middle.” Recent Presidential elections, however, have not been focused on the middle but on the turnout of each party’s special interest groups – with each party’s “base” representing barely ten percent of the American people.
We believe that, while the leaders of both major parties are well intentioned people, they are trapped in a flawed system – and that the two major parties are today simply neither relevant to the issues and challenges of the 21st Century nor effective in addressing them.
As a result, most Americans have not been enthusiastic about the choices for President in recent elections, the key issues they ran on, or the manner in which the campaigns were conducted.
Therefore Unity08 will act to assure that an alternative ticket is presented to the American voters in 2008.
Imagine that the choices for president in 2008 are John Edwards, George Allen... and Joe Lieberman. How far out of the question is it?
He's starting now. He is trying to appeal to all Americans, not just to people from Connecticut. His message is a simple one: enough partisan bickering. It could wind up being very compelling. If he's successful in getting past Lamont... the sky may be the limit for Lieberman.
Source
"Lieberman looks outside state for help with independent run." Associated Press 12 August, 2006.
Our Beliefs, Our Goals & Why We'll Succeed." Unity08. http://www.unity08.com/believe, accessed 12 August 2006.
16 comments:
when you get a lemon, make lemonade
I don't buy the thesis.
Joe is trying desperately right now to raise money- and he'll have to do so out-of-state to achieve the scale necessary to beat a Democratic opponent who can also self-finance.
Your thesis is that Joe is trying to buy a million-dollar house. My guess is that he's trying to pay next month's rent for his campaign HQ.
Rasmussen ran numbers on a McCain-Lieberman ticket, I believe. I think this speculation is fun, but that's all it is...
I've been saying this for days. Lieberman, if he wants any chance at being considered "centrist" needs to tone down his rhetoric; portraying your opponent as being supported by al Qaeda is not the way a "moderate, centrist, bipartisan" would be conducting business.
By the way, what were the Rasmussen numbers for that ticket.
I do buy this thesis. Look up "Bloomberg Democrats," then note that Bloomberg is one of the last 3 or 4 elected officials still aboard the Joetanic.
All the more reason to make sure that Joe gets his ass beat soundly in November.
has anyone heard about stephen stills coming in to campaign for courtney and murphy on monday? i'm sure courtney remembers who he is - but isn't murphy too young for that kind of thing?
My take on the new Lieberman: he embodies everything the left hates passionately circa 2006 (pro war, torture, right-wing judicial appointees), and ostensibly supports everything that the far right hates (pro choice, labor, environmental regulation.)
Even if that has a chance in 2006 in CT (I don't think it does), it certainly doesn't in 2008 nationwide. He is hitting all the buttons that people vote against, without any of the ones that people vote for.
Matt, think Perot with a better resume
Lamont is in big trouble. While he has the unanimous support of the radical Democrats that want every Democrat to hate every Republican and thrive on discourse, Lieberman will attract centrist Democrats, Independents and Republicans.
Lamont’s primary win will not seem like a win in November when all the normal people have a voice. What will the people like Dodd, Larson and others say when Joe is still in the Senate come 2007? I hope Joe remembers how they turned their backs on him.
"Lieberman is a long way from winning his party's nomination. In fact, he will probably never be able to win a Democratic primary. But he may be exactly who these guys are looking for:"
His party, Connecticut for Lieberman,loves him - our party, The Democrats -not so much right now.
chris mc said: "At the risk of making the "progressive" bloggers go nuts, he is a centrist like most of us (you might say excluding the war, but the polls say otherwise at this point)."
chris mc, i don't think that Lamont knows what he is. He has NEVER taken positions on any of these political issues because he's not held any serious elected position. Being a Selectman in Greenwich, CT is hardly a significant post. He is a Democrat, no doubt. He is also a millionaire from the richest town in America, and he grew up with a platinum spoon in his mouth. To be fair, he had an upbringing that makes GW Bush's look almost pedestrian. Was he really a strong anti-war individual before his run for the Senate? Did he really embrace the policies of Jesse Jackson before this run? I don't think so. My impression: he is a nice guy, well meaning, intelligent, but not a great, decisive leader. I think he is, in many ways, a puppet being told what to do and what to say in an effort to win. Smart strategy, no doubt. But I ask you, when does Ned go from criticizing policy that most of us disagree with, to providing us his solutions to these problems?
GC - Can you link the Waterbury Rep-Am's editorial today on the Lamont family political history? Basically, the Rep-Am calls Lamont a communist (no doubt Swan's comments about Waterbury did not help). This is a shocking editorial. Wow, this is going to get nasty.
A11:59,
Wow. Here's the link. That's... quite the editorial.
Hooray for The Waterbury Republican...a Newspaper that actually sees Ned Lamont for what he really is. Personally I think it is wonderful.
The Waterbury Republican has hit a home run on this one!!!!!!!!
could our "centrist Democrat" explain how the "very race concious Naugatuck Valley" elected the only African American in CT history to Congress?
Seems like there's a lot of self-loathing going on out there
FatGuyinMiddleSeat is right. I don't buy the thesis either.
Where is Lieberman going to get his money?
If he has no money than how is he going to stay in the top two in the polls?
If he slips to third place, if his support starts thinking strategically, where are they going to go?
Exactly.
For Schlesinger this is the start of the process. He has no where to go but up from here.
Just you keep misunderestimating him.
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