The people of Connecticut have spoken. In the Democratic Primary yesterday they came out in record numbers to give voice to their opposition to the Iraq War. That was THE issue in Connecticut, and that will be THE issue in the mid-term election in November.
The voters rejected a famous incumbent politician – Joe Lieberman – for an unknown political novice – Ned Lamont. Lieberman had embraced the neocon mantra of perpetual war and torture as a means of achieving and preserving American hegemony. He became and remains one of President Bush’s loudest cheerleaders for the Iraq War debacle. He aligned himself with the authoritarian wing of the Republican Party by condemning those who criticize the policies of the Bush administration. He said in a speech earlier this year:
“It’s time for Democrats who distrust President Bush to acknowledge that he will be the commander in chief for three more critical years, and that in matters of war, we undermine presidential credibility at our nation’s peril.”
The voters in Connecticut have spoken; they reject the war policies of the Bush administration and its enablers in Congress. There is an incredible amount of anger all over America about the damage that has been inflicted on our nation by President Bush and his minions such as Senator Joseph Lieberman. The voters in Connecticut have fired off the first volley in the upcoming political batlle: THEY HAVE KISSED JOE GOOD-BYE!
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Now Lieberman wants to run as an independent, which is quite good for democrats i guess, because now the votes of the pro-war fraction will be devided between Lieberman and whoever from the republican party (there is one, isn’t there? ) rather than going all in favor of the republican candidate!
Of course, another way to look at this is that the “pro-Bush” candidate (Lieberman) got 48% of the Democratic vote. The Republican candidate never really had a chance (even the GOP isn’t interested in him), so it’s not like Lieberman running as an Independent is going to hurt the GOP candidacy. However, it won’t take many Republicans to cross the line and vote for the Independent candidate to swing things in his favor. In a race between Lieberman as an Independent and an unknown as a Democrat, where do you think the cross-over Republican votes are likely to go?
@Scott H.,
You make a good point, except that Lamont is hardly an “unknown” candidate. The Democrats will bring all resources to bear in support of Lamont, while efforts of Cheney and Rove to prop up Liebermann will damage his effort to appear “independent” and “non-partisan”.
In the end, the November vote will be another referendum on the Iraq War. 90% of Democrats oppose the war, as do over 60% of Independents (and a significant percentage of Republicans). I can’t see them casting a vote for “stay-the-course” Joementum