August 08, 2006

Today - More Than Just the Lieberman Race

Though you'd never know if from national news coverage, there are actually five states holding primaries today. Three members of Congress are in trouble. The best known of these is of course Senator Joe Lieberman. Lieberman started the campaign arguing that Ned Lamont was too close to the Republicans, but he has shifted his tone and now argues that Lamont's simply an anti-war candidate supported by bloggers (who knew there were so many bloggers in the Connecticut electorate?). Two other incumbents are also in tight races. Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) is widely expected to lose her seat, and pro-choice Republican Joe Schwarz may lose his seat in Michigan.

Look for loads of silly overanalysis tomorrow. C'mon people - pre-Lamont who exactly saw Lieberman as the face of (even a fraction of) the Democratic Party? Or saw the Connecticut primary electorate as representative of the party nation-wide? And if McKinney loses, as she did in 2002, isn't that a sign that even in strongly Democratic constituenices Democrats are perfectly happy to bounce shrill liberals? Maybe voters simply don't want narcissists representing them, be they on the left (McKinney) or moderate (Liebeman). Basically, to me, this race is simply making 2 things clear - people are fed up with "staying the course" in Iraq, and people (especially DEMOCRATS IN A BLUE STATE) don't want a senator who all too often embraces the role of Bush's bitch. Neither one of these things should be remotely surprising if one's watched the polls this year.

Posted by armand at August 8, 2006 09:05 AM | TrackBack | Posted to Politics


Comments

Whatever happens in CT, I plan to spin it as bad news for the Dems nationally and blame Kos for it. :-P

And I know I won't be the only one.

Posted by: jacflash at August 8, 2006 03:10 PM | PERMALINK

(The difference is that I'm being honest about my intentions up front.)

Posted by: jacflash at August 8, 2006 03:11 PM | PERMALINK

No, you won't be the only one. Chris Bowers (or some other lefty blogger - you know all lefty bloggers are identical, right?) as already said tomorrow will be the worst day the "netroots" have ever had: b/c either their guy lost and they are ineffectual kooks, or their guy won and they are dangerous kooks with power.

I think a Lamont win would be a great thing for the Democratic party - but I'm sure that's not how it would be covered in much of the "mainstream" media. They've already decided who's legitimate and who's dangerous/kooky and who's not ready for prime-time. Funny, you'd think they let the voters decide in a democracy - but apparently Cokie and Sean and Bill really know best. They must have the best interests of the Democratic party at heart, right? And how can the party not want to keep its associations with the #1 cheerleader of a deeply unpopular president and a deeply unpopular war?

Posted by: Armand at August 8, 2006 03:31 PM | PERMALINK

Also, I was joking.

I actually think a Lamont win would be great for the Dems, and also great for the country -- assuming that the rumor that Joe will become SecDef if he loses is true. He can't help but be an improvement over the incumbent.

Posted by: jacflash at August 8, 2006 04:35 PM | PERMALINK

Well on that we agree.

Posted by: Armand at August 8, 2006 04:43 PM | PERMALINK

Lieberman as SecDef? Does he have any qualifications? No, being Senator isn't one.

Posted by: baltar at August 8, 2006 05:18 PM | PERMALINK

"Not Rumsfeld" is a pretty good resume item as far as I'm concerned.

Posted by: moon at August 8, 2006 05:39 PM | PERMALINK

He's on Armed Services, which has counted for something in the past.

Posted by: jacflash at August 8, 2006 06:17 PM | PERMALINK

I mean that was Cohen's route to the job. And hey if a centrist New England senator from the opposition party could fill the job less than a decade ago ...

Of course I don't think Cohen was a particularly impressive SecDef. And Lieberman wouldn't be my first pick for the position (talk about an understatement). But I'm with Moon, "not Rumsfeld" sounds like a good SecDef to me.

Posted by: Armand at August 8, 2006 06:24 PM | PERMALINK

Baltar would be my first pick, but I don't think he's on W's short list.

Posted by: jacflash at August 8, 2006 09:15 PM | PERMALINK

If W offered, I'd take it. I suspect that I wouldn't be liked by very many either in uniform, or on Capitol Hill.

Cohen may have gotten the job that way, but it was a different time. Defense wasn't seen as critical to national survival/security like it clearly is today. Lieberman's tenure on Armed Services isn't enough, in my opinion, to make him a good candidate for SecDef. I'm not sure I'd disqualify him (my opinion on Executive Branch appointments is close to Feingold's: President gets who he wants barring a major problem. I have a far different opinion for Supreme Court nominees.), but I'm not enthusiastic. I just don't think he really knows what he would do.

Posted by: baltar at August 8, 2006 10:49 PM | PERMALINK

Well. Lieberman, according to the NYT and AP, just conceded the primary, though there is no word about post-primary issues (run as an independent or give up).

Huh. I didn't expect that.

Posted by: baltar at August 8, 2006 11:16 PM | PERMALINK

I'm reading that Lieberman is planning an Indy bid which may get GOP support - and that the Dem powers that be are going to try to talk Lieberman out of an Indy bid.

Elsewhere, the polarizing lefty Rep. McKinney of Georgia was indeed defeated by Hank Johnson in her primary. And pro-choice, pro-stem cell research Rep. Joe Schwarz (R-MI) was defeated in his primary by a "pro-life" candidate, Rev. Tim Wahlberg (not sure if I spelled that right). So the GOP goes anti-pro-choice, the Dems go anti-Iraq War, and few like Cynthia McKinney - all in all, nothing remotely surprising.

Well, okay - as 2006 news stories go Lamont beating Lieberman is kind of stunning - though Lieberman really has no one to blame but himself.

Posted by: Armand at August 8, 2006 11:48 PM | PERMALINK

And now some hints that Rummy's head might be on the block. Clearly Bush no longer feels he can wait for Joe, assuming that was ever the plan. (via Josh M.)

Posted by: jacflash at August 19, 2006 09:57 AM | PERMALINK
Post a comment









Remember personal info?