As the August 8th primary showdown between Joe Lieberman and Ned Lamont draws near, one has to ask, just how frightened is the Lieberman campaign? From today's
Hartford Courant is an article entitled:
Senator Holds Party In Limbo
In reading it, I came to two (speculative) conclusions; whatever numbers the Lieberman camp is looking at don't look good for Joe, and, the likelihood of an independent run is becoming more and more likely. In fact, when a reporter recently asked Lieberman if he had ruled out skipping the primary, he:
...smiled, paused briefly, and said, "No."
Then he was gone.
And while it is true that his bolting the party would have many implications for his backers and the Democratic Party, it also puts Joe between the proverbial rock and a hard place...
Leaving aside the many adjectives we could apply to Lieberman if he elects to bypass the primary and run as an independent candidate, let's look at the conundrum he's created for himself:
...he will need to reframe his campaign and give voters a persuasive rationale for his quitting the primary - other than a fear that anti-war and anti-Bush activists might deliver it to Lamont.
One problem is that Lieberman has been trying to discredit Lamont, a rich businessman, among Democrats by saying he was a frequent Republican ally while serving as a local official in Greenwich.
But if Lieberman quits the primary and bases his campaign on an appeal to Republicans, unaffiliated voters and conservative Democrats, he suddenly will have to argue that Lamont really is allied with a far-left minority within the Democratic Party.
Oh, Joe...what a tangled web we weave when we are an asshole, eh? Or as Lamont's campaign manager (more delicately) put it:
"Is Ned a Republican, or a `left-wing weirdo?'"
But I suppose it would be no strain for him to do both considering how he's been talking out of both sides of his mouth for years now.
And while it is true that an independent run could conceivably hurt other Democrats running, their reaction has been the complete opposite of Lieberman...they are loyal and true Democrats:
The two Democrats waging a primary for the gubernatorial nomination, John DeStefano Jr. and Dannel P. Malloy, each say their loyalty lies with the Democratic nominee. [...]
Joe Courtney, the Democratic challenger for Congress in the 2nd District, said he will work in November for the Democratic ticket. Sarah Merriam, who is managing Democrat Christopher Murphy's congressional challenge in the 5th District, is on the same page.
"No matter what happens on Aug. 8, Chris and the campaign are supporting the Democratic candidate. We are supporting everybody who is on our line," Merriam said.
And Lieberman? He apparently is only interested in supporting Joe Lieberman. And let's finish with the definition of a lying weasel:
For now, Lieberman is operating on two tracks, emphasizing his intention to win the primary, yet refusing to rule out becoming a petitioning candidate. He insists he has yet to contemplate what lies ahead.
Something tells me that when the new polling numbers come out, they will reflect more Nedrenaline than Joementum...