The conventional wisdom for tonight's Connecticut primary seems to be that a Joe Leiberman loss will yank the Democratic Party so far left as to make other Democratic candidates unelectable this fall. The logic is laughable and similar to what I heard from Republican leaders in 1994.
That was the election year when the most conservative wing of the GOP took over the party and swept into power in the US Congress.
None would have predicted that outcome just two years earlier.
Joe Scarborough
This is the most shockingly honest take on the Nutmeg state race I have seen yet from a pundit.
Imagine my shock and surprise that it is from Joe Scarborough, not exactly a friend to the left, and not exactly shy about spouting rightwing talking points when the feeling hits.
Within a few months of that conversation, scores of right-wing, knuckle-dragging, spear-carrying conservative barbarians like myself ran through our moderate Democratic opponents like Barry Bonds through a bottle of roids. It was ugly. Darting to the base was the ticket to victory for the Party of Reagan.
Fast forward twelve years and now we find many making the same misguided arguments, except this time they are giving their stupid advice to Democrats generally and Connecticut voters specifically.
With the exception of the cheap shot at Lamont he snuck in, and the pander to the conventional wisdom about 2008, this is a pretty scary take if you are a DC Insider trying to spin this race.
It is the exact opposite of the meme they wanted spread about this race, and it's strange that the one speaking it is one of the biggest revolutionaries of the Contract with America crowd from 1994.
On the idea that 2008 is going to be a 'problem' for the Democratic party if there is a push for Ned Lamont style challenges to the status-quo of the party: I think that is wishful thinking. If Democrats fight back with the spirit of the Lamont campaign, consistently, it will all depend on how they govern, Joe. Not the Rovian smears and frames. It's easy to 'Swiftboat' somebody, or a party, that refuses to fight back.
I think the media, and the GOP, will be shocked, and that it will be much harder to paint a Ned Lamont as some kind of un-Anerican leftwing nut, when he shows up in DC... and isn't one. Isn't one at all. And more Democrats fight back like Ned did against the Conventional Wisdom of the day.