Lieberman has announced that he's running in the Democratic primary, but will be soliciting signatures to run as an independent
in case he loses.
So the question becomes even more salient -- who will support the Democratic nominee, and who won't? Schumer will keep getting this question until he answers it. Now, Lieberman, who thinks he is overflowing with integrity, promised Reid and Schumer that he'd stay a Democrat in exchange for letters of support. To get around that pesky little promise (who thought people would hold him to them?), Lieberman says he'd run not as an independent, but as a "petitioning Democrat".
An interesting kind of "Democrat", Lieberman thinks he is. One who doesn't respect the wishes of his state's Democratic voters, one who will split his state's vote on the left and potentially hand the election to a Republican.
And who do you think is going to sign those petitions? Republicans.
But Lieberman's "hold on to power at any cost" gambit is increasingly necessary, since on the street, he's getting no love. It's gotten so bad, that Lieberman got booed at parade while the cokehead Bridgeport mayor gets cheered.
Less than two weeks after admitting publicly he had used cocaine while in office, Fabrizi couldn't have asked for a better reception [...]
"He's not a bad guy. He didn't steal any money or anything," said Jason Marrizi, a street vendor from Ansonia, who stopped to wave as the mayor passed by.
"He made a mistake but the mayor is the mayor. I think he's doing a good job," said Juan Planas of Bridgeport.
The only negative shouts seemed directed at Lieberman, who is facing a primary challenge from Ned Lamont of Greenwich.
"Hey, look at that, a Democrat walking with a Republican," came one shout to Lieberman.
"How's the president," shouted another parade watcher, giving Lieberman a thumbs-down sign.
Meanwhile, Stoller senses a change in the narrative from the Lieberman camp.
Now the messaging is subtly changing. Lieberman is having his surrogates talk about him as a JFK Democrat unafraid to use force, and the voice of the abandoned Democrats who left the party years ago because of liberal intolerance towards the 'middle' of the country. One Op-Ed in the Hartford Courant co-authored by Republican Marshall Wittman is a coincidence, but this second Op-Ed in the Concord Monitor, by Lieberman supporter Bob Quinn, is not.
I think Lieberman's making a last ditch effort to threaten the party base with electoral disaster if they don't pick him. This Thursday is the first debate, and we'll see what happens then. These Op-Eds though read to me like they are targeted at independent voters, not Democrats. I mean, if you were going to pander to independent voters in Connecticut, you'd probably talk about excessive partisanship and how the Democratic Party abandoned independent voters.
Thank heavens we have a real Democrat in this race.
Update: The (non-campaign) Lamont Blog:
Just like when Joe ran for Vice President and Senate at the same time in 2000 - meaning that if he and Gore had won, Democrats would have lost a senate seat to a Republican appointment - he is again putting his own career and self-interest ahead of his constitutents and his party (or now ex-party).
In addition, Joe has just created a world of shit for his supposed friends Harry Reid, Chuck Schumer, Chris Dodd, Diane Farrell, Joe Courtney, and Chris Murphy. I wonder what they all think of this.
This is how he treats his friends. This is how he treats his party. On the slowest news day of the summer.
These are the actions of a very weak candidate, and a selfish and cowardly man.
What a sorry sight to see an 18-year incumbent senator running scared from a little primary challenge like this. No backbone. No courage. No integrity.