Something happened to a lot of us between the Dean campaign crashing in Iowa and Kerry/Edwards coming up short in Ohio. We started to become "realists" - coldly calculating the odds that someone would win and whether it was worth supporting them.
Sure, we believe in the 50 state strategy- as long as it doesn't hurt our chances of winning swing states.
Sure, we support progressives for office- but not if it means a harder race in the general.
Sure, we support Ned Lamont - but he can't really win can he?
Well, I'm here to say that I believe in Ned Lamont, because I believe that change is possible and some things are worth it despite the odds.
Here's the deal. No tip jar today. If you support Ned, contribute to his campaign. If you think others should support Ned, recommend this diary for others to see.
I was looking back at these crazy past few days of the Lamont campaign and something struck me. Once idealistic progressives who thought anything possible thought that Lamont didn't have a shot.
Kos: "Call it the "expectations game", but I was merely hopefuly that Ned Lamont would break the 15 percent threshhold. "
Similarly, bloggers all over the net expected Ned to get 10-15% because it's hard to win these things. Well let me just say, I don't care. I support Ned because it's the right thing to do. And, yes, the general election is going to be damn hard, but we should support Ned because it's the right thing to do. He's for universal health care, he's opposed to the war, and he'll stand up to Bush's judicial appointments. More importantly, he's a fighter who will always stand up for our values and not call out Democrats for speaking their minds.
It's funny, back on February 18, 2005 Tim Tagaris blogged at SSP about the possibility of a primary challenge to Joe. He pointed out how hard it would be to take out a Dem whose approval in his own party was 72 to 19.
Well things have changed. Ned Lamont stepped up to the plate and now Joe is at 56 to 40 among Democrats. And, Tim Tagaris is actually working for Ned. Ned stood up, now we have to stand behind him.
So there you have it. Democracy for America endorsed Ned Lamont earlier today.
Joe Lieberman has won strong support from Republicans. Vice President Cheney calls him "a fine U.S. Senator." Republican Congressman Chris Shays and Fox News Commentator Sean Hannity have both endorsed him. Even President Bush loves Lieberman—there are rumors he has been considered for a post in Bush's cabinet. Is that the kind of Democrat that we want in Washington?
Ned Lamont won't have any Washington Republicans fighting for him. He's only going to win through thousands of grassroots donations from DFA members like you. We need to show Ned that the grassroots will stand with him.
Throw in some cash and show your
support. If Ned wins, we'll have elected a solid progressive Democrat to represent us. We, the netroots, will be his special interest and he'll fight for our values. And, if despite all our efforts, Ned comes up a bit short, he'll have forced Joe to look over his shoulder. He'll force Joe to stop badmouthing Dems. And, he'll have fought the good fight.
So help Ned Lamont today, because sometimes idealism is necessary. The media's already over the story. Let's help DFA raise $35,000 to show how serious we are about this race and taking our country back not only from Republicans but also from backstabbing Democrats.
Update: From NuevoLiberal - Ned's thank you to bloggers