It was 2006, and we had Joe Lieberman on the run. We had defeated him in the Connecticut Democratic primary, and there was a full-court effort to get him to slink away quietly into the night.
Problem for us, Blanche Lincoln was in his corner, refusing to back Lamont despite being on the DSCC leadership team:
"Senator Lincoln remains neutral in the Connecticut Senate general election," said her press secretary, Katie Laning.
I sent an e-mail back asking Ms. Laning if Lincoln is sure that's the story she wants to stick to, given that she's on the leadership team on the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) whose mission is to…. elect Democrats.
No response to that.
And after the election:
Senator Joseph I. Lieberman strode into a Democratic caucus gathering like he owned the place or, at the very least, like someone who is a flight risk and could leave at any minute, taking the Democrats’ new majority with him.
In other words, everyone was extra-special nice to the wayward Democrat on Tuesday.
“It was all very warm, lots of hugs, high-fives, that kind of stuff,” said Senator Ken Salazar of Colorado.
Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon marveled, “One senator after another kept coming up and shaking his hand.”
And Senator Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas noted, “I gave him a hug and a kiss.”
Too bad we don't have a photo of that kiss.
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