A little more than a decade ago, arch-conservative Texas Republican Senator Phil Gramm did one of the few things I ever admired about him.
When he dropped out of the running for the Presidency in 1996, he quipped "I promised that I would always listen to the voters, especially when they are saying somebody else's name."
Joe Lieberman, it is time to heed this simple rule.
The rationale follows....
1) Senator Lieberman--back in early July, when you made the fateful decision to begin petitioning for an independent candidacy, you based it on the possibility that voters might not be heard in a low-turnout, summer primary. A primary, you posited, where voters might be discouraged by hot weather, or away on vacation.
We now know the fallacy of that argument. You lost, sir, but you lost in a Connecticut primary with unprecedented turnout. 43% turnout in a primary election, especially a summer election, is unheard of. Simply unheard of. I saw your pathetic attempt to spin this earlier today. It is unspinnable. People flocked to the polls: many to try to save your political career, but many more eager to end it.
2) You can't win, Senator, you can only inflict damage. All of your friends have gone. Most of the Democratic Party regulars who had your back in the primary will endorse Ned Lamont, some have already cut checks to him. Even Republicans and Independents in your state are going to have a hard time respecting a Senator with such clear contempt for the wishes of the voters of the state. The only thing you can accomplish is sucking some of the oxygen away from other campaigns, both inside and outside of Connecticut. If you cared so much for the candidacies of Chris Murphy, Diane Farrell and Joe Courtney (as you have alleged), you would get out of the way and let a Lamont landslide over Alan Schlesinger pave the way to an across-the-board victory. Instead, you are going to keep these worthy candidates off of the air while you cling with your fingernails to the spotlight.
3. Your rationale, with all due respect, is crap. You claim to be continuing with this candidacy as an "Independent Democrat" (note to Joe: we have one of those and his name is Ned Lamont) because you are defending America from partisanship. But when this president and his acolytes made one of the most garish partisan attacks on more than half of the American electorate (those who do not support my war hate the troops and hate America), you, sir, held his coat and clapped. You can't run away from that. It is not partisanship you despise, it is partisan DEMOCRATS that seem to annoy you. Partisan Republicans earn your warm embrace. Can you furnish me with some evidence that you have assailed partisan Republicans for their rhetoric and their issue positions? Not votes against, but public displays of contempt for their partisanship?? If they exist, I have yet to find them.
Senator, listen to one of your own: Republican Phil Gramm. The voters are screaming Ned Lamont.
It is time to listen to them.