cross posted at
MyDD
I can't say I was exactly shocked by Senator Joe Lieberman's ("D")-CT) announcment yesterday that he was going to petition his way onto the November ballot if he loses the August 8 Primary to Ned Lamont, which is looking more and more likely, especially now when he pisses off more loyal Democrats. This self- serving move won't just hurt Democrats in CT, but will hurt the Democratic Party and the Nation.
First, he will continue to divide the Democratic Party from now until November, instead of putting aside his differences with Mr. Lamont after the primary shall he lose (as Lamont has promised to do). There is now great likelyhood that there will be a 3 way race in CT, a very expensive place to have a campaign. Lieberman said that he got the DC Dems to work even harder for his renomination in August, does this mean that the DSCC will spend money on the primary, when it could go to candidates in PA, RI, OH, and MT, among other places, where it is desperately needed to defeat Republicans and take back the Senate? And let's say that Lamont wins the primary and Lieberman continues to run, with the DSCC and the establishment backing Lamont, they will be forced to defend this blue seat against Lieberman the the Republican Schlesinger, because while Lamont can win a 2 way race, he will have difficulty running against Lieberman and Schlesinger.
We have 3 GOP House Incumbents here in CT, all of whom can be taken down this November, but it will take committment and money to do it. Chris Shays (CT-4), and Rob Simmons (CT-2) are in very tough races, and Nancy Johnson (CT-5), is in a second tier race. A Lieberman candidacy puts all of those on the back burner, while the Democratic Party fights to keep the Senate seat.
Senator Lieberman must think carefully about the path he set down upon yesterday, and think about what his legacy will now be in the history books. Does he really want to be remembered as Sore Loserman?