Cross-posted from Shayswatch
Chris Shays bills himself as a "different type of Republican". Chris Shays claims to be "principled" and "independent". But Chris Shays likes his job. Chris Shays wants to keep his job. So at the end of the day, Chris Shays will say absolutely anything to get re-elected.
We've already seen that Shays, for all his feigned shock and anger at the Republican culture of corruption, was more than willing to support the ludicrously unethical arch-conservative Roy Blunt's candidacy for House Majority Leader, after Blunt hosted a pair of massive fundraisers supporting Shays' re-election.
And we know that Shays has no problem changing his story on who's fault the failed response to Hurricane Katrina was; one minute he's putting almost all the blame on the Democratic state and local officials and the next, he's moving the blame to President Bush in order to distance himself from his so-called "friend".
In his newest political ploy to save his job, Shays has endorsed Joe Lieberman. Shays claims that he's doing this because he's grateful that Lieberman has "spoken the truth" about the war in Iraq.
The funny thing is, no one seems to be buying it. Lieberman promptly rejected the endorsement, saying he was strongly supporting Shays' opponent, Diane Farrell. And today's Connecticut Post brands the move a pander; the headline reads, "Shays Eyes Democrats for support; Lieberman endorsement viewed as helpful with election looming".
Political analyst Stuart Rothenberg of the Rothenberg Political Report says this move is nothing more than an attempt position himself for November:
"I'm sure he is concerned... He may be focusing on people who are angry and want change. He has to talk to those people and tell them, 'Hey, I'm not the guy you have a problem with.' "
"He doesn't want this election to be about the Republican Party or President Bush... He has always positioned himself as a very independent Republican, and this may be an effort to remind voters of that."
John Orman, a professor of politics at Fairfield University, says its a ploy to split Farrell's support:
"This may be a way to remind some of Farrell's Democratic supporters that there is disagreement within their party on the Iraq war."
Bridgeport Republican and former mayoral candidate Rick Torres says that its not only a tactic, but one destined to fail.
The endorsement weakens the Republican Party, which is already struggling in Bridgeport, and does nothing to promote Shays' own re-election, he said.
Is Shays' political pander having any success?
Torres said that he polled customers at his Harborview Market in Black Rock about the endorsement and found Democrats were not inclined to support Shays because he likes Lieberman.
"They just laughed," Torres said.
Shays is not only a panderer, but he's not a particularly good one. Perhaps its time for Shays to go back to the drawing board. Or, I don't know, stop playing politics and debate Diane Farrell on Iraq.