As we saw yesterday, a poll Daily Kos-commissioned poll by independent pollster Research 2000 shows that thanks to the Iraq War and Lieberman's incessant cheerleading for it, he'd lose a rematch to Lamont.
Research 2000 for Daily Kos. 9/10-12. Likely voters. MoE 4% (No trend lines)
For whom did you vote for in the 2006 race for U.S. Senate, Ned Lamont, the Democrat, Alan Schlesinger, the Republican, or Joe Lieberman, an Independent?
Lieberman Lamont Schlesinger
All 49 42 9
Dem 34 62 4
Rep 67 10 23
Ind 53 41 6
If you could vote again for U.S. Senate, would you vote for Ned Lamont, the Democrat, Alan Schlesinger, the Republican, or Joe Lieberman, an Independent?
Lieberman Lamont Schlesinger
All 40 48 10
Dem 25 72 3
Rep 69 7 24
Ind 38 49 9
Today, Lieberman's office refused to respond to the obvious discontent he faces.
Dan Gerstein, a key figure in Lieberman's re-election campaign who remains a paid adviser to the senator, said today that after checking with Liberman's office he had decided to decline comment on the poll.
Schlesinger, meanwhile, said today that he wasn't surprised by the results of the new poll. The apparent preference for Lamont over Lieberman, he said, was simply because of Iraq, which he said has left people "disgusted."
Before the election, Lieberman wasn't afraid to lie to his constituents about his war stance. As Sirota noted:
Sirota, recalling that Lieberman had insisted during a debate with Lamont that "no one wants to end the war the Iraq more than I do," said the senator's entire election strategy was about "pretending that, if re-elected, he would lead the fight to end the Iraq war."
He added that a "key slice" of "confused" Democratic and independent voters went for Lieberman "because they believed that he perhaps had been pro-war before, but had changed, when in fact the only thing that had changed temporarily was his language, not his actions."
They are no longer confused, he said, since Lieberman after the election has become "even more supportive" of the war and "is actually publicly pushing a war with Iran."
(Those quotes are from this piece.)
Now, that they know his true colors, Lieberman is hiding from them -- the same kind of disdain and disrespect that nearly cost him his seat last year.
The story also reinforces a point I think is important, and should be stressed at every opportunity with recalcitrant beltway Democrats:
Zuniga [should be "Moulitsas" -- kos] added that while the poll suggests Lieberman as expected has picked up Republican support and lost backing among Democrats, he suffered a "dramatic reversal" among independent voters, who would now go for Lamont by a 49-38 percent margin, a 23-point swing.
"Democrats seem more than happy to forsake the base," he concluded. "But their precious independents don't want this war any more than we do."
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