With repub spin, Lieberman could cost many other Dem candidates victories

[dajoki]

MSNBC
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14450004 /

Republicans for Lieberman?
Democrats face a Ned Lamont world

By Huma Zaidi
NBC News
Updated: 1 hour, 27 minutes ago

CHICAGO -- Connecticut was the talk of Chicago this past weekend, at least as far as the assembled Democratic establishment was concerned. At their annual summer meeting in the Windy City, the party's national committee focused on some controversial 2008 business and on preparations for a hard-fought 2006 fall campaign season. But many members had their minds on the odd set of circumstances in Connecticut which have Republicans backing Democrats' own incumbent senator, Joe Lieberman, while the party's establishment supports nominee Ned Lamont.

So sure was the GOP that Lieberman's Senate seat would be out of their reach that they didn't try to prevent a virtual unknown with a problematic history of gambling from claiming their nomination. Since the primary and Lieberman's decision to seek re-election as an independent, Republicans have determined that they can gain more politically by supporting Lieberman and casting him as the victim of an anti-war, liberal-dominated Democratic party than they can gain from backing their own candidate, Alan Schlesinger. So uniform is their support for Lieberman that Schlesinger received only 4% in a recent poll.

With Republicans looking to make the race about Democrats' record on national security and Lieberman emboldened by the recent foiled terror plot in London, will the general election boil down to that key issue, or will it also turn on a host of domestic issues on which Democrats say Bush has failed?

[leesa]

1. If Democrats are too stupid to turn GOP support of Lieberman against

Joe and the GOP, they deserve losses. Joe touts his phony 90% pro-Dem voting record....use it against the GOP support. Joe is pro-choice...use it against the GOP support. Hannity, O'Reilly, Coulter, Cheney, Bush and the rest of the GOP whores can't get away with supporting both their war monkey AND his pro-Democratic stance.

[MrModerate]

2. Lieberman can hold 'Lican and Independent voters . . .

or he can hold Independent and Dem voters. I don't see how he can hold 'Lican and Dem voters. If Lamont campaigns well, Lieberman will fade.

As far as the 'Licans using Lieberman as a wedge issue to highlight Dems' "record on national security," I don't see that flying. Whose "record" are we talking about? The failed war in Iraq, the failed "war" on terrorism, the failed "war" on hurricanes, the failed "war" on social security, etc., etc., are Bush's failures, and he can't wiggle out from underneath that record.

Dems need to continue pointing out that a vote for 'Lican candidates is in fact a vote for continuation of disastrous Bush/'Lican policies which are stunning, historic failures.

Lieberman pisses me off: he's a prig and disloyal to boot. But he's not going to be a very effective club for the 'Licans to carry, IMO.

[dolstein]

3. Excuse me, but who else are the Republicans going to vote for?

Schlesinger is a non-factor in this race. And Lamont campaign has repeatedly attacked Lieberman for being too cozy with Republicans.

[CTLawGuy]

4. I thought Joe was a liberal Democrat?

I didn't know Republicans liked liberal democrats.

[The Magistrate]

6. But The Question, Mr. Dolstein

Is what effect the degree of open Republican support present for Lieberman will have both on independents who lean Democratic, and those Connecticut Democrats still loyal to Lieberman. Both elements may well react poorly to the prominence of such support, which makes Lieberman the de facto Republican candidate under local standards.

[MrModerate]

7. Maybe nobody. I think they'll (at least in part) . . .

Stay home on election day. It's going to be hard to "turn out the base" in such an environment, and Schimpanski sure as hell isn't going to be doing any fundraisers or flybys. This is likely to help downticket Dem candidates.

[paulk]

5. this article came straight from Ken Melhman's office

don't fall for it...


a more realistic scenario is that those Republicans will just sit at home come election day.

[mucho macho]

8. Latest polls show lying joe up double digits n/t

[Larkspur]

9. That same poll showed Lamont cutting Lieberman's lead in half

In the July 20th Quinnipiac poll, Lieberman lead Lamont by 24 points, now the August 17 Q-poll shows Lamont down by 12.

12 points with 3 months to go is not a daunting task for a no-name candidate who was down by 55 points at the beginning of the year.

[guidod]

10. People of Connecticut HAVE TO

get Ned Lamont into Office of the Senate, just like the people of Rhode Island have to vote for Carl Sheeler in their primary in three weeks. The Fighting Dems Vets are backing Mr. Sheeler.

I personally think that the "06 and "08 elections are for change regardless of the party. I'm tired that all of our Representatives that we put into office act like their seats belong to them, when they don't. "We The People" own all of the seats in Congress, both the House and the Senate, and I feel it's time that all, who are running or currently sitting in one of those seats, realize they do indeed work for us. I feel it's about time we throw out most of the current seat holders and fill them with the people that will represent our needs.

[AtomicKitten]

11. and it may backfire on the Republicans

The hardcore Dem-haters will be appalled by this show of support. Same goes for hardcore Democrats that may rethink their support of Lieberman because of the GOP support he is garnering. This race is a wild card and I continue to hope Lieberman will do the right thing and drop out.

[TankLV]

12. With some right wing DU'rs, too.

I can think of a couple prominent ones that spring to mind...