DFA endorses Ned Lamont

[Capn Sunshine]

Joe must Go
and NO, I/we are not the extreme left wing. Don't even go there.

Democracy For America Endorses Ned Lamont for U.S. Senate
Ned Lamont is the right change for Connecticut

BURLINGTON, VT - Today, Democracy For America enthusiastically endorsed Ned Lamont in his run for United States Senate against incumbent Joseph Lieberman. Lamont surprised the pundits and Senator Lieberman with a strong showing at the Connecticut Democratic Party Convention on Friday and earned a spot on the primary ballot. The primary will be August 8.

"Ned Lamont has been loud and clear about America's position in Iraq and world affairs, one of the most important concerns for voters," said Jim Dean, Chair for Democracy for America. "Senator Lieberman has been a broken record supporting broken policies."

Democracy for America will help raise money, media, and volunteers for Lamont's campaign from across the nation.

For more information, visit: http://www.democracyforamerica.com/dfalist

[Stinky The Clown]

1. Good for DFA. This is the right thing to do

It may wind up as so much pissing into the wind, but the endorsement of proper.

With Holy Joe being the worst of his breed, it would be a strong and long needed shot across the bow of those who would prefer to hang with the other side while wearing one of our suits.

[Arugula Latte]

2. I suspect MoveOn will shortly, as well, when we get to vote on the issue.

:toast:

[madfloridian]

3. Remember the dinner?

The article is archived at NYT now, but here is what was posted about it. Jim Dean makes it clear they have been friends a long time. These comments say a lot about why we must have primaries.

http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F00B16FE34540C728DDDAD0894DE404482

At the Connecticut Democratic Party's annual Jefferson Jackson Bailey fund-raising dinner last month, James H. Dean was among the guests invited to sit at the table of Ned Lamont, a Greenwich cable television executive who is planning a primary challenge to Senator Joseph I. Lieberman over the senator's support for the war in Iraq.

"The reason I went and sat at his table is I personally think Ned is a terrific candidate and I want to support him," said Mr. Dean, one of 1,700 guests at the political event. "I think not only is it a good race for the voters because he's bringing the war back, I think his campaign will benefit candidates up and down the Democratic ticket."

Mr. Dean lives in Fairfield, near Greenwich, and he has known Mr. Lamont for years. But what makes his support for Mr. Lamont notable are his deeper, familial ties: He is the brother of Howard Dean, now the chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

James Dean said his goal in supporting Mr. Lamont "isn't 'Get Joe' or get anybody," adding, "Winning is important, but it's as much for getting the voters active and engaged and conditioned — I'm running out of words here — getting them used to the idea that there's a choice."

[Capn Sunshine]

4. Jim was right

He's trying to help give people a candidate they can feel good about supporting. We all are.

I'm surprised that the usual suspects haven't piled on to call us names. Maybe my OP will prevent that, because I'm sick of these out of touch folks from the East Coast defining us as "extreme left" when we all know in our hearts we are pretty MOR.

[madfloridian]

6. "getting used to the idea that there's a choice"...good statement.

"James Dean said his goal in supporting Mr. Lamont "isn't 'Get Joe' or get anybody," adding, "Winning is important, but it's as much for getting the voters active and engaged and conditioned — I'm running out of words here — getting them used to the idea that there's a choice."

One thing happened recently that really upset me. We got the word locally that our state chair was trying to squelch the idea of having primaries...said they were divisive.

I called there to the state party and got her on the phone surprisingly....we talked about it. I agree with part of what she said, that there has to be some common sense involved.

I told her that was the only way we would ever have a choice or change the party at all, and that I hoped she was not really saying those things. She sort of denied it, I sort of pretended I understood, but I think the party in Florida wants to pick the candidates and get others out....just as they have been doing.

I guess I was both pleased and surprised she came on the phone, but I think I really shocked her when I started talking about Lamont and some other races and how they were so important in getting our issues out.
She started to really listen.

I do think I surprised her when I said I was not sure Bill Nelson would be polling so well against a moderate intelligent Republican. She said why did I think that? I tried to explain how his votes on many issues upset so many Demcrats while pleasing Republicans, that he did not respond to his constituents at all...or very seldom. very seldom. I am not sure she understood.

[IndianaGreen]

7. Were you here yesterday?

Legions of Lieberman supporters were out in force, all four of them!

[Douglas Carpenter]

5. cool

http://www.nedlamont.com


" Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut reproached fellow Democrats for criticizing President Bush during a time of war.

"It's time for Democrats who distrust President Bush to acknowledge that he will be the commander in chief for three more critical years and that in matters of war we undermine presidential credibility at our nation's peril," Lieberman said."

link:

http://edition.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/12/08/democrats.iraq/?section=cnn_latest

and this interesting comment from Sen. Lieberman while in Baghdad

"Time magazine Baghdad bureau chief Michael Ware on Morning Sedition this morning:

I and some other journalists had lunch with Senator Joe Lieberman the other day and we listened to him talking about Iraq. Either Senator Lieberman is so divorced from reality that he's completely lost the plot or he knows he's spinning a line. Because one of my colleagues turned to me in the middle of this lunch and said he's not talking about any country I've ever been to and yet he was talking about Iraq, the very country where we were sitting."

link:

http://atrios.blogspot.com/2005_11_27_atrios_archive.html#113328407009752558

Again, I myself have pointed out on numerous occasions that Sen. Lieberman has a moderately liberal voting record on many domestic issues along with his enthusiastic embrace of neoliberal economic ideology.

His comments regarding the Iraq War must reveal that he is either being disingenuous or seriously delusional. The Democratic constituency of Connecticut needs the chance to express their disapproval in the Democratic Primary; win or lose.

Sen. Lieberman's very public position on the Iraq War and those who oppose it and what appears to be an embrace of a slightly modified form of neoconservative ideology is not some insignificant wedge issue. It goes to the very core of the direction of the country. Someday America will have to decide whether it wants to continue down the path of ultra-militarism or whether it wants to maintain the social fabric of our own society and some degree of moral authority in the world. It appears that Sen. Lieberman is choosing the very wrong side of history.

[usregimechange]

8. Send em money, love to see freeperman get the boot.

[madfloridian]

9. Bat up. Made goal in 6 hours.

http://www.democracyforamerica.com/

Trying for $30,000 now.

[Usrename]

10. Damn the torpedos! Full speed ahead!

I love this guy!

[BlueIris]

11. Heh. For the first time in two years, I'm proud of the work I did for DFA