Joe Says It's So....For Now
While watching Lieberman's concession speech a little while ago, I was struck by how "prepared" it was. I guess tonight wasn't exactly a surprise.
This is nothing short of a stunning success for Lamont and his supporters, who include many liberal bloggers. Say what you want about Kos, Atrios, Moveon.org, etc., but that's where the political energy is in this country right now. These people aren't sitting at home, remote-control in hand, bitching about things. They're out there working, organizing, pushing---and the incredible voter turnout on Tuesday night reflected that. It's refreshing and interesting to watch.
Since Lieberman's made it clear he will run as an independent, I hope they can sustain that energy until November. The unabashed support for Lieberman during the past few days by the usual suspects (Fox News, NRO, etc) indicates how much is at stake.
This is nothing short of a stunning success for Lamont and his supporters, who include many liberal bloggers. Say what you want about Kos, Atrios, Moveon.org, etc., but that's where the political energy is in this country right now. These people aren't sitting at home, remote-control in hand, bitching about things. They're out there working, organizing, pushing---and the incredible voter turnout on Tuesday night reflected that. It's refreshing and interesting to watch.
Since Lieberman's made it clear he will run as an independent, I hope they can sustain that energy until November. The unabashed support for Lieberman during the past few days by the usual suspects (Fox News, NRO, etc) indicates how much is at stake.
posted by The Cunning Realist at Wednesday, August 09, 2006
16 Comments:
It's amazing that the a previous Democratic Vice-Presidential candidate and then Candidate is supported by Sean Hannity, Newt Gingrinch, William Kristol and others far right luminaries.
Joe's speech was prepared a couple of days ago. In fact he pretty much stopped campaigning. He invited his supporters to a party at 5PM on election day, when they should have been going all out to get out the vote.
I wonder if he will retain those that voted for him today
Given that Bush wouldn't even endorse the Republican party candidate in an interview last week, with the stream of GOP $$ sure to come, it is clear that Lieberman is now the real Republican candidate for the Senate. Always remember that it was support from William Buckley that got Lieberman started in his race in 1988 against Lowell Weicker.
I am in no way a supporter of Mr Lieberman. I think he lost his way even back during the impeachment of President Clinton. But I am really concerned about the voices from the blog as part of this race. I am a very moderate centrist sort of person and I think that is what Sen. Liberman has tried to be (although he has done a poor job of it). But the idea that everything he says now is portrayed in some negative light on blog after blog is a little disheartening and intellectually dishonest. When Jim Jefferie chose to express his independence the Dems welcomed him with opened arms. I firecely disagree with Sen Lieberman and how he has provided cover for the President but a lot of what I have been reading on the blogs about him paint him in a light that really makes a lot of the left/center sound more like many on the right. I'm not sure I am being as clear as I want to be about this, but all I am trying to say is that I hope that there is a place for the center in this country.
Me again....I was referring to Jim Jeffers of VT and the word I was looking for as it relates to Sen. Liberman was demonize. I think it is possible to lay out the facts without resorting to name calling and demonization...but I might be naive.
Oh dear, I don't like where this is headed...
It would be good to recover the political center in the US but issues and ideologies have become so polarized and bitter it's difficult to imagine that happening any time soon. In any case I would disagree that Lieberman was even centrist much less "left/centrist;" if anything he was right/centrist but that doesn't quite capture the problem with the man. Perhaps it would be closer to observe that, beyond mere pragmatism, he seems far too willing to cater to power and that he displayed a great deal of skill in masking his real preferences.
Lieberman did indeed vote with the Democrats the majority of the time but in most cases it was a vote that didn't matter much, either because it was a losing cause or because the Democrats had joined with the Republicans on one of the (increasingly rare) compromise issues; the votes that mattered, both ideologically and substantively -- from the Schiavo debacle to the weakening of FASB standards governing corporate reporting to the Iraq misadventure -- were the ones those in power wanted and the ones Lieberman supported.
This is something beyond liberal vs. conservative with something in between. It would frankly not be unreasonable for any Connecticut voter regardless of ideological persuasion to begin suspecting a cuckoo in the nest, a different man under the mask, and that the bacon Lieberman was presumably bringing home was benefiting too few and the price actually paid by the average citizen much higher than advertised.
Lieberman chose to become an Independent rather than a Republican because he sees the latter label as a political liability now but the nature of his support makes it abundantly clear what he is. He has not been nor will he be a "balancing" influence if re-elected. That’s just my opinion of course; I do not trust the man. Of course, if it comes to that, there are precious few in Washington that I do trust right now so perhaps that isn’t saying very much; let’s just say I do not consider him the lesser of two evils and leave it at that.
I am in no way a supporter of Mr Lieberman. I think he lost his way even back during the impeachment of President Clinton. But I am really concerned about the voices from the blog as part of this race. I am a very moderate centrist sort of person and I think that is what Sen. Liberman has tried to be (although he has done a poor job of it).
I don't understand this line of thinking at all. To my mind, the most dismaying thing about the last five years hasn't been any one policy disaster or concerted piece of Washington idiocy (God knows there's been no shortage of either in that time). No, the truly disheartening and worrying thing has been the failure of major institutions that portray themselves as pillars of democratic (small 'd') society. And no institutions have abdicated more than the national press organs, and the Congress.
The "moderate", "balanced" press has routinely let the administration pass logical and factual howlers that even Leonid Brezhnev would be reluctant to mouth. The Congress has simply decided to forgo its Constitutional obligations (e.g., I hear there's a quaint thing called a "Declaration of War"). If a few bloggers are really so deluded that they actually listened to their high school civics class, and then have the impertinence to raise their voices about the betrayal of America's best traditions and ideals -- how, exactly, is this a bad thing?
Lieberman contributed much more than most to this institutional dysfunction -- both in his paid job, and in his media gassing. It wasn't just the war, or his increasingly bizarre defenses of an obviously pathological administration. Lieberman's role in bankruptcy "reform" was a disgrace, weasel-ish even by Congressional standards. He helped ease Alito in the Supreme Court. Long before he had any national prominence, he was helped catalyze the fast and loose approach to financial regulation that Enron came to love.
Nope, putz Joe got exactly what he deserved. His defeat is a little sign that the wheezing old carcass of American representative government may still have a bit of life left. We can only hope that his colleagues get the message that the sweet Congressional salary is not a birthright.
-- sglover
Well now, I suppose if one were a real 'capitalist provocateur' the lengthy Depperman screed posted by Anon would meet the necessary criteria: a set of insane claims (actually written by a neo-Nazi crank assuming Googlesearch didn’t lead me astray) that the 'socialists' (read commie Jews) are violently opposed to the strategy in Iraq, written at sufficient length in suitably turgid prose to assure most people will only skim it (and probably assume it really is 'official socialist' agitprop), and then let human nature take its course. Rather crude but, who knows, in an era of increasing ideological fervor possibly effective along the fringe or among the unsophisticated.
"Nope, putz Joe got exactly what he deserved. His defeat is a little sign that the wheezing old carcass of American representative government may still have a bit of life left."
I would tend to agree with you and you made some very excellent points. You did it however without demonizing Mr Lieberman and that was my only point. He lost touch with those he needed for support and paid the price for it.
I don't think anyone "demonized" Joe. he did himself in with orwellian jaw-droppers like "we undermine the credibility of the commander -in - chief at our own peril" That was beyond the pale.
He deserved to lose, and I hope he can be convinced to drop his independent bid. The pressure on him to do so will be intense.
As far as Joe is concerned, please explain to me why it is OK for Senators and others from around the country to finanacially support and physically campaign for Joe, but it is somehow subversive for little ole me in Missouri to send him my $25 bucks and good wishes?
CR, I normally ignore trolls... believe in the don't feed the trolls rule, but could you please deleted the above screed?
As usual, love your blog, your insights, and your commentors (usually).
Yeh, hold Lieberman responsibility, that'l show'em... and yet it is the Republicans that have the majority in all branches of government. It seems odd that real republicans won't hold their "republican" politicians accountable.
"....he did himself in with orwellian jaw-droppers like "we undermine the credibility of the commander -in - chief at our own peril" That was beyond the pale."
I could not agree more.
wonder if lamont passed the interview with flying colours...
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/nationworld/story/6040342p-5301602c.html
"Most citizens are unaware of the startling fact that for years our U.S. Middle East policy has not been crafted by seasoned experts who are committed to America's basic national interests." --Paul Findley, U.S. Republican Congressman, (1961-83)
http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_1135.shtml
Cool blog, interesting information... Keep it UP » »
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