the liebster want to be john mccain's running mate.
Maybe he's got another job and doesn't care about the Senate position.
Posted by ROGNM at April 10, 2006 01:01 PMHoly Joe marches to his own drummer. He does not care about the people generally referred to as the Democratic base. They did not elect him in the first place and they have not made him one of the more prominent members of the senate.
Similarly, he doesn't care about the national Democratic Party (as distinct from the DNC) because he owes them nothing and they will do nothing to help him.
The truth is that he owes his prominence to the fact that he routinely takes positions against the Democratic Party and the Democratic base.
His threat, or vow, or promise to run as an independent if he loses the primary is completely consistent with who he is and always has been.
Posted by James E. Powell at April 10, 2006 01:03 PMTo become McCain's running mate, Lieberman must win reelection to the US Senate. Without that position, Lieberman has no standing, no machine like an ex-governor would have. Lieberman's talk about abandoning the Democratic Party to make an independent run does not really help him achieve that goal of winning reelection. The Republicans love him because he savages other Democrats, but they would have no use for him otherwise. Independents may or may not vote for him just because he's "Joe Lieberman." Democrats will not support him if he leaves the party, even though I suspect Joe thinks some might.
If truth be told, only Lieberman's apparent lack of interest in winning reelection came through in his presentation to the Windsor DTC yesterday. He just didn't seem very enthusiastic about the whole process. He didn't even very enthusiastic about his being the best person for the position. He seems to have worked himself into a corner and doesn't know how to get himself out. His calls for a "civil tone" to the campaign merely attempt to place off-limits discussions about his failures as a Senator. He certainly doesn't want to fight for anything, which means his value as a US Senator for CT is nil.
Posted by PrahaPartizan at April 10, 2006 01:07 PMI agree with those suggesting that Joe is trying to force Lamont out of the race by putting what he thinks of as pressure on the democratic hiearchy to force lamont out. Why? Because Lieberman thinks that he can convince the dems that if Lieberman pulls out of the dem race (which he isn't threatening to do) Lamont will end up the defacto dem candidate and somehow won't be able to beat the republican candidate. He's throwing down a gauntlet to the dc establishment dems. It doesn't make sense, and its petty and insulting, but that doesn't mean it won't work. The dems have shown with their backing of casey against santorum that they would rather back what they think of as a sure thing with a d after its name (even if it stinks to high heaven) than a moderately risky proposition that is a true liberal.
aimai
Posted by aimai at April 10, 2006 01:08 PMJoe's suffering from separation anxiety. First he separated himself from his party and now his constiuents are separating themselves from him. Classic example of arrogantly going it alone, so alone is the only place left to go. Next he'll probably threaten to go out and eat some snails ...
Posted by mainsailset at April 10, 2006 01:13 PMThe Beltway-CW thinks Joe's a shoe in since he historically gets very high cross over support from republicans. So Ho' Lieberman is trying to pressure the party, implying if they go with Lamont, he'll win as an Indy and the Dems will lose his seat.
I think that's fantasy land thinking, but that's what Lieberman is up to here.
A modified DeLay approach. He aquires campaign cash as the presumptive Democratic candidate until just before the election, when he has an (ahem) epiphany and presents himself as 'an independant candidate for an independant state', gathers his signatures and takes support from the so-called sensible center. Then he can join either party as he sees fit down the road, on his terms. Ugh.
Posted by Mark Centz at April 10, 2006 01:38 PMMainstream Democrats are pissed at Progressives but not enough to save Lieberman.
I went to a progressive meeting and the vice-chair of the Dem party here in AZ was pleading with us, "You can't win without us". He soften his approach when I stood up and said, "YOU can't win without us or our money"!
I want to see Lieberman go ahead and run as an Independent! Where is he going to get his funding?
Posted by bbtb at April 10, 2006 01:48 PM"So, what's the advantage in this admission from Lieberman's point of view? I honestly don't get it. Can anyone help?"
Being a lying, spineless, unprincipled, waffling and rudderless sack-o-shit got Dubya elected President. Why shouldn't other politicians give it a try?
Posted by steve duncan at April 10, 2006 02:30 PMI think everyone's assuming one thing - that Lieberman thinks he can win.
I'm more willing to belive that the pressure he's putting on the Democratic Party is "Back me or DIE, because I'll run as an independent and split the Democratic vote, handing the seat to the GOP in a year where you need every seat you can get.
Two-party politics, plurality wins, remember?
Posted by idiosynchronic at April 10, 2006 02:37 PMThe Liebster wants to be John McCain's running mate? Let's hope so. Maybe he can drag McCain down like he did Al Gore.
Posted by hotlemon at April 10, 2006 03:37 PMIsn't it obvious? He knows he's going to lose the primary, so that would be his only shot at re-election.
Or, perhaps he wants to drop out of the race at the last possible moment and take the campaign funds a la Tom DeLay.
Posted by Repack Rider at April 10, 2006 03:41 PMThe Liebster wants to be John McCain's running mate? Let's hope so. Maybe he can drag McCain down like he did Al Gore.
Posted by hotlemon at April 10, 2006 03:37 PM
*****
It still amazes me that Gore picked an old Jewish grandmother as his running mate.
Posted by God Of War at April 10, 2006 07:04 PMWho care what Lieberman does. The Democrats have every right to ignore him and refuse to support him financially. Maybe the Republicans can give him the money, afterall, his staying in office is more important to them than us.
Posted by Judith at April 11, 2006 02:15 AMthe saudi agenda wrote a little ditty for clueless joe.
there is no saudi agenda.
Posted by benjoya at April 11, 2006 07:35 AM