Good on political newcomer Ned Lamont for winning the Connecticut primary yesterday. It's great to see democracy can still work. The people of the Democratic party have spoken and Joe Lieberman isn't listening.
What to make of Joe's new move to independent status in order to run in the fall election? It certainly seems right that anyone should be able to run in an election. Complaints that our country has become stagnated by a two party system might be legitimate; maybe having multiple parties would be better. More independents and moderates in office sounds like a good thing - the ideal result being more bipartisanship and moderate compromises in legislation.
There's another issue to consider here - party membership. Lieberman has been a Democrat for 30 years, benefiting from party support. What's his obligation to remain loyal to the party and support the candidate chosen by the party? Any? No, instead he picks up his marbles and goes home. He'll just run by his-self then, so there. Lieberman says he's for "a new politics of unity and purpose". Hmm, that would be the kind of politics where you support your political party and its candidates and work within it to present a unified front for change?
I think Lieberman will win in the fall because he'll pick up votes from both parties - from Republicans who support the war and from Democrats who want an experienced senior senator representing their state. So, while Lamont's win is a big win for the Democratic party (as it tries to define its stance on the Iraq war) it will ultimately cost a senate seat. This reduction in Democratic seats, at a time when the party is trying to regain the majority, makes Joe's poor sportsmanship truly a stab in the back.
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