Thursday, August 10, 2006

Reid and Schumer on Lamont

* via josh: Reid and Schumer on Lamont ...
“The Democratic voters of Connecticut have spoken and chosen Ned Lamont as their nominee. Both we and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) fully support Mr. Lamont’s candidacy. Congratulations to Ned on his victory and on a race well run.

“Joe Lieberman has been an effective Democratic Senator for Connecticut and for America. But the perception was that he was too close to George Bush and this election was, in many respects, a referendum on the President more than anything else. The results bode well for Democratic victories in November and our efforts to take the country in a new direction.”
* TIme via Jeralyn:
"Either way, this primary win means the Netroots now must be treated by Democratic leaders and politicians like the party's other major power centers -- pro-abortion rights groups, African-Americans and unions.... Now that the Netroots' power has been cemented, any Democratic presidential candidate will have to consider how to woo these Internet activists -- or at least keep them from hating him or her..... this race sends one clear overriding message: in a liberal state like Connecticut, Democratic candidates defy the Netroots, who are here to stay, at their own peril."

* via Jeralyn:
"According to a close Lieberman adviser, the President's political guru, Karl Rove, has reached out to the Lieberman camp with a message straight from the Oval Office: "The boss wants to help. Whatever we can do, we will do.""

* josh in TIme:
"Lieberman got in trouble because he let himself live in the bubble of D.C. conventional wisdom and A-list punditry. He flattered them; and they loved him back. And as part of that club he was part of the delusion and denial that has sustained our enterprise in Iraq for the last three years. In the weeks leading up to Tuesday's primary, A-list D.C. pundits were writing columns portraying Lieberman's possible defeat as some sort of cataclysmic event that might foreshadow a dark new phase in American politics — as though voters choosing new representation were on a par with abolishing the Constitution or condoning political violence. But those breathless plaints only showed how disconnected they are from what's happening in the country at large. They mirrored his disconnection from the politics of the moment."

3 comments:

Peter Patau said...

The trouble with the conventional wisdom about Joe winning a three-way race this fall is that it IS the conventional wisdom -- a nostalgic look in the rear-view mirror. Back to a time when Joe was a VP candidate, his party’s standard-bearer, not the pathetic joke and spoiler wannabe whose rapidly shrinking support is melting further day by day. And there won’t be much left after the comics get through with him. A lot of Stewart shows -- or perhaps more important, given his demographics, Leno shows -- between now and November.

After he gets over the shock of defeat, we can hope that Joe sees this is really all about generational change. Some actors are leaving the stage, while others are just starting to play their parts. Joe can accept that and walk off the stage gracefully, or he'll most likely just end up taking an even bigger pratfall.

lukery said...

gday Madison Guy - thnx for droppin by.

i totally agree with you re the three-way - although i did see a poll yesterday that 80% of yesterday joe-voters said they'd vote for him in november - which is pretty scary. but as you say, there's a lot of water to cross between now and then. it was great to see all the dems immediately come out in strong support for Ned.

Anonymous said...

Is that Madison, CT.?