Yo Joe! Time To Go!

So.... who do you want to win the Connecticut primary between incumbent Joe "Bush-Loves-Me" Lieberman and Ned "New-Kid-On-The-Block" Lamont? The U.S is watching this race with great anticipation. (As of yesterday, many polls had Lamont ahead by about 10 points). The central issue seems to be the right-leaning Democratic Leadership Council versus the grass roots supported Lamont, but the party establishment wants Americans to believe it's about nothing more than punishing the incumbent for a few missteps. However, the choice should be absolutely clear to anyone who believes in the democratic process and the choice is....Ned Lamont.

Being that Lamont is an unproven politician who believes it is time for a change and who has neither serious skeletons in his closet nor other serious strikes against him, we must look at Lieberman's actions. The fact is that Joe has messed up royally of late and it is ALWAYS better to try the new than stay with the old when the old is a politician who is now totally unpredictable. In fact, he is a complete wild card whose future actions can no longer be safely anticipated, contrary to his claims about being a good Democrat in the past. But let's take a look.

The Democratic Leadership Council (DLC): The Clinton-founded DLC functions as a rival institution to the DNC (now more than ever with the election of Howard Dean) with the goal of moving the party to the "center," i.e. center right. The DLC is far too intertwined with corporations and laissez faire style government to effectively represent
the interests of the average American Democrat and, economically speaking, there is little difference between DLC Democrats and Repuglicans. Joe is a DLC Democrat which is why President Clinton is out stumping for him. He actually served as the DLC chair. Establishment Dems are backing him through orgs such as the DSCC and DCCC (which has been recruiting candidates that are pro-war and "centrist"). Remember NAFTA? Joe supported that.

The War(s): Joe has consistently sided with the cabal on issues concerning military action in the Middle East, going so far as to question the loyalty of Democrats who oppose it, against the will of his constituents. In addition, Joe's sentiments concerning Israel are well-known and it seems that he has jumped on board with the Neo-Cons PNAC agenda. Americans should question the loyalty of any politician who would put American lives in danger for their own ideological beliefs. The fact that one of his staffers apparently saw fit to chide Jewish-Americans for supporting Lamont speaks volumes.

Independent Joe?: One reason is enough to send Joe home; his declaration that if he loses the democratic primary he will run as an Independent. What is he thinking? The problem is that Joe is so cozy with Bushco. that he believes he will get a sizable portion of the Republican vote. In addition, Joe is so "centrist" that he will pick up some Independents and conservative Dems. But does he think he can win this way? We should seriously doubt this strategy's effectiveness or his belief that it will work. The most likely outcome is that Joe will split the Democratic vote enough for a Republican to win it. Is this Joe's real plan? Is he so convinced of his God-given right to pretend to represent the interests of voters in Connecticut that he would sabotage the election? Or is this a ploy to blackmail pragmatic Dems into giving him another term?

Attitude: Joe has shown nothing but contempt for his challenger. He apparently thinks it is his seat and no one else has a right to vie for it. This can be demonstrated by his campaign strategy as of late that seems to be orchestrated more by Karl Rove then any Democrat. Lieberman's attacks on Lamont have no substance. They have been characterized by personal attacks on both Ned and his supporters. He attacked Lamont for being a millionaire and accused him of trying to by the election, although Ned asked him to agree to cap donations and expenditures. Besides the DLC, DSCC and DCCC could easily outspend Lamont if necessary. But, says Joe, Lamont has no political experience. The point? Lots of candidates have little or no experience and lots of experience is not necessarily always a plus. He has refused to answer campaign questions and, initially, refused to debate. No politician should ever believe he or she has the right to hold office in a democracy.

There are many other problems with Joe's performance, but the point should be clear: Joe's actions, whether taken individually or together, are more than enough for the voters of Connecticut to desire new leadership. Moreover, all voters should take into account the DLC v. DNC element. The DLC is a blight on the party and we need to start removing its memebrs from office everywhere.

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