Years ago I was lucky if I could run one mile then I quit drinking which helped me drop a lot of dead weight. I was reminded of "dead weight" this weekend since my fiancee and I completed our first 10k (6.2 miles for my gringo friends) run to help fight cardiovascular disease, http://www.heartofsummer.org/. The weather was great for running since it was cool -- cool enough to remind me that summer is fading and fall is approaching which of course means we are nearing election time on November 7th. This year's election is an opportunity for one politician that I am watching closely to drop some "dead weight" of his own.
The politician that I am watching intensely is US Senator Joe Lieberman's effort to be re-elected to another term in the US Senate but as an "independent" this time (Note -- there is no official "Independent Party" in the USA thus the lower case "i") not a Democrat since he was defeated in the recent primary by first time candidate Ned Lamont. While I do not agree with Senator Lieberman on all policy issues there is one political issue that I COMPLETELY DISAGREE with him on. This issue is his announcement that if he is re-elected as an independent -- he is currently ahead of Lamont by 14 percentage points in recent polling -- he would "caucus" (meet with) the Democratic members of the US Senate to conduct business.
Big Mistake Joe!!
This is the same Democratic Party who primary voters in Connecticut rejected you for Lamont. This is the same Democratic Party whose incumbent US Senators (Lieberman's current "colleagues/friends" which is a term I use very loosely in this situation) have jumped from the Lieberman ship to support Lamont's campaign. How quickly these dedicated public servants follow the political winds of change -- so much for principles and senatorial friendship.
If Senator Lieberman really wants to become a national figure (he was the Democratic Party's Vice Presidential nominee in 2000 so clearly he has national ambitions) he should NOT caucus with the Senate Democrats. Instead, if re-elected, Senator Lieberman (Independent-Connecticut) should form a new, official, legal political party coupled with asking some of the US Senate's other mavericks like Senator Chuck Hagel (Republican-Nebraska) and perhaps Senator John McCain (Republican-Arizona) to join him. Senator Lieberman clearly has the potential to raise enough political action committee (PAC) funds to support other independent candidates for his new political party in the 2008 elections -- perfect timing since he has two years to raise funds and presidential year elections like 2008 really drive voter turnout thus providing a mobilized electorate for Senator Lieberman's party to score some victories.
The party is over Senator Lieberman so form your own.
Todd
3 comments:
A great man (Dave Kochel) once told me "Moderates don't win [presidential] elections." Squish Democrats/independents don't either.
Todd,
Are you calling me a gringo, I now own a calculator that does the conversions for me. No more gringo tag for me.
gk
Gringo is merely a term for "North Americans" - citizens of the USA is perhaps better so as not to offend my Canuck friends -- I never use it in the offensive tone that most people do, I say it with affection since I am a gringo myself :)
And Jeff as for "moderates" -- I agree no revolution was ever won by a moderate but the creation of a third party with a MESSAGE does cause revolutions -- as evidence let me offer the "Free Soil Party" which focused on the elimination of slavery in the USA. The FSP was absorbed by the start up "Republican Party" which went on to elect President Lincoln and the "rest is history" as they say.
Todd
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