Posted on 08/17/2006 9:07:36 PM PDT by no dems
It sounds like Joe Lieberman's independent campaign for re-election to his Senate seat is heading into rocky political waters: top Democrats are beginning to become concerned about his message, according to The Hill: A group of Senate Democrats is growing increasingly angry about Sen. Joe Lieberman’s (D-Conn.) campaign tactics since he lost the Democratic primary last week. If he continues to alienate his colleagues, Lieberman could be stripped of his seniority within the Democratic caucus should he defeat Democrat Ned Lamont in the general election this November, according to some senior Democratic aides. In recent days, Lieberman has rankled Democrats in the upper chamber by suggesting that those who support bringing U.S. troops home from Iraq by a certain date would bolster terrorists’ planning attacks against the U.S. and its allies. He also sparked resentment by saying last week on NBC’s Today show that the Democratic Party was out of the political mainstream. Democrats are worried that Lieberman may be giving Republicans a golden opportunity to undermine their message. “I think there’s a lot of concern,” said a senior Democratic aide who has discussed the subject with colleagues. “I think the first step is if the Lieberman thing turns into a side show and hurts our message and ability to take back the Senate, and the White House and the [National Republican Senatorial Committee] manipulate him, there are going to be a lot of unhappy people in our caucus.” Michael Lewan, Lieberman’s former chief of staff, has worked to quell Democratic discontent with Lieberman and to steer them away from campaigning against his former boss, said Democratic aides familiar with Lewan’s activities. And aside from the message, there's another bigger reason why Democrats are beginning to raise their eyebrows over Lieberman's theme about the Democratic party, the war, terrorism and the Bush administration these days: The issue of Lieberman’s seniority would arise most dramatically if Lieberman wins re-election and Democrats recapture control of the chamber. That would slot Lieberman to take over as chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, the panel primarily responsible for investigating the executive branch. The whole point of the Democrat's argument to its voters and independent voters (and some disgruntled Republican voters) will be that with one party effectively controlling all branches of government there is no oversight. The GOP has used the specter of Democrats taking control and running wild doing investigations and perhaps opting for impeachment (something top Congressional leaders downplay or pooh-pooh) to raise funds. Democrats think their chances of taking back the Senate are growing more and more likely. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) last week said he was more confident that Democrats would pick up at least five Senate seats. Allowing Lieberman to retain his seniority could put the senator now running as an independent in charge of the Senate’s chief investigative committee. If Democrats took control of either chamber they would likely launch investigations of the White House’s handling of the war in Iraq and homeland security. The Hill quotes a "Democratic senior aide" as saying it wouldn't sense to keep Lieberman in a position where he might take over the Governmental Affairs Committee. One of Lieberman's biggest obstacles is the fact that the country's top GOP party officials and the White House press spokesman have made it clear the people with the national power levers in the GOP aren't going to the GOP candidate in Connecticut -- and are all but openly rooting for Lieberman's election. You can't turn on Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity without them praising him. This means his candidacy, in the way it is being presented now, has shifted in perception in the media from being a centrist running against an anti-war Democrat to being a Democrat who is sharply criticizing his own party and being openly supported by Republican political and media bigwigs who generally demonize Democrats. If the administration or GOP as a party had cultivated, nurtured (and even used to its own political advantage, as Bush adeptly did when he was Governor of Texas) TRUE bipartisanship, Lieberman would not have become such an unlikely symbol. But some of those Democrats who held out an olive branch had it broken over the heads. And Lieberman’s recent statements solidified his standing among many Democrats as someone who urges bipartisanship with those who are mega-partisan. The net result is that it likely means even fewer Democrats will vote for Lieberman than before. And that is even more likely to happen if some top Democrats campaign against Lieberman or answer attacks he may make on the Democratic party itself. Another big problem for Lieberman: if voters want to cast a protest vote against the Bush administration, who will they vote for? You'll have one Republican (not supported by the Republican national elite), one independent Democrat (supported by the Republican national elite) and one Democrat who has sharply criticized the administration on the war and other issues.
Thank you for providing the usual DNC spin Torie. Interesting how you always disappear the day after election day when all your DNC generated propaganda blows up in your face only to show up again the next Election cycle. So who do you work for Tory? Dean, Moveon.org? Answer? Code Pink?
Tennessee* Virginia
Anyone who says this is obviously going WAY out of their way to spin as hard as they can a pro Democrat Party Analysis. Both are Safe Republican seats. Not even in play.
Forget speculation. Anyone want to format the article?
If they take his committee away which I am pretty sure they will. Maybe we should offer him the same committee, but only as a co chair on something he has been strongly in agreement with us on.
*shrug* The last poll had Virginia at 47%-42% and Tennessee at 48-42%. Words are cheap, and yours are particularly worthless. All it'll take for me to move TN and/or VA back to Likely is for the polls to go back above a 10% margin. Until you have a link showing that, there's no need for you to bother me again. Come to think of it, I'll probably find any polls just fine without your assistance, so there's really no need for you to bother me or ping me again ... ever ... for any reason ... so please consider this my request that you never do so again.
You're right. I'm just thinking "numbers"; control of the Senate. But, you are right.
Hey, my bad. I've already been taken to the woodshed for that a gazillion times. I did it late, late, late last night. Sorry.
They have it backwards. The Dems undermine themselves. Joe is just pointing out the obvious.
I would only say that I, personally, am loathe to switch ratings of races based on one poll which occurs calling other previous polls (not over a month old) into question, especially during the summer, when polls (esp. state ones) tend to not function normally. Of course, in House races, where polls are few and far between, negation of such a method is probably the fruitful course.
Eh, but whatever. We're each entitled to our opinions. :)
With regard to Virginia, I did not go on merely the Rasmussen poll, but also on the Survey USA poll of the fallout from his "macaca" remark. That poll did not explicitly ask about the Webb/Allen match up, but did strongly suggest a similar margin.
With regard to Tennessee, I have been rating that contest below the collective punditry and below the polling for weeks now. As I said some while ago, I would move that one back to Lean GOP if the GOP nominee was below 10%+ after the primary.
Dem angst escalates
The Hill | 8/16/06 | Alexander Bolton
Posted on 08/15/2006 10:03:17 PM EDT by JeanS
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1684400/posts
I have been called a DNC operative by a couple around here for my projections. Imagine what they would say about you. :)
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