Dead With Ned (Why Lamont's victory spells Democratic disaster.)

Slate ^ | 8/9/2006 | Jacob Weisberg

[BlackRazor]

Dead With Ned
Why Lamont's victory spells Democratic disaster.
By Jacob Weisberg

Posted Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2006, at 3:33 PM ET

Political analysts tend to overinterpret the results of isolated elections. But you can hardly read too much into Ned Lamont's defeat of Joe Lieberman in Connecticut's Aug. 8 primary. This is a signal event that will have a huge and lasting negative impact on the Democratic Party. The result suggests that instead of capitalizing on the massive failures of the Bush administration, Democrats are poised to re-enact a version of the Vietnam-era drama that helped them lose five out six presidential elections between 1968 and the end of the Cold War.

(snip)

Whether Democrats can avoid playing their Vietnam video to the end depends on their ability to project military and diplomatic toughness in place of the elitism and anti-war purity represented in 2004 by Howard Dean and now by Ned Lamont. Hillary Clinton, the Democratic front-runner for 2008, is trying to walk this difficult line, continuing to express support for the war in principle while becoming increasingly strident in her criticism of its execution. As the congressional elections approach, many Republican candidates are fleeing Bush's embrace because of his Iraq-induced unpopularity. But Lamont's victory points to a way in which Bush's disastrous war could turn into an even bigger liability for the Democrats.

[BlackRazor]

Even at Slate, they understand this.

[edpc]

The Dems always find a way to shoot themselves in the foot.

[johnny7]

Slate... or no Slate... that's a GREAT headline!

[Galtoid]

I am sick to death of all these Democrat pundits citing the polls wherein the American people by a large majority dislike the war in Iraq. Okay. Accept this fact, but in order to be rational about it, you have to take the next step in logical thinking. We might not LIKE the war, but we don't all necessarily think that the war is useless either. NO ONE LIKES WAR. But this "unpopular" war might end up being a catalyst for lasting change across the Middle East. A change that will enhance OUR security. My only problem with how we're executing the struggle in Iraq is that we're pussyfooting around.

[Jameison]

"The result suggests that instead of capitalizing on the massive failures of the Bush administration, Democrats are poised to re-enact a version of the Vietnam-era drama that helped them lose five out six presidential elections between 1968 and the end of the Cold War. "

The last time the RATS voted for an anti-war, cut and run candidate:


http://www.multied.com/elections/1972state.html

[P-40]

I'm actually a little suprised at how few media outlets have grasped the fact that it is a little early to be crowing about Victory.

[randog]

Many of them appear not to take the wider, global battle against Islamic fanaticism seriously. They see Iraq purely as a symptom of a cynical and politicized right-wing response to Sept. 11, as opposed to a tragic misstep in a bigger conflict. Substantively, this view indicates a fundamental misapprehension of the problem of terrorism. Politically, it points the way to perpetual Democratic defeat.

A good summary of the left wrt WOT.

[alloysteel]

The tide of public opinion seems to be running against Ned, Ned Lamont, in that he is a "rich boy" insulated from the real world, and has pretty largely ridden in on the shoulders of the agnostics, anarchists and nihilists, with no real program about anything except "cut and run" from Iraq.

By default, this is surrender, not in piecemeal fashion, but by outright abandonment. And in the abandonment, the Islamic jihadists will have some difficulty in assimilating how easy it all was, but only for a few minutes. From then on, anywhere a Muslim has trod, shall become part of the worldwide Caliphate.

And these people just THOUGHT they were oppressed in America. REAL oppression is much, much more terrible, it just goes on and on, and there is no alternative to where those who try to escape may run.

[randog]

My only problem with how we're executing the struggle in Iraq is that we're pussyfooting around.

I'll second that.

[Darkwolf377]

The article also offers food for thought for the "Teach them a lesson in November' crop of 'Conservaitves'.

[DustyMoment]

The article also offers food for thought for the "Teach them a lesson in November' crop of 'Conservatives'.

Yes, it does. There are many of us who would love to "Teach them a lesson in November" (myself included), but who recognize that the stakes are too high for political games. Occasionally, however, articles like this provide us with a reason to look at the bigger picture.

[The G Man]

The Democratic Party drifting to the left can only be a good thing for us.

[CPOSharky]

The demonrats eat one of their own and somehow it bodes ill for the pubbies.

Hey, if Joe was the conscious of the senate does that mean the senate now has no conscious or is it unconscious.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Dis-conscious ?

[Phlap]

Just where will the dumb dems hold their convention in '08? The one place you can bank on it not being is Chicago. lol!!

[Publius6961]

Ned = Howard Dean "light" = moonbat

[Sax]

The article spells out exactly why Hillary refrains from being anti-war.

The whole article, in a tactful way, explains to the Slate's leftist readers why Hillary isn't anti-war and to not crucify her for that. (Psst, guys, she's just got to preeetend to support the war until she's elected, then that cloak can come off.)

[HawaiianGecko]

I am sick to death of all these Democrat pundits citing the polls wherein the American people by a large majority dislike the war in Iraq.

Consider that only 52% of Democrats in a primary which we all know attract more radicals than moderates voted for the Anti-War Candidate and that 48% of Democrats in that state vote for the Pro-Bush-Candidate.

[sport]

I hope so.

[BlackRazor]

Just where will the dumb dems hold their convention in '08?

Denver and St.Paul/Minneapolis are considered the front-runners right now. New York is considered a dark horse possibility.