Elections

At the Epicenter
By Stirling Newberry | http://www.tpmcafe.com

I am at Lamont HQ in Meriden Connecticut, there is bounce, there is joy, there are smiles. The Rev. Jesse Jackson was here, arguing that Lamont represents a moral center, agains the far right. The numbers roll in, with 252 reporting 59244 for Lamont, 49752 for Lieberman. Atrios, Matt Stoller, Jane Hamsher are here. The MyLeftNutmeg crew - early and avid backers of Lamont - are here. The campaign stalwarts are here, smiling at the first test of their organization and their movement.

By David Sirota

No, folks, that's not a headline from the Onion - that's actually what's going on. This might be the most hilarious thing that's happened in the entire Lieberman-Lamont campaign - and that's saying a lot because there's been a lot of humor. Lieberman's campaign website went down today. Lieberman's campaign staff immediately accused Lamont's campaign of hacking their website, and said it is going to file a complaint with the U.S. Attorney's Office and with the Connecticut Attorney General. But as the Wonkette shows, what really happened was that Lieberman and his $12 million campaign hired an expensive web consultant who then hosted the Lieberman campaign's website on a $15-a-month discount server, which - not surprisingly during a high traffic time like an election - shit the bed and died under stress. Put another way, Lieberman's campaign got ripped off, and now, realizing it got ripped off, its trying to pin the blame for being ripped off on its opponent.

By David Sirota

The psychology of the middle-aged, self-described partisan/media political "expert" is something of a puzzle to me. Strip away all the bloviating, all the self-importance, all the haughtiness, and you'll find a deeply-rooted hatred of all things relating to George McGovern. The storyline, which pundit Mark Schmitt notes is evident in the Lieberman-Lamont primary, goes something like this: McGovern, a B-24 bombing pilot in World War II, ran for president in 1972 on a platform opposing the Vietnam War, and supposedly because of this reason and this reason alone, he was deservedly crushed in his campaign against Richard Nixon. Therefore, the story goes, no Democratic candidate for any office in America can ever publicly say they believe wars in general - or a specific war - is anything other than a totally desirable objective. Unless a Democrat publicly salivates at the thought of having U.S. troops maimed and killed in operations aimed at maiming and killing foreigners, Mr. Middle Aged Political "Expert" will sternly remind them that they are supposedly going to be the next George McGovern. That is, the next national laughingstock.

By John Nichols, http://www.madison.com

Wisconsin's Russ Feingold was the first member of the Senate Democratic Caucus to refuse to back U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., in the primary fight that has become a struggle over the direction - and perhaps even the soul - of the Democratic Party.

Feingold and Lieberman are about as far apart on the issues as two members of the same party can get, but it still came as something of a surprise when Feingold told NBC's Tim Russert in a June "Meet the Press" interview that he would not be supporting his colleague from Connecticut in that state's Democratic primary.

By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent

MERIDEN, Connecticut (Reuters) - Jocelyne Hudson-Brown says she no longer trusts Sen. Joseph Lieberman. John Reardon calls it a loss of confidence. Bob Walsh says Lieberman turned his back on his party.

For all three Connecticut Democrats, all one-time Lieberman supporters, the former vice presidential nominee's staunch advocacy of the Iraq war was the final straw that convinced them to back Lieberman's anti-war challenger Ned Lamont.

By David Sirota

The movie "Clue" is one of my favorites, in part, because the viewer gets to see three possible endings all in a row. So in that same Clue-like vein, I want to offer my thoughts on the possible outcomes of the Lieberman-Lamont primary. Though the election will take place tomorrow, it's obvious today what will take place under all of the possible outcomes (except, maybe for Florida 2000-style outcome - that's a real wildcard). So without further ado, I will lay out my predictions starting with Lieberman winning big and going to Lamont winning big.

GOP Leaders Are Hoping to Turn the War Into a Winner
By Peter Wallsten, Los Angeles Times

A strategy memo says Iraq may rouse voters. A recent poll shows it may not be to their benefit.

CRAWFORD, Texas — Some Republican candidates are distancing themselves from President Bush in fear of voter discontent with the war in Iraq. But a new GOP strategy memo argues that the war could prove to be an advantage for many Republican candidates, citing it as one of the most effective issues that will excite the party base in November.

http://www.nonesoblind.org/blog/?p=279

The Democratic voters of Connecticut –apparently about to reject Senator Joe Lieberman in Tuesday’s primary—are poised to send the national Democratic Party a message. And the media are poised to help the Democrats, and the nation as a whole, to misinterpret it.

It’s all about the war in Iraq, the media will tell us.

But this over-simplification obscures the heart of the matter: that citizens are not only opposing the war but are struggling for a way to deal with America’s present deeper crisis.

By Associated Press

Moultonboro, New Hampshire - Former vice presidential candidate John Edwards, who is considering another run for the Democratic nomination for president, said Saturday the United States should start pulling troops out of Iraq immediately.

The former U.S. Sen. from North Carolina told reporters America should "make it clear (to Iraqis) we are leaving, and the best way is to start leaving. We should take 40,000 combat troops out now."

http://www.usalone.com/stacey/pnum306.php

As a Congressman, I will not shirk away from my oath of office. Saying that includes the inherent responsibility to hold the balance of powers within their Constitutional function. It has been determined that the Executive Branch has committed "high crimes and misdemeanors" in the public eye. Through illegal wiretaps, spying on American citizens, lying to start a war, sacrificing national security in lieu of petty political revenge and criminal neglect in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, the current administration has abused its privileged position for profiteering and selfish ambition.

9NEWS NOW, Washington, DC

Something politically remarkable may be about to happen in Connecticut, where polls show three-term Senator Joe Lieberman trailing a wealthy challenger in tomorrow's Democratic primary. The race has come down to the war in Iraq and Democratic anger at Lieberman's support of administration policy.

The damage being done to Lieberman because of his association with President Bush is being felt in other campaigns as well, including George Allen's Senate re-election race in Virginia.

By Dan Balz, Washington Post

FARMINGTON, Conn. — The passion fueling the anti-war challenge to Sen. Joe Lieberman in Connecticut's Senate primary signals a power shift inside the Democratic Party that could reshape the politics of national security and alter the battle for the party's 2008 presidential nomination, strategists in both political parties say.

A victory by businessman Ned Lamont on Tuesday would confirm the growing strength of the grass-roots and Internet activists who emerged in Howard Dean's presidential campaign.[As well as those who did not emerge in Howard Dean's campaign.]

By Don Michak, Journal Inquirer, CT

Make no mistake, this one is about the war in Iraq - and the whole world really is watching.

U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, a three-term incumbent who many Democrats contend actually was elected vice president in the bitterly contested 2000 election, on Tuesday faces off against Ned Lamont, a cable company executive whose previous participation in politics primarily involved writing checks to candidates like the one he is trying to unseat.

By Stirling Newberry
t r u t h o u t | http://www.truthout.org

The revolution is not being televised.

When Joe Lieberman and his supporters tried to raise a stink over a Huffington Post blog entry by FireDogLake's Jane Hamsher, it was clearly the move of a campaign in its death throes. Lieberman might win the primary, or the general election if forced to run as an independent, but he has lost the aura of invulnerability, coolness, and untouchability that has been his powerful weapon in pushing back any criticism of his go-it-alone approach to working with Republicans.

By William Hughes

"Time's glory is to unmask falsehood and bring truth to light." - William Shakespeare

In an action unprecedented in Maryland politics, Kevin Zeese, an Independent candidate in Maryland for the U.S. Senate, has demanded that an incumbent congressman, who has close ties to the powerful Israel Lobby, break his silence on Israeli wrongdoing. In one of his four “Open Letters” to Rep. Ben Cardin (D-MD), dated July 17, 2006, Zeese requested that the “ardent supporter” of Israel end “his sin of silence" and speak out about "the brutal terrorist attacks by Israel on civilians in Lebanon and Gaza." (1) A scholarly report, the "Harvard Study," revealed that the Israel Lobby has exercised "unmatched power" over U.S. foreign policy, which hasn't been in our "national interest." (2)

With A Boost From Bloggers, Ned Lamont Has Democratic Icon On The Ropes
By CBSNews.com producer Christine Lagorio.

Ned Lamont reached his political breaking point last November after reading an op-ed piece by Joe Lieberman in the Wall Street Journal.

The three-term Connecticut senator's sunny description of war-torn Iraq ("There are many more cars on the streets, satellite television dishes on the roofs, and literally millions more cell phones in Iraqi hands than before.") and his uncompromising support for U.S. involvement were too much for Lamont.

By Ellis Henican, Newsday, NY

I'm no political genius. But I'm pretty sure I'm right about this much: It is, generally speaking, dangerous for a politician to go against 73 percent of his constituents on the biggest issue of the day.

Joe Lieberman is discovering this one the hard way.

With the primary vote coming on Tuesday, the three-term Democratic senator from Connecticut really could be adding another line to his highly impressive resume.

By HELEN THOMAS, HEARST NEWSPAPERS

WASHINGTON -- The political fate of Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman will be on the line in Tuesday's Democratic primary in Connecticut, an election that has become a referendum on the war in Iraq.

Lieberman, an all-out supporter of President Bush's policies in Iraq, is being challenged by an anti-war political novice who is giving Lieberman -- a three-term senator and his party's vice presidential nominee in 2000 -- a run for his political life.

Lieberman lags behind primary opponent
By Paul West, Baltimore Sun

FAIRFIELD, Conn. // Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman was strolling a leafy sidewalk in this shoreline suburb the other day, campaigning for votes, when the driver of a Toyota Prius spied him.
"Stop the war!" she shouted, leaning on the horn. "Bring the troops home! No more war!"

Lieberman, the 2000 Democratic vice presidential nominee, is fighting for survival in what could be this year's most important contest. His candidacy has become a symbol of an unpopular war, of Washington's complacency and -- perhaps most significantly -- of a national party that may be on the verge of a transformation, with repercussions that could extend into the 2008 presidential race.

Favorable image dips further among Democrats
By Lydia Saad, GALLUP NEWS SERVICE

PRINCETON, NJ -- U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman has faced mounting difficulties among fellow Democrats in his home state of Connecticut over his pro-Iraq war stance, possibly culminating in his defeat in the Connecticut Democratic primary election for his seat that takes place on Tuesday. Local polling suggests he may very well lose that election to ardently anti-war challenger Ned Lamont. Although many pundits insist all politics is local, new Gallup polling shows that Lieberman's reputation has been sinking among Democrats nationally, not just among those from his home state.

By Susan Haigh, AP

HARTFORD, Conn. --Greenwich businessman Ned Lamont, a political novice fueled by deep pockets and voters' outrage over the Iraq war, has extended his lead over veteran Sen. Joe Lieberman less than a week before Connecticut's Democratic primary, according to a new poll released Thursday.

Lamont has support from 54 percent of likely Democrat voters in the new Quinnipiac University poll, while Lieberman has support from 41 percent of voters. A similar poll July 20 showed Lamont with a slight advantage for the first time in the campaign.

http://www.clw.org/2006/07/how_potential_2.html

Connecticut Democrats fume at his centrism and unbending support for the war. A poll shows the senator's rival surging. The vote is next week.
By Ronald Brownstein, LA Times Staff Writer

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — When Sen. Joe Lieberman stopped to campaign at a busy brew pub here Friday, Linda Rogozinski was perched at the bar. As far as Lieberman was concerned, however, she was sitting on the fence.

By AP

HAMDEN, Conn. A new poll in Connecticut shows Democratic Senate challenger Ned Lamont has opened up a double-digit lead over incumbent Senator Joe Lieberman ahead of next Tuesday's primary.

The Quinnipiac University poll of likely Democratic voters gives him a lead of 54-to-41 percent.

That's a sharp jump from the four-point lead Lamont enjoyed two weeks ago.

The poll found that among Lamont supporters, two-thirds say their vote is mainly against Lieberman. Forty-four percent say Lieberman's support for the war in Iraq is the main reason they're backing the challenger. Fifty percent say the war is one of the main reasons.

By Jonathan Tasini

Get this: I'm being shut out of a debate for the U.S. Senate not because I lack a base of support, not because I'm not legally on the ballot (I am) and not even because my opponent refuses to debate me (though she is dodging the issue). Nope. It's because a member of the mainstream media in New York has decided that there is a price of admission--half a million dollars--to be considered worthy of a chance to present my views and agenda to the voters. Read More.

More than 60% of funds for possible presidential run are $200 or less
By CRAIG GILBERT, http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=478014

Washington - As he explores a 2008 presidential bid, Sen. Russ Feingold has raised a little more than $2 million this year, putting him ahead of some potential Democratic rivals and well behind others.

But in one respect, Feingold's fund raising sets him apart. Unlike any other '08 prospect in his party, his early money is coming mostly from small donors.

By Albert R. Hunt, Bloomberg News

WASHINGTON Many of the top U.S. Democrats, including Senators Hillary Clinton and Harry Reid and Representative Rahm Emanuel, are fixated on the number 51. That's the percentage of the vote they hope Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut gets in his Aug. 8 Democratic primary election.

Lieberman, the party's vice presidential candidate just six years ago, is struggling for one reason: the Iraq war, which he strongly supports and most Connecticut Democrats just as strongly oppose.

By Jonathan Tasini, www.CommonDreams.org

When I announced that I was entering the race for the US Senate, I began with a quote from Martin Luther King, Jr.: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” I am not a professional politician whose sole goal is to accumulate power, so I have the freedom to speak my mind and I will not be silent.

The truth is that while people view talking about Israel-Palestine as the “third rail” of politics in New York, the more I think about it, the more I realize that there are a growing number of people in the Jewish community who are willing to speak up, out of love for Israel, about the dreadful occupation and the never-ending violence that is spinning out of control, in large part because the United States—and politicians like Hillary Clinton—continue to blindly pursue a one-sided policy in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, a policy that is causing more death and sorrow for civilians on all sides of the conflict.

By the New York Times

WASHINGTON -- Jonathan Tasini, the antiwar candidate mounting a Democratic primary challenge against Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, said this week that Israel had “committed many acts of brutality and violations of human rights and torture.”

Mr. Tasini made the comments in a wide-ranging interview with a political blog, the Room 8, after he was asked if he believed Israel was a terrorist state, according to an audiotape posted Monday on the Web site, www.r8ny.com.

A BUZZFLASH NEWS ANALYSIS
http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/analysis/70

The conflicts in Iraq and Vietnam have been increasingly compared for their growing similarities. Both are unnecessary failures leading to the deaths of thousands of Americans and innocent people, among other things.

History should have taught the Bush Administration something about what not to do. History can also help Democrats learn how to get the idiots out at election time. A BuzzFlash reader sent in this video clip of a campaign speech from 1968 in which Richard Nixon decries the Vietnam fiasco and urges the need for a change in Washington.