Getting the Republicans out of the Democratic Party
The Senate race in Connecticut has been heating up lately, and it looks like Joe Lieberman may be about to lose the Democratic primary. More progressive Democrats have long thought that Lieberman was little more than a Republican in Democrats’ clothes, particularly after his support for the ill-conceived Iraq war and also evidenced by his continued complaining about the music, film and video game industry. Yes.. Joe Lieberman knows the real problems with violence in the world the.. uh… fake violence.
So now as challenger Ned Lamont seems to be in striking distance of Lieberman in the primary, Lieberman has publicly considered running as an independent. As it turns out, Lieberman performs better with Republicans and unaffilliated voters than with Democrats. Surprise, surprise.
Now, via DailyKos, Senator Chuck Schumer, head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said that the DSCC will not rule out supporting Lieberman if he runs as an independent, despite what the Democrats in Connecticut voted for.
Howard Dean’s brother, Jim Dean, head of Democracy for America, had this to say:
“Joe hasn’t confirmed that he’s planning to run as an Independent. But his campaign seems to be laying the groundwork, courting important Beltway insiders from both sides of the aisle. Amazingly, Senator Chuck Schumer, Chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), has said that the DSCC will not rule out supporting Lieberman if he runs as an Independent. The DSCC’s mission is to elect Democrats to the Senate. Yet in this case, they would prefer to back an incumbent who leaves the party instead of a principled progressive who’s proud to be a Democrat.”
It’s worse. Schumer’s comments show contempt for democracy and a fundamental disregard for the will of the people. He’s just trying to keep his little club together.
And seriously, can we really have a Democratic Sentator running around that was seen like this???
Yeeech!