Best of Luck to Ned Tomorrow

Ned's campaign has been a catalyst for activism in all sorts of other races throughout the country. The energy and enthusiasm that's evident in the reports out there in the last few days is great. I wish I were still in Manhattan so I could get on a train and join the folks there. They'll make it close I bet.

Articles That Low-Information Voters Should Read

Joe Lieberman - "Seasonal Memory Lapses" by Paul Bass (Hartford Courant)Joe Lieberman - "Truth About Joe"Joe Lieberman - "Lieberman Wins Republican Friends, Democratic Enemies... (WaPo) Joe Lieberman - "Joe Lieberman is a Big Oil Republican" (LamontBlog)Joe Lieberman - "Kerry Calls Lieberman the New Cheney" (ABC)Joe Lieberman - "Joe Lieberman Doesn't Care About Handicapped People" (Wonkette)Joe Lieberman - "Joe Lieberman is Running With a Bad Crowd" (Firedoglake)Joe Lieberman - "116 Reasons Not to Vote for Joe Lieberman"Joe Lieberman - "How Joe Lieberman Tried to Kill Rock 'N Roll (Huffington Post)"
Ned Lamont - Official Campaign WebsiteNed Lamont - Ned Lamont, the Political EntrepreneurNed Lamont - "Democrats Back Lamont; Lieberman Files Independent Run" (F0x)Ned Lamont - Unofficial Ned Lamont ResourceNed Lamont - Unofficial Lamont BlogNed Lamont - "The Democrats Mean Business" (WSJ)Ned Lamont - "Ned Lamont vs. Joe Lieberman" (The Nation)Ned Lamont - "Lieberman Loses Debate With Challenger Ned Lamont"Ned Lamont - "Lamont: Lieberman Sounded Like Cheney"Ned Lamont - "Lamont Fires Up Naples" (New Haven Independent)

Here's Hoping There's A Lot Going On Behind the Curtain

There are a lot of influential state Democratic figures in CT who have endorsed Joe. Now that he's made it clear he thinks there's no problem with going indy, I imagine some of these Dems are not happy at all with Joe and want him to honor the results of the primary - and commit publicly to doing so before the primary results are in. That's not an unreasonable assumption, is it?

I wouldn't be surprised if they use their pressure on Joe privately so that it make it easier for Joe to backtrack and pretend he was misunderstood or whatever he want to say in order to save face.

We won't know whether Dems who are mum are going to fight an indy Joe until he actually leaves - but I really hope that a lot of them simply won't tolerate an indy Joe and vow to defeat him. Based on Joe actually saying he'll stay in the party until the primary, it looks like we'll have to wait until August 8th to see everyone's true colors.

The Campaign to De-Legitimize the Dem Primary

Joe Lieberman's campaign has a very important thing they need to pull off: they've got to come up with some argument that allows Joe to ditch the Democratic Party and run against it while still being a good Democrat. For, if he fails to bring along a lot of Democrats, then it'll start to be clear to voters in CT that it's going to be a simple choice of Lamont v. Lieberman, with Republicans left to choose between Joe, who they wildly favor but is after all still a Dem who won't promise to caucus with them and Alan Schlesinger.

Based on the last week or two, it's pretty clear what strategy Joe's settled on: Convince people that Democrats who participate in the primary are totally unrepresentative of the party as a whole, so it would be irresponsible of him to respect the result. Of course it's without merit, but that's his argument.

In fact, his camp are saying because of the timing of this primary (Aug 8), that a small fraction of Democrats will be represented. See David Broder today in the WaPo: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/16/AR2006061601561.html

Anyways, I tried to take a humorous tack to responding to this one. Here's my letter to the Hartford Courant (which I shared on myleftnutmeg this morning)

Dear Courant,

The way you hear Joe Lieberman and his supporters talk about it, you'd think only 'left wing weirdos' will have the chance to vote in the primary. Sure, August 8th is in the middle of vacation season, but absentee balloting isn't some secret option that only the far left wing is privy to. This Democratic primary will be just as open and fair as any other, and the Democrats who care to vote will do so. If Joe wants to find an excuse for abandoning the Democratic party, he'll have to come up with something else.

Sincerely,

Is the DLC in Favor of Democracy, or Not?

Most of us think of primary challenges as democracy in action - the voters have a say between the incumbent and a challenger.

But to the DLC, it's a purge. As a student of Russian history, I know what that word meant in that context, and it sure didn't have anything to do with elections!

What's the DLC's problem with democracy?

LamontBlog: Great Jumping Off Point

In addition to being a great site for news and comments on the race, LamontBlog has got a really great comprehensive links list -- please go over there and use it as a jumping off point. I will try to focus on adding links to the blogroll here that don't duplicate those.

I also have to highlight a great feature that you can use at LamontBlog. You can pull up all the diaries that have been posted at DailyKos, MyDD, Firedoglake, etc. with pre-set tags of Lieberman or Lamont. It's really convenient, and is located on the lefthand side. Use it.

And don't forget to use the right tags if you diary about the race.

Jane Harman - Joe Lieberman of the West

I'm a little pulled away from Ned's race due to the Winograd battle against Jane Harman in my backyard. The primary election is on June 6, so once that's over, I'll be updating this site more frequently. If you know anybody out here who's in or near the district (please take a quick glance), please let them know a Democratic primary is taking place against Harman. There's a great letter here that you can use for yourself (by permission from the diarist)

I've opened up comments now to anybody registered with Blogspot, so please feel free to chime in. I'm looking for people who want to help make this a resource.

The Inspiration - Beverly Hills, 90210

I've been following the Lieberman-Lamont race since before it officially began, but until recently felt like somewhat of an intruder. I mean, I live on the other coast and was a little concerned that my involvement on the Connecticut politics blogs might be a negative for Ned.

And, even though it hasn't stopped me before, I wondered a little, is it proper to be getting involved in out-of-state races for Senate and the House?

What changed my mind was Beverly Hills -- or, more precisely, the six-figure sum from that small town in LA that Joe Lieberman has raked in over the current election cycle (2005-06). Suddenly, rather than feeling like an intruder, I felt it my duty to get involved and level the playing field. Plus, Ned Lamont has sworn off lobbyist money - and he is counting on us ordinary folk to pitch in for him.

Anyways, I intend, with the help of other out-of-state Nedheads, to develop this site as a resource for people who want to spread the word about Joe.

My emphasis will be on getting people to get active helping Ned. Yes, contributing ourselves and asking our friends and family to donate themselves will be a part of it. However, the focus will not be on how much money is raised, but how many people actually get invovled. And giving ourselves will enable us (and those we contact) to successfully recruit others by showing our sincerity and willingness to sacrifice. And then these recruits will then recruit others etc. etc.

What should we be asking each person we contact to do? I think it has to be kept simple:

(a) Briefly say why Joe should be replaced with Ned
(b) Donate what they can afford to the campaign
(c) Alert those they know in Connecticut about the race
(d) Ask those they know to do (b) and (c)

I'm doing this now, and will be posting up what has helped me and what hopefully will help others.