Bush Boosts Lieberman's Bid

[CTLawGuy]

http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-lieberman0822.artaug22,0,1581072.story?coll=hc-headlines-local

Bush Boosts Lieberman's Bid
Statement Seen As Signal To GOP Voters
August 22, 2006
By DAVID LIGHTMAN, Washington Bureau Chief
WASHINGTON -- For the past two weeks, top Republican party officials have spread the word that they wouldn't mind seeing Joe Lieberman win re-election.

Monday, President Bush for the first time spoke publicly about the Connecticut Democrat's bid to win the seat as an independent, telling a nationally-televised news conference: "I'm staying out of Connecticut. You know, that's what the party suggested, the Republican Party of Connecticut, and plus there's a better place to spend our money, time and resources."


By not distancing himself from Lieberman - or endorsing the Republican nominee - analysts say that Bush's statement, which echoes earlier comments by White House press secretary Tony Snow, sends an important signal to Republican voters.

"This constitutes an informal endorsement of Lieberman," said Bruce Buchanan, professor of government at the University of Texas and longtime Bush watcher.

(snip)

----------------------------------------

This can't help Joe among Dems and Bush-hating Indies...

but it looks like we now know just how "bipartisan" Joe really is.

[Mountainman]

1. So tell me, would a good Dem in Lieberman's case drop out?

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

2. Nope.

You don't drop out of an election you look like you're going to win. No one would.

[bahrbearian]

7. No good Repug would..

[w4rma]

12. LIE won't win the general election either.

He's going to lose. And he's going to waste a lot of Democratic resources while he loses.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

15. That's not what the current polls indicate.

And even if he were anything less than 5% behind Lamont, or vice versa, there's not a single person in this world that could definitively project the outcome of the race. If you've got a legit shot, you NEVER pull out. Period.

[w4rma]

16. Lamont has *all* of the momentum.

LIE will accept the Defense Secretary position from Bush in 1 year.

And a Republican governor will appoint his replacement. LIE is not a stable seat holder.
At this point LIE is just trying to do as much damage to Democrats as he can on the way out, exactly like Zell did.

Btw, rumors have the next Ras poll at a 3% difference.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

18. That's all nice, and probably true, but it still doesn't matter.

No one pulls out of a race they can win.

[w4rma]

20. Is that LIE's new excuse for carrying water for the GOP?

People drop out of races all the time. LIE is burning all of his Democratic bridges.

Anyway, your absolutist statement is false.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

22. Look, I hate Lieberman too.

And I've been fearing this exact scenario all along. But NO ONE pulls out of a race they know they can win unless there's something seriously wrong (ie, pending scandal or health problems). It just doesn't happen and I don't know where you got the notion that it does. Can you tell me the last time a front runner pulled out of a race in August for reasons other than health or horrible scandal?

[w4rma]

23. I don't care about your "feelings".

Anyway, I don't think it's right to hate people.

I only care about actions. And right now you are making an excuse for LIE. And it isn't even a true one. Never say never. Never say "no one". There are **always** exceptions.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

27. Alrighty then!

Have fun being a zealot. It will get you nowhere.

[w4rma]

29. Is that your way of saying that you're right and I'm wrong?

And nothing anyone says will change your mind?

Or is that your way of saying that I'm right and you're wrong but you won't admit you're wrong?

Anyway, that new Ras poll I mentioned in an earlier post was just now made public: LIE's lead has shrunk to 2%.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1959277

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

30. No

But when you claim anyone who might argue differently from you is "making excuses for Lieberman", that's usually a tipoff that you have nothing really valuable to say and that there's no changing your mind. Or in other words, that you're a zealot.

[w4rma]

31. Ohh, so this wasn't an excuse.

Saying that "a good Dem in Lieberman's case wouldn't drop out of an election it looks like they're going to win. No one would." (paraphrase) is not an excuse for LIE, correct? No.

And your absolutist statement that "No one would" is true (Remember that your particular statement only takes one counter example to prove you wrong), correct? No.

Who is a zealot? Not me.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

32. Laughable.

Purely laughable.

I never said Lieberman was a good Democrat. I simply said no candidate would ever drop out of an election in which they were the front runner. If you can bring me an example of that happening that didn't involve either scandal or a health problem, please be my guest and do so. But here's betting you can't.

[w4rma]

33. Colin Powell.

He led the polls in the 2000 presidential race.

Just off the top of my head.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

35. He was never running in the first place.

Nice try though.

[w4rma]

39. LIE should not have *started* running as an independent against the Dem.nt

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

41. He shouldn't have, no. That's really not the point though, is it?

[w4rma]

34. "If nominated I will not run; if elected I will not serve."

Who said that? This man is another example.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Tecumseh_Sherman

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

36. Again, one has to actually be running to qualify here.

[w4rma]

38. Ohh, so you change the rules after the fact now? LIE wasn't going to run

if he won the primary. And the whole debate is over whether he should have STARTED running as an independent against the Democratic nominee.

I'll just call BS on you rather than google one of the many candidates all around the world who fit your specific ever-changing qualifications.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

40. That's really not changing the rules.

To pull out of an election, one has to be in it in the first place, don't they?

Justify it however you want, but you don't have a leg to stand on.

[saigon68]

50. Limpmann is a dirty skunk

I hope he loses so we can piss on his face

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

60. I hope he loses so we avoid major embarassment

But pissing on his face would be a nice addition.

[Bretttido]

42. New poll today has them statistically tied for the GE.

Lieberman's lead has evaporated.

[JanusAscending]

55. Great, and I'll bet that's a result of shrub's press conference!

It's just what they both deserve. Humph.....and bush has the nerve to tell the press to hush about the fact he was born in Ct.!! Doesn't the asshole know that it's we from Ct. who are ashamed that he was born here, ....or for that matter.... born, PERIOD!!!:banghead:

[bvar22]

56. The July polls had Lamont 24 pts behind,

2 weeks ago, Lamont was 12 pts behind Loserman,
Now today 3 pts!

Read 'em and weep!

The Democratic Party is a BIG TENT, but there is NO ROOM for those
who advance the agenda of THE RICH (Corporate Owners) at the EXPENSE of LABOR and the POOR.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

58. That's still not the point.

As of right now, Lieberman is still the front runner. You don't just give up front runner status.

Furthermore, shove the whole "read 'em and weep!" schtick up your ass. I'm NOT advocating for Lieberman, but common fucking sense is common fucking sense. He's not going to drop out. Period.

[leesa]

17. Unless one had a conscience, of course, and could realize the damage they

are causing our country. Course GOP Joe doesn't give a shit, much like his supporters Dubya, Cheney, Rove, etc.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

19. Funny you mention "conscience".

How many DUers here tarred and feathered Gore and Kerry for fighting to the death for pulling out of a race they might've been able to win when they each cited this exact same reason? 60k-70k?

[CTLawGuy]

24. that's different

they were fighting to make sure the votes were properly counted,

they weren't trying to subvert the results of a primary election.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

28. Different situation, but the same bottom line.

So far as I see it, the only substantial difference is that Gore and Kerry were fighting Republicans and Lieberman's fighting Democrats. The bottom line message was if you have a chance to win, you keep fighting. It wasn't just about making sure the votes were properly counted because I guarantee we'd be singing a much different tune if the shoe was on the other foot (though there would undoubtedly be a few that would be saying the same things).

[Bretttido]

43. Very different situations

Dropping out of a race and conceeding are completely different.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

46. How so?

Aren't the results the same?

[Bretttido]

47. The results are the same, yes

But you'll get the same results if the person never ran in the first place. Or if they simply lost. I get what you're saying; but it would be illogical to say that not running for office, losing, withdrawing, and conceding are all the same.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

48. For the purposes of this discussion it's not illogical though.

When the argument is that one should fight to the end because you still have a chance to win, it really doesn't matter what means the person removes themself from the race.

[The Count]

53. What dropping? He fucking LOST! Time to go home, not start another race.

You speak of dropping as his was a legit run. he is trying to eskew the will of the primary voters. That's far more than "not dropping"

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

57. Well, unfortunately, that's not what he chose to do.

And his running again is perfectly legit, as determined by Connecticut law. So what's your point?

[Tight_rope]

59. To Hell with Lieberman....he's another Zell Miller.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

61. Again, that's really not the point.

What the fuck is wrong with you people? Just because he sucks at life, that doesn't change the reality of the situation - he is in the lead and he will not pull out. No amount of us hating him is going to change that as we stand right now. I don't understand how my pointing that out is somehow defending the prick.

[CTLawGuy]

5. yes

he or she would respect the result of the primary and drop out.

[Richard Steele]

6. Yes. Lots of Dems lose primary elections. Then they go home.

Not Holy Joe, though.
That's HIS office; how DARE the people of
Connecticut try to put someone else in it!

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

9. Not many incumbents of either party lose their primary

And of them, few would be able to win the general election, because usually there's a substantial candidate from the opposing party.

This is not the usual situation.

[unblock]

10. good dems don't find more support from repugs than from dems

lieberman only has as good a position as he does because the republicans are helping him despite the fact that he's the second most popular democrat.

good democrats do not normally find themselves in this position.

[Bretttido]

45. Hey, lets vote for that guy that has 57% approval from repubs!

And against the one that has 65% approval from Dems. Don't listen to those crazy librels, he's a super democrat!

[TheCowsCameHome]

3. Nice how the RePubes dump on their own. Throw Alan a cinder block

while he's sinking.

[mom cat]

4. Kiss him again, asshole!

[peacetalksforall]

8. Turn disgust to facts. Demand that Leiberman present his platform.

Demand that he submit his list of contributors according to whatever laws disclosure of donations are subject to. Ask him to debate. Do what is needed to get equal coverage for Lamont.

Are we correct that there will only be two condidates? Lamont and Leiberman?

We need to keep sending him questions.

Is anyone keeping a list of names of recognizable Republicans who are endorsing him?

[niceypoo]

11. Bush is backing him? LMAO

You know what that means, Joes numbers will start a long slow slide downhill.

[Deja Q]

26. Pity Bush didn't in 2000...

:rofl:

[underpants]

13. They are some sneaky weird strange little people

Continuing to communicate in code like they were 12 years old or something.

So Bush supports him but not really just sorta if you like him that is.

[RCinBrooklyn]

14. Joed Lieberman: The Bush, Cheney, Rove, Rice, Delay candidate. n/t

[ihelpu2see]

21. Yeah, we need to spend more to rig more voting machines!! nt

[Lone_Star_Dem]

25. This explains why there's two polls out today showing Lamont tied w/joe

Now you know why republicans run from the blessing of bush... he's like the kiss of death to a political race these days.

[iowa_democrat]

37. The headline should read....

"Bush torpedos Lieberman's Bid" After all, most republicans don't want anything to do with
asshat bush, even if he does tell a fart joke now and then.


Headlines after election day!

"Lieberman in 2 way tie for second in Connecticut Senate Race!"

[damntexdem]

44. Kissy, kissy, kissy!

But, Laura, Joe's JUST a good friend!

[0007]

49. Poor Joe......

[Paula Sims]

51. Lemont NEEDS to use this in his campaign

What's interesting is that an endorsement from W is definitely a key for defeat (which is why so many ReThugs are running), so in a twisted way, this could be a good thing? Up = down, good = bad, defeat = win. . .


Paula

[The Count]

54. he already did - from the article:

Democratic nominee Ned Lamont quickly pounced on Bush's wink.

"It seems like a de facto endorsement of Senator Lieberman to me," Lamont said Monday. "Here we are, ten days after the primary, and President Bush and Dick Cheney and Ken Mehlman and an awful lot of others are saying that Joe Lieberman is, in effect, our guy."

[fujiyama]

52. Looks like his non endorsement of an endorsement

didn't really help Lieberman.

Two polls now show the race neck and neck. Only brain dead idiots would pay attention to an endorsement by him anyways.

[Cha]

62. republican voters who give a shit

what bush says..

"By not distancing himself from Lieberman - or endorsing the Republican nominee - analysts say that Bush's statement, which echoes earlier comments by White House press secretary Tony Snow, sends an important signal to Republican voters.

"This constitutes an informal endorsement of Lieberman," said Bruce Buchanan, professor of government at the University of Texas and longtime Bush watcher."

[Supersedeas]

63. but to support someone who supports me personally than supports the Party

Bush's true colors -- too bad the filthy dumbass Pubbies can't recognize it