Joe may keep us from taking back House: "GOP Reaches for Joe's Coattails"

[flpoljunkie]

http://www.courant.com/news/politics/hc-joecongress0810.artaug10,0,6172204.story?coll=hc-headlines-politics

GOP Reaches For Joe's Coattails

By DAVID LIGHTMAN
Washington Bureau Chief

August 10 2006

Suddenly the Democrats' nightmare scenario becomes plausible: They are a seat or two from gaining a House majority in November, but so many Connecticut Republicans go to the polls to vote for Joe Lieberman that the state's three vulnerable GOP incumbents win re-election.

"Whether he wants to or not, Joe's being on the ballot will juice Republican turnout," said former Democratic Rep. Toby Moffett, who is advising the party's candidates. "Does he want to go back to Washington as the guy who helped Republicans retain their majority?"

Republicans saw a big opportunity. Less than an hour after Lieberman announced he'd run as an independent, Rep. Rob Simmons, R-2nd District, rushed out a statement praising the senator; Reps. Christopher Shays, R-4th District and Nancy L. Johnson, R-5th District, later followed suit.

All three Republican districts are on every national insider's list of the 15 to 20 shakiest House seats in the nation. Democrats need a net gain of 16 to win control of the House for the first time since 1992, and polls and pundits see the party as having a good chance.

Connecticut is one of the party's key targets. Though each of the three Republican incumbents is considered moderate, and routinely opposes GOP leaders on social issues, they all have to defend consistent records of support for President Bush on Iraq and economic issues.

more...

[Skittles]

1. whatever happens

that bush butt-kissing assole deserved his defeat

[OrangeCountyDemocrat]

2. Joe Cares About Joe

End of story. He doesn't care about the Dems. He may not even care so much about the repubs. HE JUST WANTS HIS OWN POWER. He wants to retain the office at ALL COSTS.

Don't you see that's how these guys operate? They're ALWAYS right. It's all about them. Voters? What are those? Irrelevant.

[MrSlayer]

3. Yep. Joe only cares about Joe.

Doesn't give a damn for the party or the people.

[Sapere aude]

4. Sometimes I think Joe was offered a stake in the Carlyle Group for his

Bush loyalty.

[Nite Owl]

5. The minute nomoJoe said he would run as an

independent and went about gathering signatures he should have been told that you cannot still be a dem too. Instead the big name dems went and campaigned for him. He left the party when he said he would not accept the decision of the voters. Make him wear the R label this election, then Lamont will win, no one wants any part of the GOP in the Northeast. He is being allowed to have it both ways.

[dolstein]

9. No, trying to have it both ways would be . . .

spending all your time and energy trying to convince the most liberal 8% of the electorate to support you in a primary, and then turning around afterwards and trying to prevent the other 92% from having a meaningful choice in the general election.

[MercutioATC]

22. Do you not comprehend the concept of political idealogy?

The primary is a process for the members of a particular political party to nominate by whom they want to be represented. In the CT Democratic primary, registered Democrats (in case you forgot, that's our party) chose Ned Lamont.

There are no doubt many independents and Republicans registered to vote in Connecticut who don't like the choice that Democrats made. That's fine...the primary process is a partisan process...as it should be.

Joe Lieberman LOST the Democratic party (again, a reminder...that's our party) primary. Democrats voted and decided that they didn't want Joe Lieberman to represent them any more.

As a Democrat, Joe Lieberman should have respected the will of the voters in his party and endorsed Lamont.

Joe Lieberman didn't do that. He created a completely new political party (to exploit election laws) and ran against the person that DEMOCRATS said they wanted to represent them. Then, he tried to say that he was still a Democrat (even though he didn't respect the will of Connecticut Democrats) while using "Ned Lamont's plan encourages terrorists" fear tactics in an attempt to make the Democratic candidate (and, according to polls, the majority of ALL Americans, regardless of political affiliation) look like a weak left-wing whacko.



Do I support Lieberman's "right" to run for election. Certainly.

...but I'll be damned if I'm going to support him in that bid.

[wyldwolf]

6. I must respectfully disagree with the conclusion this piece draws

All three Republican districts are on every national insider's list of the 15 to 20 shakiest House seats in the nation.

Yes, but at least on the "insider's list" I've, the CT seats currently held by Republicans have become weaker, or rather, more vulnerable to Democrats taking them.

Chuck Todd's at the National Journal ranks the seats by likelihood they'll switch party control. All of the GOP-held seats in CT were moved up 3-5 spots. Shays was moved up from 7 to 4, Simmons from 10 to 7, and Johnson from 34 to 29.

Christopher Shays (R): Some of Lamont's best-performing towns were located in Shays' district.

Rob Simmons (R): House Democratic candidate sports the endorsements of both Lamont and Lieberman. Same in the Nancy Johnson (R) race.

http://nationaljournal.com/racerankings/house/

[flpoljunkie]

7. Hope you and Hotline are right, Wyldwolf!

[dolstein]

8. Well, that's one way of looking at it

Another way of looking at it is that a bunch of left-wing ideologues decided that getting rid of Joe Lieberman was more important that retaking the House. Now there's a chance that not only will the House remain under Republican control, but that Lieberman will be around for another six years.

In any event, Joe Lieberman, who appears to be the more popular of the two viable senate candidates in Connecticut, has endorsed the Democratic candidates in each of these three races. I'm sure that if he were asked to make campaign appearances on their behalf, he would do so. I really don't see how being endorsed by the top two senate candidates is somehow a bad thing for these Democratic challengers.

[LittleClarkie]

10. Over 50% of Connecticut Democrats are left-wing ideologues?

Do tell.

Hey, whatchagonna do. Democracy happens.

[LincolnMcGrath]

11. So are 79% of National DEMOCRATS who are glad Joe is gone.

Amazing the type of hate speech that is allowed to be pinned to all things left of late, isn't it?

Wouldn't that logic make a Lieberman supporter a right wing ideologue?

[dolstein]

18. Do the math -- just over 20% of registered Democrats voted for Lamont

in the primary.

[LittleClarkie]

20. Such is the way of primaries

If folks wanted different, and felt strongly about it, they should have gotten out and voted for it. What, was the primary supposed to be a mere formality? God forbid they vote for someone other than the incumbent?

If you think that the primary system stinks, oh well. We ain't fixin' it from here.

[DCCyclone]

21. Wrong, 81% of CT Dems opposed Lieberman......

Lieberman won only 19% of total registered Dems despite being a 3-term incumbent in trouble and needing the help...and yet more than 4 out of 5 CT Dems wouldn't vote for him.

Aren't numbers fun, dolstein?

Your argument, echoed by many Lieberbush hacks, reminds me of the equally pathetic argument liberals made in 1980 about Reagan's win: "only a quarter of adult Americans voted for him"--as if that made his win illegitimate.

I was only 12 years old during that election and had no partisan leanings, but even then I recognized how pathetic and stupid an argument that was. It's just as pathetic and stupid now for you to try to spin Lamont's Dem support.

[Guaranteed]

12. Dolstein, there comes a time in a man's life when he has to take a really

good look at his political self.

When Republicans start rushing out to support his candidate in droves- sending money, praise, promises of votes, and getting giddy at the prospect of his re-election- it might just be that time.

Good luck.

[tkmorris]

15. Oh horsefeathers

Lieberman is the one running as an Indy, not "a bunch of left-wing idealogues".

Lieberman LOST THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY. Sorry to shout there, but that point seems utterly lost on you. If you want to run as a Democrat you enter the primary and let the Democratic voters decide who gets to run in the general. That's the way it works. There are no "do-overs". This isn't elementary school.

I don't know if Lieberman's run as the "Me First" candidate will pull more Republicans to the polls or not, nor am I sure that if they do turn out that it will help the House candidates all that much. I suspect it will, but I also suspect that there will be an AWFUL lot of "left-wing idealogues" who will make a point to show up to vote who might not have if Lamont had it in the bag. The final equation remains to be seen.

Whatever happens though can be laid squarely at the feet of the man who doesn't think that Democrats should decide who runs on their ticket. The man who thinks that somehow that seat BELONGS to him, no matter who he has to sell out to to get it.

[zulchzulu]

13. Like Joe sunk Gore in 2000, his poison will sink the GOP as well

Actually, Joe will drop out by late September due to lack of support...

[invictus]

17. We need to keep up the pressure on other Dems

to get them to stop supporting Lie-berman.

[Cha]

14. joe lie-berman has been helping

the republicon party since 2000..so what's new?

It just gets nastier cause joe is older and more tainted.

[invictus]

16. Lieberman is the best friend the Republicans have n/t

[Jack Rabbit]

19. I repeat: Joe is the de facto GOP Senate nominee

There is nothing for the Democrats in his candidacy other than it assures that the Senator from Connecticut will vote with the Democratic Caucus in January. Otherwise, Lieberman will continue to give Bush political cover for his war, human rights violations and police state designs.