In Lieberman Fight, Some Faithful Feel Torn

[cal04]

As Senator Joseph I. Lieberman battles to retain his seat in Connecticut, some factions within the national Democratic Party are quietly preparing to campaign against the three-term senator if he loses the primary on Tuesday and runs as an independent in the general election in November, numerous Democrats said yesterday.

Although Mr. Lieberman has attracted support from several of his Senate colleagues — and former President Bill Clinton appeared with him in the state last week — only a handful have pledged to remain loyal to him if he loses to his antiwar challenger, Ned Lamont, and mounts an independent campaign.

Furthermore, some forces within the party, including Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, will be willing to campaign actively for Mr. Lamont if he is pitted against Mr. Lieberman in the general election, many Democratic officials said. Some Democratic officials also say the Democratic National Committee will probably support Mr. Lamont if he wins the primary, though Howard Dean, the party’s chairman, has been neutral leading up to the primary.

That would set the stage for an extraordinary battle pitting some national Democrats against a fixture of the party who was their own vice presidential candidate in 2000.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/02/nyregion/02lieberman.html?_r=1&hp&ex=1154491200&en=97b6dae4bc1d22f5&ei=5094&partner=homepage&oref=slogin

[TahitiNut]

1. It's called representative democracy.

Live by the sword. Die by the sword.

[Arugula Latte]

2. Joe's World: All should be loyal to him. He need not be

loyal to anyone except Bushco. :eyes:

[Demit]

3. "Some Democratic officials also say the DNC will PROBABLY support

support Mr. Lamont if he wins the primary"--that says it all for me. That is purely disgusting. A democratically elected candidate, the winner of their own party's primary--and the DNC isn't going to OF COURSE support him? There's something very wrong with that. The disdain these so-called party leaders have for the rank-and-file is breathtaking.