Truth Is, Many Dems Had Had It With Joe Back in 2000

[stopbush]

Some of us had it with him when he did his self-righteous number on Clinton with that disgusting Senate
floor speech, but I would wager that many Dems - while giving Gore credit for having the guts to put a Jew
on the national ticket for the first time - were appalled by Joe's ass-kissing performance in the debates with Cheney,
his squishy soft words during the recount debacle, and his refusal to give up his run for the Senate in 2000 while
taking the VP spot on the ticket.

By 2004, Joe-momentum had become a laughing stock in his unsuccessful run for the Dem nomination. He was certainly
a laughing stock on DU back then.

Joe's faltering political career reminds me of Tom Cruise's acting career - from a guaranteed box office draw back in the 80s
to this week where Paramount didn't renew his contract. Once reality bites (Tom's recent antics, Joe's recent siding with
bushco) the façade falls away and you're left with the person's essence...and it sucks.

There's really no surprise in tonight's results. Dems have been rejecting Joe for the last 6 years. What it took to prove that the
emperor had no clothes was a SINGLE PERSON with the GUTS to stand up and say, "Hey, that guy's wearing nothing but underwear...
and he's got a big red-white-n-blue elephant plastered across his butt to boot!"

That person was Ned Lamont. Congrats!

[speedoo]

1. damn right.

I was fed up with him when he "debated" Cheney. What a farce. He was a traitor when he opportunistically shit on Clinton in 1998, but I did not know it until I saw him with Cheney in 2000.

A traitor through and through.

[Hardrada]

4. That was when he had the role of Miss Congeniality!

And simpered through the whole debate.

[ClassWarrior]

2. Remember when the bastard caved on the military ballots?

All he had to say was, "All legally-cast military ballots should be counted." Nope. He caved in to the Con position. Wayyy too easily.

NGU.

[regnaD kciN]

3. I was sick of Joe from at least the time...

...he went on his "video games are destroying America's children" crusade in the early '90s. I was a computer game programmer at the time, and was appalled that he took a clip from the ultra-obscure "Night Shift" (which was intended, lest we forget, as a parody of the teen-horror flicks of the '80s), and presented it as if this was typical of all computer and video games aimed at children. (This while the most uncensored project I was working on was an adaptation of The Beverly Hillbillies :eyes: )

It was so ridiculous that, when I heard that Gore had tapped Holy Joe as his running mate, my initial reaction was that I was going to be voting for Nader in November. Then I thought about Bush, and decided to hold my nose and vote for the lesser of two evils.

[Tennessee Gal]

5. Count me among them!

He hurt Gore's recount efforts. He is a smarmy jerk.

[Senator]

6. A couple of quibbles...

While I would be the first to agree that the Stolen Election is the root of this, I would just like to caution against the bit of "personalizing" in your post.

First, it's easy to see Joegonetum's holding of his Senate seat in 2000 as an egotistical act, but it actually may have been the best alternative to hold the seat for the party. The benefits of incumbancy are huge and CT was not even as blue then as now. There was considerable whining from the neofascists about it (always a good sign).

Second, while "Senator Lamont" may have plenty of guts and said all the right things, he also has an enormous wallet. Yes, this was a great victory for netroots, grassroots, small D democrats, and Ned; but self-financing candidates like him don't grow on trees. This was a huge bit of good luck for the good guys here.

My intent is not to pick a fight or single you out personally. I'm just trying to keep people's feet on the ground.

--

[Wonk]

7. Lieberman outspent Lamont almost 2 to 1 in the primary. nt