Call to Action: Lieberman Should Channel Mo Udall

[longship]

A great Democrat, Morris Udall, expressed his displeasure with the will of the people with a good-natured, "damn them all". Senator Lieberman has a right to be disappointed with Tuesday's results and he very well might channel Mo Udall in response. However, Mo Udall didn't try to do an end-run which puts so much in jeopardy. He honored the principles on which this country was founded. Congress serves at the will of the people, not at the behest of hubris-laden entitlement.

Joe Lieberman, in filing to run as an independant against the duly elected Democratic Party nominee from his own party is operating outside the Democratic Party rules and standard procedures. It is now encumbent on the party leadership to act to protect party interests, which include the following:

1) Protect the Democratic Party nominee, Ned Lamont.
2) Preserve the integrity of the nomination process.
3) Restore the voter's faith in that process.
4) Ensure that Joe Lieberman is not used as a partisan tool against his own party by outsiders whose sole interest is the defeat of the Democratic Party in November.
5) Protect the legacy of an 18 year Senate Democrat.

Immediate action is required. We request two actions:

a) Use any and all encouragement on Senator Lieberman to abandon his current reckless and thoughtless path.

b) Put forth necessary rules and laws to insure that this kind of shenanigan cannot happen again. This may include "sore loser" legislation which preserves the electoral process and closes the loopholes which would allow defeated incumbents a second roll of the dice.

We, at the Democratic Underground, call on all Democrats to honor Mo Udall and every other politician who has gone down to electoral defeat. Talk to Joe Lieberman. Tell him that he doesn't have to be happy about his loss, but what he *must* do is respect it, concede loss, and withdraw from the CT Senatorial race. The sooner he does it, the better. For everybody.

on edit: typos, formatting.

[Eric J in MN]

1. Ned Lamont not Ted Lamont. NT

NT

[longship]

2. Thanks.

Thinkin' Ned; typin' Ted.

[elocs]

3. I worked for Mo Udall here in Wisconsin in 1976.

He was leading in the primary here most of the night until the rural vote came in late and the farmers swung the election for Carter, who I think would have dropped out had he lost. Udall would have mad a great president.