Lieberman, a Sore Loser, Doesn't Get it. But the Message is Clear!

Lamont is a winner. Losers include the DC consultants & Dem party insiders, the Republicans, and old politics.

True to his political character, Joe Lieberman will not respect the Democrats' choice and vowed to run as an "independent" in Connecticut. The real Democrat won however and that's good news, especially under the conditions it occured. To begin with, it is very unusual to defeat a incumbent Senator absent any scandal. Granted, the activist base of the Democratic party is more liberal, but the netroots, grassroots and the progressives did make a huge difference in this race. Consider that the D.C. club--all those power brokers within the party--endorsed & campaigned for Joe who outspent Ned Lamont by $4-5 million! Oh, and that Ned was virtually unknown just 5-6 months ago!

"For the sake of my state, my country and my party, I cannot, I will not let these results stand," an angry Lieberman told us. Hopefully, it won't be up to him, because the voters of CT should remind him again in November that he does not own a seat in the US Senate. The turnout, close to 50%, in this primary neared or matched the turnout of a presidential election! [normally it's like 5% if there's no real race or maybe 20% if it's a contested seat] He is bolstered by polls showing him winning comfortably in a three-person race (against Lamont and a Republican), but I don't buy this. I predict that Lieberman will lose to Lamont in November, that is, if Joe stays in the race. Lieberman will keep sliding in the polls as the people of CT will become more familiar with Lamont. The Dem party will have to fall behind the Dem nominee. Many of us are already asking the Democratic leadership to strip Lieberman of all party privileges and committee memberships. Those Dems, like Bill Clinton and the other CT Senator Chris Dodd (and a presidential aspirant), who campaigned for Joe must now publicly come out to endorse and actively campaign for Ned Lamont. Hillary, an early Joe supporter, just came out for Ned and sent him $5,000 for his campaign! Perhaps Bill and others can lean on Joe to drop out and not further ridicule himself.

It wasn't all about the Iraq war, but definitely about Lieberman's unequivocal support of the failed BushCo's policies. The Democrats are fed up; most voters are fed up with this do-nothing Congress and the gross negligence & incompetence of this White House. America is hurting, domestically and internationally. It's time for a change--and change we will get this November. I thought the Dems would only carry the House [since all 435 seats are up], but apparently the Senate [34 seats are up] is in play too! The Democrats took 40 years to implode and lose both chambers of the Congress, but the Republicans took only 10, in six of which they could do anything they wanted since they've been controlling the executive and legislative branches (and much of the federal judiciary). Talking about a total failure with absolutely no excuses!

One message is clear: acquiescing to bad policy is politically harmful. Things are so bad that the old adage, it's better to keep the devil you know, has changed to, hell, anyone else can't possibly be as bad! Although, I believe the Dems have to be pro-active in proposing sane fiscal, social, and foreign policies to get our country out of this mess. In this light, the Lamont victory shows that bipartisanship does mean compromise when necessary but not a surrender. It's a give-and-take situation, and it has to rest on honest debate and a proximity to reality. Sometimes, compromise is simply not possible and even be harmful to the commonwealth. Much like the anti-scientific approach of the conservatives, there can't be a compromise between someone who argues the Earth is round and someone who believes it's flat! Making the Earth a square isn't a realistic compromise. The Republicans have been asking for total submission and have been running our governmnet with imperial arrogance in lieu of God!

It's a patriot's duty to question authority and anyone who wants to take a country like the United States into war on false pretences and pay a dear price for it! It's our civic obligation to be engaged in the affairs of our nation and defend our liberties and those values that has made America great. We can't sacrifice our Constitution, our civil liberties, our separation of church-state, our privacy, our free speech, our legal rights, disregard international treaties we've signed (which under the Constitution are the supreme law of this land) in order to "save ourselves from terrorism!" If Joe Lieberman doesn't get it, he is not good enough to represent a "blue" progressive state like CT.

In this polarized country, I'm afraid, we have no choice than to make sure these blue states remain at the forefront of progress. For we can show the world that a strong economy can co-exist with tolerance & diversity, with science & technology, with education, healthcare, and all those goodies that enhance life when it matters!