Lieberman Falls, Leftists Rise
After many failed attempts to knock off moderates in their own party, the leftwing Democrats finally succeeded in a purge as Joe Lieberman lost his primary to leftist Ned Lamont. Question is, what does all this mean?
While I would love to argue that Lieberman’s loss was due more to internal Connecticut politics than to the national movement to oust him, I don’t think such a claim would be honest. Hard-left websites, including the ever-obnoxious Daily Kos, worked overtime raising money for Ned Lamont and portraying Lieberman as Brutus and casting the Senator’s few disagreements with the party line as an unforgivable sin. Clearly this so-called netroots activism had an effect inside Connecticut.
And now, Lamont’s win will have an effect outside Connecticut. For one, the leftists finally have a feather in their cap and will be emboldened by the victory. Expect left voices to gain volume as November approaches and expect the Democratic hierarchy to listen more intently.
But, should this happen, expect the rest of us Americans to shy away from the Democrats even more. While I don’t know too many people, including myself, who have any great love for Lieberman, there’s something undeniably worrisome about a party so possessed with a need for conformity (and so overrun with a hatred of anything and anyone even remotely associated with President Bush) that it would cast out a man who only six years ago was deemed worthy of the Vice Presidential nomination.
The best course of action for the Democrats would be to kindly welcome Lamont to the party but avoid the leftist horde who opened the doors for him. The last thing the party should want is for Lamont to become a national figure. Let Connecticut have their man but please don’t inflict him or his supporters on the rest of us.
Sadly, I fully expect Lamont to gain national exposure and be branded by some as the new face of the Democratic Party. “Bold, decisive and pure of heart,” the left will say, as blindly sure of their own righteousness as the rightwing is blindly sure of their own. What we get with Lamont is a counterbalance to the growing number of ultra-conservative Senators from red states.
Two leaden weights creating the illusion of balance, even as our nation tilts more and more off center.
While I would love to argue that Lieberman’s loss was due more to internal Connecticut politics than to the national movement to oust him, I don’t think such a claim would be honest. Hard-left websites, including the ever-obnoxious Daily Kos, worked overtime raising money for Ned Lamont and portraying Lieberman as Brutus and casting the Senator’s few disagreements with the party line as an unforgivable sin. Clearly this so-called netroots activism had an effect inside Connecticut.
And now, Lamont’s win will have an effect outside Connecticut. For one, the leftists finally have a feather in their cap and will be emboldened by the victory. Expect left voices to gain volume as November approaches and expect the Democratic hierarchy to listen more intently.
But, should this happen, expect the rest of us Americans to shy away from the Democrats even more. While I don’t know too many people, including myself, who have any great love for Lieberman, there’s something undeniably worrisome about a party so possessed with a need for conformity (and so overrun with a hatred of anything and anyone even remotely associated with President Bush) that it would cast out a man who only six years ago was deemed worthy of the Vice Presidential nomination.
The best course of action for the Democrats would be to kindly welcome Lamont to the party but avoid the leftist horde who opened the doors for him. The last thing the party should want is for Lamont to become a national figure. Let Connecticut have their man but please don’t inflict him or his supporters on the rest of us.
Sadly, I fully expect Lamont to gain national exposure and be branded by some as the new face of the Democratic Party. “Bold, decisive and pure of heart,” the left will say, as blindly sure of their own righteousness as the rightwing is blindly sure of their own. What we get with Lamont is a counterbalance to the growing number of ultra-conservative Senators from red states.
Two leaden weights creating the illusion of balance, even as our nation tilts more and more off center.
posted by Alan Stewart Carl at 12:23 PM
1 Comments:
I don't find it that surprising. Leftist conspiracy theories have been gaining momentum since 9/11. Your average democrat will dismiss that pile of tripe but the far left will factor it into the conspiracies they currently believe.
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