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Posted on 06/14/2006 11:14:13 AM PDT by Sub-Driver
Lieberman weighing run as independent
By SUSAN HAIGH, Associated Press Writer 12 minutes ago
Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman, warily watching his primary challenger advance in the polls, must soon decide whether to start collecting signatures for a possible independent bid this November.
Lieberman's campaign contends that it's focused only on winning the Aug. 8 primary, but the Democrat has not ruled out petitioning his way onto the November ballot as part of a backup plan to secure a fourth term in the Senate.
"I am not going to close out any options," the senator recently told reporters.
Lieberman has until Aug. 9 — the day after the Democratic primary — to collect 7,500 signatures from registered voters to gain a spot on the ballot as an unaffiliated candidate.
But any effort to gather signatures before the primary would be a sign of weakness, indicating that Lieberman, the Democratic vice presidential nominee in 2000, fears that he could lose to businessman Ned Lamont. The effort also would rile Democrats who already question Lieberman's party loyalty and his perceived closeness to President Bush.
The senator has been a strong backer of the Iraq war.
Christopher Kukk, an associate political science professor at Western Connecticut State University, said it's a risk Lieberman may be willing to take as Lamont continues to make gains in the polls.
"I think he'll alienate Democratic voters, but to be honest with you, I think he already has alienated Democratic voters," Kukk said. "If Lamont is gaining ... I think you'll see Lieberman jump."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Jump! Jump! Jump!...into the ABYSS!
So how is this going to sit with the anti-war dems who are Lamont's only hope?
I wonder if the republican has a chance in a 3 way race.
--I wonder if the republican has a chance in a 3 way race.
He'd have to be a damned good Republican or I'd vote for Lieberman if nothing else just for making the jump.
Would that more than guarantee a Republican win?
the jump to what? he would run as an independent, and if he won, would still vote with the Dems to organize the senate.
Just a guess but I would say "NO" More than likely any Republican running would be a RINO anyway from that neck of the woods.
For example Lieberman is never the sole DEM guest with regard to Iraq / WOT....while Hagel is continually the only "Republican" as a guest on any number of MSM news shows.
--the jump to what? he would run as an independent, and if he won, would still vote with the Dems to organize the senate.
The jump to independent and in that friggin state chances are the Republican would vote with the Dems too and be corrupt to boot.
Unlikely. He's very much a partisan Democrat and always votes pretty lefty on everything other than the War.
However, I think he will run as an independent if Lamont wins the primary, which I think he will. I've known Ned Lamont slightly over the past decade and a half, and my kids know some of his kids fairly well. On a personal level he's nice enough, but he's a classic case of limousine liberal - inherited money - made more, but owes his education and outlook to inheritance -- and a sense of elite entitlement. As far as I can tell he hasn't any real enemies. He was not a distinguished Selectman here in Greenwich, but not awful either.
To answer Sub-Driver's question, the Republican unknowns running will not have a snowball's chance in hell in a 3-way race. Even I would vote for Lieberman under those circumstances because a vote for the Republican is as good as a vote for Ned Lamont.
This is funny. Lieberman would be doing to whoever is the democrat candidate what Perot did to Bush 41. How poetic. :)
Part of me wants is happy the Democrat party is imploding. However, a bigger part of me is horrified that the Democrat party is being taken over by people who hate America. I believe it would be best for the country for more moderate Democrats like Liberman to lead the resistence of that takeover. After all, the more the Democrat party goes left, the more the GOP will tend to follow in a bid to capture the Democrat centrists. This in turn will increase likelihood of the GOP splintering. Pretty soon we end up like Europe or Israel with many parties and no way to govern with any stability.
Just once, let us push Joe to be a Pub ala the Senators down South who wisely changed parties. The Pub candidate cannot win now, but a wiser Joe who can see the roses bloom could actually win as an Indep. Pub. Yeah, he could change the name if he wanted!! LOL
Excellent point!
Joe just become a Repub. Honestly who is more conservative Arlen "Scottish Law" Spectre or Joe Lieberman?
I know what you mean.
We need a halfway rational opposition party from time to time.
These folks are just plain nuts.
I remember Ned Lamont when he was a selectman here in Greenwich as well and he seemed like a nice guy. I sure don't remember him being a lefty though. I think more like he saw an opportunity with the kook left that could be exploited and figured maybe I'll back my way into a Senate seat. So for me now he's a scumbag too, well he's a democrat so perhaps that's redundant.
"Honestly who is more conservative Arlen "Scottish Law" Spectre or Joe Lieberman?"
JOEMENTUM - THE SEQUEL!
;^)
Thank you. Personally I'd prefer neither of those gentlemen in the Senate.
Do they have an open primary in CT? If so, then GOP voters might be well-advised to cross-over and vote for Lieberman to keep the liberal out. You'd have to hold your nose somewhat but Lamont is far worse.
This is similar to the Chafee-Laffey race in RI in some ways.
There we have a RINO (Chafee) running against a conservative (Laffey) for the GOP nomination, and if the conservative wins the primary, the seat will almost surely go to the liberal Dem. So, there is talk of Democrats changing party affiliation by the tens of thousands so that they can vote in the GOP Primary for the conservative.
No contest, Specter is much more conservative.
I think Lieberman may be open to joining the Repub caucus if he is re-elected as an independent.
I dont know, having an independent beat the Democrats would weaken the democrats more than having a Republican beat them.
I might actully rather have Leiberman make the jump and win than getting a RINO in there.
"He'd have to be a damned good Republican or I'd vote for Lieberman if nothing else just for making the jump."
If the anti-war lib makes Lieberman's life miserable during the primary and Lieberman wins, expect Lieberman to change parties.
The War on Terror is the only issue that really counts, in my books. Everything else is secondary for the time being.
I agree....for the time being....but once that vote is over, then one is left with a less then conservative vote on all other issues....not good in my book for OVERALL support.....but that is just me
Since you know Ned, I assume the fact that you mentioned no military service indicates that he was too good to serve and left it to somebody else.
You forget Hagel's stand on immigration. Strike two. Gang of fourteen along with Senator Fruit Salad from South Carolina. Strike three. He's out.
No chance. Lieberman is an easy winner in the primary.
....I didn't forget that....I just judge someone on the "whole" of their stands....and though one stance on immigration per se might sway me....I still evaluate people on their entire record...as I do with anyone.....politician or not.....I know that that is not the way here on FR...but alas, so be it......
NO one's ever suggested Ned served as far as I know.
This is real complicated. If Lieberman bolts and he wins because the DINO and the RINO split the vote, he may be none too welcome in the Democratic caucus. He does not need to caucus with anyone, but could make deals as needed. Huey Long, you may remember, was elected a Democrat but caucused with no one and bargained with whoever needed his vote.
Joe may not like being compared to Huey Long.
I think we might be looking at a situation similar to Jeffords of Vermont. Lieberman is a lifelong dem who usually votes with his party but happens to disagree with the new far left dem power brokers (Howard Dean, Moveon.org, George Soros, etc...) on a security issue that is very important to him. Because he's an orthodox jew he is more attentive to Israel's security then most dems. Lieberman has been an ardent backer of the war in Iraq (and the war on terror) because Saddam supported Palestinian terrorist strikes against Israel. Jeffords broke with the Repubs over the, in his words, far right social agenda of the new Bush administration. I think it's entirely possible that if Lieberman runs as an independent and wins, or if he is able to win the dem nomination and win, he may become so disenchanted with the dem party over this vital issue that he might bolt to independent status and caucus with the Repubs.
He might. I agree and frankly, from CT I am happy to get a RINO than what we would get otherwise.
You know, there are more and more orthodox and conservative Jews coming over. Let us keep our fingers crossed.
Well, "happy" may be pushing it a bit.
RINO Carlito Amnesty Hagel is a disgrace
Exactly... The ONLY issue he's right on is Iraq. He's a solid liberal everywhere else, I can't believe so many FReepers are hoodwinked by him. His ACU rating is near 0. That's right, one of the worst of all Dems, including Kennedy.
Exactly... The ONLY issue he's right on is Iraq. He's a solid liberal everywhere else, I can't believe so many FReepers are hoodwinked by him. His ACU rating is near 0. That's right, one of the worst of all Dems, including Kennedy.
His lifetime rating is 17/100. His rating in '05 was 8/100... His rating in '04 was 0/100. Yep, that's not a typo folks. He had a ZERO rating. http://www.acuratings.org/2005all.htm#CT
Even Joe is sick of their lunacy. Haha serves them right if he bails.
I dont know how Boxer and Feinstein squeeked out a 12 in 2005.
I also don't know how that RINO Martinez scored a 100.
If he runs as an independent, that would be a minus of one in the democRAT count if he wins re-election.
LOL! ;-D
Connecticut ping!
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