Aug. 9, 2006
Dems Back Lamont, Shun Lieberman Bid
Give Full Support To Primary Winner, Wary Of Senator's Independent Run
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Play CBS Video Video Sen. Lieberman Is War Casualty Sen. Joe Lieberman was defeated in Connecticut's Democratic Senate primary in what became a referendum on his support for the war in Iraq. Trish Regan reports.
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Video Impact Of Lieberman's Defeat It now looks like the Iraq war could be the key issue in the battle for control of Congress. As Jim Axelrod reports, candidates on both sides are staking out their positions.
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Video Lieberman Has Uphill Climb Maurice Carroll, director at Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, talks about Ned Lamont's win in Connecticut and the uphill battle Lieberman has ahead of him as an independent.
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(AP / CBS)
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Three-term U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., pumps his fist at supporters as his wife, Hadassah stands behind him at the conclusion of his election night campaign event at the Goodwin Hotel in Hartford, Conn., Aug. 8, 2006. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)
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Ned Lamont gives his victory speech, Aug. 8, 2006, in Meriden, Conn. He defeated incumbent Sen. Joe Lieberman in the Democratic primary. Lieberman said he will run as an independent. (AP)
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Sen. Joe Lieberman concedes defeat in Hartford, Conn., on Aug. 8, 2006. He had the support of several key Democrats in the primary campaign, but as an independent candidate that will be less likely. (AP)
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A lot of big names lined up behind Ned Lamont. Above, at the Lamont victory party are, from left, the Rev. Al Sharpton, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Lowell Weicker, who is a former governor and a former U.S. senator. (AP)
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Interactive Campaign 2006 Complete coverage and analysis of Senate and key House races, plus gubernatorial elections.
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Interactive The 109th Congress Meet the leaders and follow the action in the House and Senate.
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Photo Essay The Contender Take a trip on the campaign trail with the maverick Democrat who's taking on Sen. Joe Lieberman.
In Cleveland, Republican Party chairman Ken Mehlman seized on the results in the Connecticut primary to assail the Democrats on national security and called Lieberman's defeat a "shame."
"Joe Lieberman believed in a strong national defense, and for that, he was purged from his party. It is a sobering moment," Ken Mehlman said.
Lieberman's loss made him only the fourth incumbent senator to lose a primary since 1980, and came just six years after he was the Democrats' choice for vice president.
Connecticut's results posed questions that went far beyond state lines.
Critics targeted Lieberman for his strong support for the Iraq war and for his close ties to President Bush. They played and replayed video of the kiss President Bush planted on Lieberman's cheek after the 2005 State of the Union address.
A CBS News/New York Times exit poll found that 78 percent of Democratic primary voters disapprove of the war in Iraq. Among opponents of the war, 60 percent voted for Lamont; among supporters of the war, 78 percent voted for Lieberman.
It's a sentiment that anti-war bloggers tapped into. They waged a successful cyber-campaign against their three-term senator, Regan reports.
"And they're using every tool at their disposal to try to push the nation toward a direction that is going to be better for people who are outside of Washington," Eli Pariser of MoveOn.org said.
Vote totals showed roughly 16,000 more ballots cast for the Democratic Senate primary than the party primary for governor.
"I think if you are running now as a status quo sort of establishment candidate, this sends a very dangerous signal to you, which is that voters are looking for something," Amy Walter, Cook Political Report senior editor, told The Early Show. "There is some change in the air. We're not just seeing it in primaries. We're clearly seeing this in national polls. Voters are saying 'We don't like the direction of the country.'"
Lieberman has had poll results on his side when it comes to a general election. A mid-July Quinnipiac University poll found that while Lieberman trailed Lamont among Democrats, he came out well ahead of both Lamont and Schlesinger among registered Connecticut voters of all affiliations.
In the run-up to the primary, 14,000 new Connecticut voters registered as Democrats, while another 14,000 state voters switched their registration from unaffiliated to Democrat to vote in the primary.
Wednesday morning, Lieberman campaign representative Dan Papermaster handed over two boxes of petitions to officially get Lieberman's name on the ballot, then left the Secretary of the State's office without commenting.
All the signatures turned in must be validated by the town clerks in the towns where they were submitted. Those that are not will go back to the town clerks, who will have two weeks to verify them.
Lieberman's petition to run as an independent raised eyebrows even before he filed: the CBS News / New York Times exit poll found that 61 percent of Democratic primary voters are opposed to Lieberman running as an independent. Even among those who voted for Lieberman in the primary, one in five said they did not favor his running as an independent.
Former Sen. Lowell Wiecker, a Lamont supporter who was unseated by Lieberman 18 years ago, said he believes a Lieberman defeat can embolden the Democrats for this fall's midterm elections, Regan reports.
"It sends a signal to the Democratic Party that you aren't going to win anything unless you stand up and make a clear case for getting out of Iraq," said Weicker, a legend in the state of Connecticut for his often independent views, and who was governor of the state as an independent.
©MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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See all 57 CommentsPolitics does not come down to one individual and what he thinks he/she is, or ought to do as long as they belong to a party. We should keep in mind the dangers of thinking we are the chosen ones, or the most able to get the best or right results.
The Democratic voters in Connecticut have decided to elect someone else to represent them in the Senate. Being a Senator is mostly about who the voters trust and think should be their representative in addressing their issues and take action on their behalf. Clearly, they do not want Lieberman to play that role any more.
Most people were expecting him to react with grace, unselfishness, and dedication to his party by accepting that Lamont won, offering his support in helping him fulfill his new mission in advancing the democratic agenda while playing another strategic role; being a Senator should not be an end in itself. It is time for new leaders to emerge and for new ideas to be tested as they may lead to better solutions for all.
In terms of bipartisanship, working across party lines should not be about joining the other party%u2019s decisions; it is about what would be the best for the state of Connecticut and the 83% of the US population who live from pay check to pay check, and ultimately what should be the United States of America as world leader.
Now watch the Republicans support his independent candidacy even against their own candidate in the CT, he may even switch parties to the Republican Party if he wins in November as an independent.
Actually...in all reality...it is quite...quite...sad...
The dems are the party of the ignorant...it is how they garner votes...it is how they win elections...gloom and doom...if we say it...they will believe it...
lol...
They say that sooner or later, most former Presidents would like to tip their hats to the other side of the aisle, so here is a chance for Bull Moose Bill to plow a row for Connecticut Joe.
To Democrats Sens Reid and Schumer, who are saying that this election was more about President Bush than about the Democratic Party, it should be suggested that this new independent campaign by Sen. Joe Lieberman is not about the days of old but rather about whether a senator from Connecticut is willing to take a stand for the good of the country regardless of which political party holds the White House or the Congress.
I think this has what happened in Congress in general, although there are probably a few exceptions.
Representatives are interested in their constituents only so far as that furthers their primary goal: to stay in office and keep their cushy, perk-filled jobs.
Pretty pathetic state of affairs.
After 6 tough years of Bush, the lies are starting to wear very thin. I don't know how people can buy into the lies and deceptions of guys like Limbaugh and Hannity. My gas and mortgage expenses are way up this year...while corporate profits are to insane levels. And Bush's solution? Cut their taxes???? Give me a break!
The only reason Bush was elected in '04 was the religious right. He's their boy.
Voters need to stop bush and give the senate and congress over to the democrats this fall. Please vote!!!
In 2000, we had Ralph Nader who took many critical votes away from the Democratic Candidates. Joe Lieberman was the Vice-Presidential Candidate then and the loser in that election.
It seeems that he has not only not learned from that defeat but out of a sheer sense of Bloody-mindedness, decided to stand in the elections as an Independent. Does he not have the sense to realise that his standing in the elections is no different from Ralph Nader in 2000 and will have the same effect on Ned Lamont?
What a sore loser!
Pat
Wow...
One wonders how long the lunatic right can sputter, whine and moan as their margins are chopped away across the country by the incompetence of their Chief Bozo, Mr. Bush. Lieberman continues the erosion of GOP assets, as American voters register a referendum on Bush.
Americans are learning fast not to trust right-wing demogoguery-- the direst threat to the security of this country. As for the GOP, it is beginning to find out the hard way that bluster, lies and 16th century politics of privilege are not enough.
But Bush is a maniac opportunist under a threat, political or otherwise. He will provoke a wider war in Iraq, simply to justify himself in the name of national security. With a defender like Bush, who needs enemies?
IT is time.....
%u201CLet%u2019s Roll%u201D!
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