Lieberman may have serious challenger

[CatWoman]

Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman had a tough time winning re-election in 2006; in order to do it, after being defeated in the Democratic primary, he had to run as an independent. The road ahead of him in 2012 might not be any easier, as one of the state's prominent Democrats is reportedly considering taking a run at Lieberman's seat.

State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, the Hill reports, "has begun informing influential members of the state's political class that he will prepare for a run against Lieberman." The Hartford Courant notes that Blumenthal has always coveted a Senate seat, but his path to one had long been blocked by the presence of two Democrats -- Lieberman and Chris Dodd -- in the state's delegation. With Lieberman now an independent who only caucuses with the Democrats, it's no longer taboo to challenge him.

The news was especially interesting to me because I covered the end of the 2006 primary between Lieberman and Ned Lamont, and met Blumenthal at Lieberman headquarters that night. At the time, he supported the incumbent. He eventually endorsed Lamont, but that was essentially mandatory after Lamont's primary victory, and has apparently remained friends with the senator. So it's interesting to see him considering a campaign.

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/?last_story=/politics/war_room/2009/02/04/lieberman/

[ronnykmarshall]

1. God I hope he gets his ass handed to him.

[Lerkfish]

2. lieberman should not be allowed to run as a democrat

he should be forced to run as a third party, since that is what he was elected under.

[truebrit71]

14. He won as an independent..he would have to run in the Dem primary in order to be the Dem candidate..

...no?

You can't just say that you are running on a particular party ticket...you have to win the nomination...

He isn't a Democrat any more...

[Lerkfish]

44. right. I"m saying he shouldnt be ALLOWED by the democrats to run in the primary

[Freddie Stubbs]

50. Who gets to decide who is allowed to run as a Democrat?

Are you actually concerned that he could win the Democratic primary?

[Lerkfish]

52. in the abstract, no one, but in reality, local party officials can "bless" a candidate

in a primary. happens all the time.

[Freddie Stubbs]

55. Which candidate was 'blessed' in the 2006 CT Democratic Senate Primary?

:shrug:

[Kingofalldems]

53. You must be so proud of Lieberman

And he is still your boy isn't he?

[Freddie Stubbs]

57. I did not support his reelection in 2006. Didn't you?

:shrug:

[kirby]

3. And I thought he was going to run against himself...

That would be the most challenging of all!

[riqster]

11. Like Colin "Bumba" Harris

"He has knocked himself out, and so he is the winner!" :D

[Barack_America]

4. Where do I donate? nt

[avaistheone1]

5. Even if Lieberman goes - the new Liberman clone Dianne Finestein remains in the U.S. Senate

Ewwwww.

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

6. This news explains why he isn't running for Governor.

LIEberman won't stand a chance against Blumenthal. He'll probably announce his retirement early in 2012 to avoid a "thumping".

[Jennicut]

8. I wonder who will run for Gov. Hopefully we can get a Dem this time.

[JerseygirlCT]

19. Bysewiecz (I'm sure I've misspelled that!) and Malloy are

both thinking about it. I can't think of who else.

We seem to keep putting weak candidates up, which is why the GOP keeps getting that spot. But Jodi Rell isn't going to be on the top of anyone's favorites list after the times the state will be going through.

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

54. Amann wants it but he screwed himself with the $120,000/year

job offer from Donovan. Greedy bastard. My LTTE on that topic and how he supported LIEberman after Lamont won the primary was published Sunday in the NH Regsiter. Then they ran an editorial against Amann yesterday. Karma is a bitch, Jimmy boy !

[JerseygirlCT]

18. Blumenthal... the perennial isn't running for Governor guy

Talked about every time, and never does. Makes you think he simply doesn't want that job, doesn't it?

This would be interesting.

[w4rma]

38. Obviously he doesn't. He wants LIEberman's Senate seat. Which is fine by me!

Hopefully LIEberman will just retire and save himself the embarrassment of losing to a wildly popular Democratic CT politician.

[Jennicut]

7. Blumenthal would be a serious challenger. He is really serious and well liked here.

He should go for it.

[WI_DEM]

9. heck, he had a serious opponent in '06 too--Lamont beat him in the primary

but Joe wouldn't take no for an answer.

[CTyankee]

10. I thought SoS Susan Biesowicz (sp) was gearing up for that Senate run.

And I thought Blumenthal was running for re-election as A.G.

I like Dick Blumenthal a lot. He is a great friend of Planned Parenthood of CT where I used to work.

He's such a populist. I always smile when I recall that his father in law, Peter Malkin, owns (or did own) the Empire State Building. The Malkins are enormously wealthy, but good people.

[JerseygirlCT]

22. She's already fundraising up a storm

She's definitely in. I think I saw this morning that Dannel Malloy is also in.

Blumenthal gets good things done, but I can't really warm up to him personally. I think it has something to do with the time I saw him arrive late to a funeral and then glad-hand his way down the center aisle, looking for all the attention he could get. Makes you roll you eyes, you know?

But I'd have no objections whatsoever to seeing him in DC. He's a fighter.

[Metta]

12. He's already seriously ethically challenged, all by himself.

and should pay for his betraying us.

[Still Sensible]

13. Unfortunately, it could set up a repeat

Judging from the last time, Lieberman loses in the primary then runs as an independent and prevails. This time, either Lieberman runs in the democratic primary or chooses to sit it out and go independent again (a decision that will be solely based on whether he thinks he'll win the primary against Blumenthal).

If he runs in the primary and wins, he'll get reelected. If he runs in the primary and loses, he probably runs in the general as an independent again. In that scenario, or if he eschews the primary and just goes whole hog independent, what's to say whoever the other two candidates are won't split the vehement voters and Lieberman wins again.

[truebrit71]

15. He isn't a Dem, why would he be allowed to run in the Dem primary?

...Doesn't make any sense...

[JerseygirlCT]

21. That's how he's registered, even if it has nothing to do

with how he votes or acts.

And no, it doesn't make sense, but lots in politics doesn't!

[truebrit71]

23. How can he be the registered Dem when he LOST the Dem primary?

That's the part I don't get. Bottom line the state party, or the DNC needs to tell LIEberman to go pound sand and tell him that he is NOT allowed to enter the Dem primary..Fuck it...if he wants to be in the Senate as an Independent, then let him Independently raise the funds and Independently campaign for his seat..

[JerseygirlCT]

24. I'm not even sure he ever registered as anything but Dem

But I know that's how he's registered now. And you have to remember that he goes a ways back in CT. He's had a good number of years to build a strong base of support, even in the party, and even after what he did. I know so many people who have worked for him, or known him forever, and they were often just not ready to believe that he'd done what he did back then.

Now, the crap this last time around... THAT'S even more likely to put him out of commission. Supporting McCain quietly, b/c you're good friends... that would have been one thing. Distasteful, but it would have gone over.

But the vitriol he threw at Obama, and the campaigning for down-ticket people? Ugh. I think he's disenchanted many of those who remained supporters through 2006. I think Blumenthal could definitely beat him in a primary. Questions are: would he even run again? (I'm thinking he would not) and if so, would he then repeat his 2006 stunt and attempt to run as a 3rd party or independent? (If the GOP puts up a real candidate, then he'd get beat there, too)

All of which leads me to thinking he knows he's done. He'll go out ugly, too. I'm sure of it.

[CTyankee]

31. Maybe not ugly. I live in his old neighborhood in New Haven. I don't see

much talk about him any more. He seems to have deserted us, both the state as a whole and this neighborhood of Orthodox Jews who attended services with him on Saturdays. I remember seeing him and waving on Saturday morning when he was on his way to shull with his wife and infant daughter and I was on my way to exercise class. He was a regular visitor to our local diner (where he couldn't eat but would stop by). So he had a following.

This last election changed everything for Joe. He just disappeared slowly like the Cheshire Cat. He sold his house in our neighborhood and I never saw him again in our area. He "says" he's in Stamford, a soulless city right next to New York. I doubt that seriously. He is based in the media centers of Washington and New York. That's it.

[JerseygirlCT]

35. I think that ugly was part of why he behaved as outrageously as

he did. The hell with them, he seemed to say. I felt a bit sorry for his staff, actually. Imagine being a good Democrat, working for a Democratic senator, and then your boss starts singing love songs about the likes of Palin? Seriously?

I think he was still po'd at CT for having the unmitigated gall not to elect him in the primary in 06. How dare they? Don't they know how important I am? And from then on, it was payback time in his petty mind.

[CTyankee]

39. I think you are right! I remember canvassing for Ned and stopping at a house

near Joe's synagogue and speaking with the nicest man who very gently told me "no, I won't sign your petition (to have Ned our Dem candidate)because I know Joe Lieberman and I like him."

This man was decent and nice to me. He didn't slam the door in my face. He was actually kind of sweet and I thought to myself that Joe didn't deserve him!

I feel bad for this man and others like him who trusted Joe. It is a sad commentary on Joe that he deserted them and the rest of CT for his own personal glory.

[CatWoman]

25. *smooch*

:hi:

:loveya:

who said things had to make sense? :)

[JerseygirlCT]

20. I'd bet that Lieberman and Blumenthal

would be going to the same pockets for support around here. Which would make that primary race really interesting. And I distinctly have the impression that he's not going to run again - he's done. But assuming he does, the real key will be whether the GOP runs a serious candidate. If they do, Lieberman couldn't win as an "independent" (I use the term loosely with him).

[rpannier]

34. Maybe ｔｈｅ Governor chooses to run

I think that would make an interesting 3-way race that would benefit the republikkans

[Hippo_Tron]

27. Lamont was an uknown and Lieberman had yet to endorse McGramps

Lieberman won because he got a large enough share of the Democratic vote and almost all of the Republican vote. In a two way race Lamont would've easily beaten Schlesinger. But with the Democrats split, Lamont couldn't get enough Democrats and independents to support him since his candidacy was almost entirely based on war opposition. Bleumenthal is a statewide elected official and he is will have a far broader base of support. And if the Republicans run a viable candidate, Lieberman won't stand a chance.

[CTyankee]

32. I did lots of calling for Lamont from his headquarters in New Haven and I found

that people really didn't know who Lamont was. They knew who Lieberman was. He was a fixture in their mind, had been there for years, so they "trusted" ole Joe. It was frustrating, but I saw the handwriting on the wall for the 2006 election. It was just a matter of name and reputation recognition. It will be different next time, I can guarantee it!

[CTyankee]

47. And unfortunately Lamont was seen as a rich guy from Greenwich, which he was. It was unfair but

a true statement. Blumenthal also lives in Greenwich but is identified more with his consumerist stands on behalf of the little guy/gal. He's really knocked heads together at United Illuminating and about time!

I don't see Lieberman running again in '12. But that's 4 years from now so I guess anything can happen...

[CTyankee]

33. Not sure the Dem infrastructure is in place for Joe to do this.

His shameful endorsement for John McCain in the 08 election was enough to sour him with a LOT of Dems. I think he's real TOAST with the Dem party in Ct!!!

[SuperTrouper]

16. Blumenthal is a great challenger. However, I think that Dodd should retire, too.

Blumenthal will beat LIEberman...Gov. Jodi Rell (Republican) is toast and she probably will not run which should open the gates for Secy of State Susan Byesewicz (Democrat). Dodd will likely run but I do not see any GOP or Dem challengers unless US Rep.Chris Murphy (Democrat) decides to do it. If Blumenthal does not challenge LIEberman, I am available. :eyes:

[Jennicut]

29. Chris Murphy is very popular here, I think he should be our next Senator when Dodd retires

Dodd needs to go soon.

[JerseygirlCT]

36. I like Chris - though

some of his positions have seemed sort of bone-headed to me (not just in Congress - in the state senate, too). I mean, I love the heart the guy has... I live in the middle of suburbia, and one night, I was bracing as I looked up the street for a visit from the LDS, when I noticed it wasn't two young men, but one.

Yup, Chris Murphy, walking around my cul de sac, shaking hands and introducing himself. He was going for our state rep at the time, and won. Wow, someone who cares enough to actually ask for your vote?

But there's also John Larsen and Rosa DeLauro ahead of him, and either of them would make a fine senator. And honestly, Joe Courtney's pretty great, too. Another really nice, down to earth guy.

[Jennicut]

45. Yeah, they are all pretty good.

Except for Loserman.

[JerseygirlCT]

48. Yup. You know what?

I even like Chris Shays better than Lieberman. That's unfortunate!

[snowbear]

46. If Dodd doesn't retire, can Murphy beat Lieberloser? What about Ned Lamont?

.
.

Any chance Ned Lamont would give it another try?

[JerseygirlCT]

49. I think if Blumenthal announces, then none of the prominent Dems

in the state will compete with him. And I'm not sure he's going to announce unless he knows Lieberman is done.

I think even with what happened this last time, any competition will happen before a primary, behind closed doors. If Lieberman runs again, I'm not sure any of the state's prominent Dems will go up against him - out of some sense of collegiality. Just my bet.

But I'd also bet that Lieberman knows he's done. And he'd either be told that in private and uncertain terms, or he'll just announce he's retiring.

In which case, I'd bet on John Larson first for the senate. He's representing the capital and that's where a good number of the political powers are. Again, not based on anything but my gut. And John Larson is a terrific guy.

[JerseygirlCT]

17. Blumenthal is something of a blowhard, and has an outsized ego

BUT, he gets things done.

That would be a very interesting race - I imagine they have a great many supporters in common.

[TheCowsCameHome]

26. He's very crafty - he'll use his time to position himself just right.

Joe is for Joe - he's out to win.

[TeamJordan23]

28. Do we know what side Leiberman is on the stimulus bill? nm

[CTyankee]

30. Ya know, that's a good question. It is interesting that it never crossed my mind to ask!

Lieberman is on Mars as far as I'm concerned.

I don't think he's been seen in the state for months! (sorry, can't account for Stamford, which is where he is "supposed" to be living -- heh,heh).

[JerseygirlCT]

37. Nope.

I'm afraid my ears and mind go "na,na, na, na, I can't hear you!" when his whiney voice comes over the tv.

[w4rma]

40. It's my understanding that he left the country so that he wouldn't have to take a position. (nt)

[tavalon]

41. I don't think he'll be challenging Lieberman

Lieberman is pretty delusional but I think he knows this is his last session as a senator. I think he'll step down willingly.

[BrklynLiberal]

42. I think his ego is too inflated for that.

[JerseygirlCT]

43. That's my bet, too.

Not without several more self-righteous whines, however. He'll be sure we have to endure those.

[Dinger]

51. There Should Be Sore Loser Laws

You lose in a primary, that's it. You're done.

[sofa king]

56. Psst. Blumenthal is a wanker, too.

For most of the past decade, Blumenthal has expended considerable time and effort to prevent the federal recognition of at least two Indian tribes in the state. He knows the difference between tribal sovereignty and tribal gaming, but he doesn't care, and he has carefully stoked antipathy toward American Indians in the press and in public.

Not long after the Bush Administration took over, the Department of the Interior reversed its positive decisions for federal recognition of the Eastern Pequot and Schaghticoke tribes. Blumenthal was right in the middle of that decision, and it was quite likely an illegal one.

Find someone else please, Connecticut.

[Blue_Tires]

58. here's to hoping that unlike '06

DU and the party will be 100 percent behind the challenger...last time we had a group of small but prominent group of Lieberman apologists...