Michael Schiavo campaigns against Lieberman

[Nutmegger]

Michael Schiavo campaigns against Lieberman

HARTFORD, Conn. --Michael Schiavo stumbled over the name of the man he was in Connecticut to support Friday, but after fighting Congress for the right to disconnect his brain-damaged wife's feeding tube, he had no problem remembering whom he was campaigning against.

U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman "thinks that government should have made that decision," he said. "Joe Lieberman is wrong, and that's why Joe Lieberman is going to be defeated."

Lieberman, a three-term incumbent, faces a tough Democratic primary challenge from Greenwich businessman Ned Lamont, who appeared outside the state Capitol with Schiavo on Friday.

Lamont has criticized Lieberman for supporting a bill that allowed a federal court to consider reinserting a feeding tube used by Terri Schiavo, the 39-year-old Florida woman who had been in a vegetative state since her heart stopped in 1990.

[CTyankee]

1. Many Republicans must have been appalled at the Schiavo

episode, but I think in the end they turned a blind eye.

I don't think Michael Schiavo's appearance will sway Republicans but it will shore up Dems who need more reasons not to vote for Joe. As someone who is volunteering to phone for Ned, I know this is really needed! I encounter calls from registered Dems who really don't have much information about Ned's policy stands so they say they "lean" to Joe. I give them information about Ned, which usually surprises them. My calling sample has been seniors, however (I call in the afternoons). So I'm only getting one slice of the population.

[bigwillq]

2. How has the repsonse been

from the calls you've made? Does it seem like people are going to vote for Ned? Do they know much about him? Do they like his policies are do they just want Joe out?

I know, a lot of questions and you made not get any of the answers from your calls but I am just curious.

[CTyankee]

3. I've only been given lists of seniors who are registered Dems

so my sample is not at all representative. Some say they have made up their minds but won't say for whom they will vote. A few are Lieberman supporters and a few are Lamont supporters of those who do reveal their preference. I think we should go by the polls and not my unrepresentative sample. I also get a lot of answering machines, since my volunteers hours are only in the afternoon. But at Lamont hq in New Haven they have lots of volunteers in the a.m. so perhaps these folks are being picked up in those calls. I suspect we are calling seniors in the p.m. because they are more likely to be retired and at home. However, since I get a lot of machines picking up it just may be that these retirees are a pretty active bunch! I'm semi retired and look at me. I'm always out for most of the afternoon.