George Jepsen op ed: Lamont Helped Light Democratic Fire

[Larkspur]

Lamont Helped Light Democratic Fire

More than any other single individual in America, Ned Lamont drove the signature issue of the 2006 election, the Iraq war. It is for this reason that the Republican-leaning Norwich Bulletin, in a post-election editorial, named Lamont as the national MVP of the election cycle. Not bad for someone who a year ago was completely unknown.

The national reach of Lamont's candidacy for the U.S. Senate was brought home to me personally in July when I visited relatives in rural Washington state. They were far more interested in Connecticut's Democratic primary contest between Lamont and Sen. Joe Lieberman than in their own state's Senate race.

Lamont's message resonated broadly because he was the first national candidate to dare say what many people believed, that America was being driven over a cliff by an ideologue, a divorced-from-reality president, and a corrupt Congress. Those responsible for the mess should be held accountable. What made the campaign unique was that its target was a fellow Democrat, Lieberman.

Pundits initially dismissed Lamont's challenge. But, especially in the wake of Lamont's August primary upset, the national debate began to shift. Democrats increasingly framed their campaigns as a referendum on Bush and the war. Republicans, on the defensive, began to speak about the previously unspeakable - the need for an exit strategy. Even Joe Lieberman recast himself as a war critic. By mid-fall, Ned Lamont's once-lonely voice had become mainstream.

SNIP