Petitioning Democrat
by digby
Is it not perfectly appropriate for Joe Lieberman to announce on the fourth of July week-end that if he loses his primary he’s going to run as “petitioning Democrat” anyway? He’s always shown such reverence for the rules — as when he backed the republicans counting blatantly phony military ballots in the Flrida recount, so that nobody could ever accuse him of not being patriotic. He’s quite the hero when it comes to this stuff.
Here’s the play. It’s obvious that Lieberman’s going to play a little game of semantics, which I suspect has been worked out with Chuck Schumer in advance. He’s not actually leaving the party, you see. He’s just going to be running as an independent Democrat rather than, you know, one of those doctrinaire Democrats who are being forced upon the voters by the blogofascists.
Schumer said that the DSCC “fully supports” Sen. Joe Lieberman in his primary bid, and he refused to rule out continuing that support if Lieberman were to run as an independent.
There were degrees of independence, Schumer said. “You can run as an independent, you can run as an independent Democrat who pledges to vote for Harry Reid as Majority Leader.”
Lieberman was quoted yesterday saying:
“I’d organize with the Democrats if I’m fortunate enough to win,” he said. “I’d remain a Democrat.”
So, you see, Lieberman isn’t actually leaving the party. He’s just decided that he needn’t answer to rank and file Democrats who vote in primaries. They do not know what a “real Democrat” is and they cannot be trusted to choose who they wish to represent the Democratic party in the fall election. Therefore, smarter people, like Joe Lieberman and Chuck Schumer, have to step in and tell them what’s good for them. Surely, you can understand that. After all, Joe and Chuck have been leading us successfully to victory lo these many years. We should not question their wisdom.
On this fourth of July week-end, Joe Lieberman wants you all to remember that democracy has its limits.
God bless America.
.