Matt Stoller of MyDD has been following the Connecticut senate race, as a Ned Lamont supporter, in the aftermath of the primary when Lamont whupped the odious Joe Lieberman. It's not looking too good--polls show Lieberman, now running as an indie, ahead. Stoller says this:I've developed a keen respect for Senator Lieberman over the past few months. The man is completely brilliant, probably the best politician I've ever seen up close. When he wants something, he goes and gets it. He's not just a great politician, he's an extremely skilled sociopathic charmer, able to appeal to one's worst instincts while making you feel like he's helping create resolute moral tone. Lieberman is the consummate small state politician; he has the press here wrapped around his finger, and he is able to create an aura of trust and geniality wherever he goes, even as he calls for regime change in Iran and sends his voters' children to be maimed for his own pride. It's a stunning feat. So the challenge is great, and it's not supposed to be easy, because convincing the public that they have been voting for a psychotic man divorced from the consequences of his brutal actions is really tough when that creepy package is delivered in a Happy Meal. I believe Stoller is learning on the job that Holy Joe is a "consummate small state politician." The progressive narrative during the primary fight was that Lieberman had "gone Washington" and lost touch with his constituents.
holy joe is forging a new constituency (if by constituents you mean supporters and not just voters). clearly he lost touch with rank and file democrats as he was not representing their views. he is essentially running as the defacto republican candidate to the right even of the milquetoast republican senators from maine and rhode island.
btw, seems like a bit much to say liebermans motives are merely prideful, id say they were ideological. certainly he is dissociated from the consequences of his demagoguery (not to mention any notion of truth) but i dont think its purely a matter of ego.
I took it to mean--what other reason than stubborn, egotistical refusal to admit error justifies our current Iraq policy?
An ideologue presumably wants a policy that works, not this quagmire.
I know some PNAC-ers think sowing Arab confusion is good for Israel, but Joe is not openly saying that's our strategy. It would be heinous to put our troops in harms' way just to "stir the pot."
i certainly wouldnt maintain that pridefulness and ego arent at play and that his deceitfulness as well as that of the rest of his co-conspirators in the face of reality isnt abhorrent but the notion that its merely pride at work annoyed me. it may be just a rhetorical flourish but sometimes the broadstroke presumptions can turn me away from an otherwise well considered screed.
that said, i wish to spare lieberman none of the scorn he so rightly deserves. anyone who is lockstep with the president on torture and domestic spying to say nothing of pnac fantasies has no place among decent human beings much less a democratic caucus.
I'm working up to a post on habeas. Just read in WaPo that now that the Cheneyites have their torture bill in place they sent a letter to the DC district court demanding dismissal of all the habeas petitions from Guantanamo. Center for Constitutional Rights is handling the petitions. I think we need to start sending fistfuls of cash (if we aren't already) to the organizations litigating these types of cases--it's our only hope right now.
dave said "...has no place among decent human beings much less a democratic caucus." There's no guarantee that he will caucus with the Dems if he wins. There's still the question of whether he'll maintain his seniority since he ran as a "Lieberman for CT" candidate. He's made some veiled threats that sound like if he is demoted, he might not caucus with the Dems. That's the kind of thing that makes Stoller call him "prideful."
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Matt Stoller of MyDD has been following the Connecticut senate race, as a Ned Lamont supporter, in the aftermath of the primary when Lamont whupped the odious Joe Lieberman. It's not looking too good--polls show Lieberman, now running as an indie, ahead. Stoller says this:I believe Stoller is learning on the job that Holy Joe is a "consummate small state politician." The progressive narrative during the primary fight was that Lieberman had "gone Washington" and lost touch with his constituents.
- tom moody 10-20-2006 9:01 pm
holy joe is forging a new constituency (if by constituents you mean supporters and not just voters). clearly he lost touch with rank and file democrats as he was not representing their views. he is essentially running as the defacto republican candidate to the right even of the milquetoast republican senators from maine and rhode island.
btw, seems like a bit much to say liebermans motives are merely prideful, id say they were ideological. certainly he is dissociated from the consequences of his demagoguery (not to mention any notion of truth) but i dont think its purely a matter of ego.
- dave 10-20-2006 10:09 pm
I took it to mean--what other reason than stubborn, egotistical refusal to admit error justifies our current Iraq policy?
An ideologue presumably wants a policy that works, not this quagmire.
I know some PNAC-ers think sowing Arab confusion is good for Israel, but Joe is not openly saying that's our strategy. It would be heinous to put our troops in harms' way just to "stir the pot."
- tom moody 10-20-2006 10:19 pm
i certainly wouldnt maintain that pridefulness and ego arent at play and that his deceitfulness as well as that of the rest of his co-conspirators in the face of reality isnt abhorrent but the notion that its merely pride at work annoyed me. it may be just a rhetorical flourish but sometimes the broadstroke presumptions can turn me away from an otherwise well considered screed.
that said, i wish to spare lieberman none of the scorn he so rightly deserves. anyone who is lockstep with the president on torture and domestic spying to say nothing of pnac fantasies has no place among decent human beings much less a democratic caucus.
- dave 10-20-2006 10:35 pm
I'm working up to a post on habeas. Just read in WaPo that now that the Cheneyites have their torture bill in place they sent a letter to the DC district court demanding dismissal of all the habeas petitions from Guantanamo. Center for Constitutional Rights is handling the petitions. I think we need to start sending fistfuls of cash (if we aren't already) to the organizations litigating these types of cases--it's our only hope right now.
- tom moody 10-20-2006 10:42 pm
dave said "...has no place among decent human beings much less a democratic caucus." There's no guarantee that he will caucus with the Dems if he wins. There's still the question of whether he'll maintain his seniority since he ran as a "Lieberman for CT" candidate. He's made some veiled threats that sound like if he is demoted, he might not caucus with the Dems. That's the kind of thing that makes Stoller call him "prideful."
- jcaswell (guest) 10-22-2006 5:50 am