Several years ago, many of us in Connecticut started to see Joe Lieberman for who he really is, and isn't. When Ned Lamont joined the cause (with his warchest and devoted talent like Tom Swan) we were able to bring the message of truth about Joe to a national audience. At first we were derided as lefty wingnuts, taking out our hatred of G.W. Bush and the Iraq War on his innocent friend, Joe Lieberman - who other than his stance on the war, we were told, was supposedly still a good Democrat. Lamont and his supporters were opposed by many many Democrats in CT and nationally, including Presidential candidates Chris Dodd, Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton (and her husband.)
With time, persistence, and $20 million of Neds cash, the message finally got through to enough CT Dems that we voted Joe out of the party in August 2006. You would have thought this would have been enough to convince the national leadership that Joe was no longer one of us, and it was time for them to support the new guy - and that it was about more than "just the war."
Immediately after the primary, our DC bigwigs were supposed to convince Joe to drop his independent bid and retire gracefully. When Joe protested, they immediately backed off, unwilling to put any force behind their request (like threatening to take away his committee positions.) The fact is, the very idea of Ned Lamont was a threat to the whole lot of them. If we could shove a longtime incumbent and former VP candidate out the door, any one of them could be next. So, a few feigned support for the actual Democratic candidate, while secretly hoping for a CT for Lieberman victory.
The November election just emboldened Joe with his newfound independence, and he returned to DC even more determined to throw fellow Dems under the bus. Yet still, our leadership refused to wake up and smell the coffee.
Finally, I thought, this week's endorsement of a Republican by Lieberman would be the final act needed to get even the most stubborn Dems to admit that Joe Lieberman had completely left the reservation, and is truly an Independent Democrat In Name Only. Well, looks like I was fooled once again because I don't hear any of them speaking out against Joe. In fact, just the opposite. They write it off, decaring Joe always has done his own thing... but he's still one of us.
When will these people start to understand that being a member of a party actual means something? It's not just about your seating assignment at work. Being a Democrat stands for a set of beliefs and priorities. When someone not only stops upholding these tenets himself, but actually lends public support to a Presidential candidate that works wholeheartedly against the values that we hold so dear, it's time to part ways.
After working so hard to successfully convince so many that they need to reevaluate their feelings about Joe Lieberman, the failure of our leadership to respond appropriately feels like a punch in the gut. I am literally sick and feeling incredibly depressed about this situation. It's just another reminder that too many view their leadership positions as a great, high paying job, that they own with accountability to no one.
Like most of you. every day I receive emails and letters asking me to support a Democrat for 2008. Some of these are from candidates and others from groups representing the party as a whole. They all have the same message: taking back the White House is the absolute highest priority for our party and the future of our country. But, the complete failure of the people authoring these appeals to speak out or reprimand Joe Lieberman sends a very clear message from the Party Powerful to people like me - "we want your money and your vote, but please keep your opinions to yourself."
Until we can recruit dozens of Ned Lamonts to force primaries against incumbent Democrats across the nation, our party will soon become unrecognizable. A shadow of its former self that represents some wishy washy middleground, and stands for nothing.
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