Why Have the Democrats Abandoned Lieberman?

In Lieberman Fight, Some Faithful Feel Torn

Just two Presidential elections ago, Lieberman was the Democratic candidate for Vice President. Now it seems that most Democrats are supporting his challenger, Ned Lamont, for the Democratic Senate primary. John Kerry has even stated that he is willing to campaign against the incumbent. Could it be because he has remained true to his word and maintained his support for the war in Iraq? Is honesty and integrity no longer considered desired values among Democrats? Even Hillary Clinton, the face of the Democratic Party, has received criticism for maintaining her support for the Iraqi war.

As Senator Joseph I. Lieberman battles to retain his seat in Connecticut, some factions within the national Democratic Party are quietly preparing to campaign against the three-term senator if he loses the primary on Tuesday and runs as an independent in the general election in November, numerous Democrats said yesterday.

Furthermore, some forces within the party, including Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, will be willing to campaign actively for Mr. Lamont if he is pitted against Mr. Lieberman in the general election, many Democratic officials said. Some Democratic officials also say the Democratic National Committee will probably support Mr. Lamont if he wins the primary, though Howard Dean, the party’s chairman, has been neutral leading up to the primary.

That would set the stage for an extraordinary battle pitting some national Democrats against a fixture of the party who was their own vice presidential candidate in 2000.

Many Democrats continue to maintain that they hope Mr. Lieberman defeats Mr. Lamont next week, rendering the matter moot. “I hope he wins,’’ said Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa, referring to Mr. Lieberman. “Will I support him if he doesn’t win the primary? We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

But with the most recent Quinnipiac University poll showing Mr. Lamont running even or slightly ahead of Mr. Lieberman, some Democrats in Washington said yesterday that a Lamont primary victory could provide an opportunity to shift the party in a more progressive direction — away from supporting the war in Iraq and toward policies that favor withdrawing troops.

For figures like Mr. Kerry, who was the party’s presidential nominee in 2004 and is considering running again in 2008, the race could also offer a platform to broadcast opposition to the war.

Let's hope Kerry decides again to run for President, that should almost guarantee another Republican victory.

Last week Joe Lieberman stated "if people question whether I'm a democratic, the democratic party is in trouble."

If any further proof is needed...the New York Times has endorsed Ned Lamont.

The Times even has the gall to claim the anti-war, liberal-beloved Lamont is a moderate:

“Mr. Lamont, a wealthy businessman from Greenwich, seems smart and moderate, and he showed spine in challenging the senator while other Democrats groused privately. He does not have his opponent’s grasp of policy yet. But this primary is not about Mr. Lieberman’s legislative record. Instead it has become a referendum on his warped version of bipartisanship, in which the never-ending war on terror becomes an excuse for silence and inaction.”