Connecticut Senator Democratic Joe Lieberman has clearly felt some backlash since he announced that even though he’s in the Democratic party primary challenged by anti-war candidate Ned Lamont he’s going to prepare to run as an independent just in case he loses.
The latest New York Times story oozes damage control:
Senator Joseph I. Lieberman tried to reassert his commitment to the Democratic Party today, after announcing on Monday that he would run independently for reelection if he loses the state Democratic primary next month.
“I have one goal, and it is to be the Democratic nominee and win this primary,” Mr. Lieberman said after an Independence Day parade in this eastern Connecticut town, where he marched with a few dozen people, drawing both cheers of support and shouts of opposition.
That statement can’t get him in any trouble. His trouble is: his previous statement suggesting he’s could run as an independent could mean some Democrats might feel less compelled to vote for him in November if they didn’t back him in the primary, since he signaled that he might not abide by their choice.
Lieberman, no matter what he does, is faced with a dilemma and a career-shrinker: even if he returns to the Senate his stature will never be quite the same. He made one comment that makes a lot of sense:
Speaking to reporters at the end of the parade route, Mr. Lieberman decried what he saw as too much hatred in politics.
“Once you start hating, you lose the ability to get anything done,” he said.
He added later that when he disagreed with his party, it was on the basis of principles.
“I think that saying ‘you’ve got to be with us for everything’ is the road to defeat for any political party,” he said.
Indeed: just as how television started out aiming to be “mass media” and devolved into cable and television “narrow-casting” aimed at specific demographic groups by the end of the 20th century, the idea of a political party as truly “big tent” embracing and unifying many sometimes divergent beliefs under a general philosophy is now under fire…and could go the same way.
There is a school of thought in powerful segments of both parties now that the way to victory is to mobilize your base and accentuate differences between both parties versus building larger, more tolerant, coalitions.
You can see Lieberman now trying to reassure Democrats that he is a loyal Democrat and not just an ambitious politician who intends to get re-elected in November party nod or no party nod:
Mr. Lieberman said on Monday that even if he wins re-election as an independent candidate, he would remain “a proud Democrat” and would caucus with other Democratic senators.
Still, the prospect that Mr. Lieberman may find himself running against his own party’s nominee is a startling turn for the senator, who has spent his entire three-decade career in politics within the Democratic Party and ran as its vice-presidential nominee in 2000 alongside Al Gore.
Lieberman’s dilemma in terms of his status in the Democratic party was underscored over the weekend when New York Senator Hillary Clinton underscored that while she support Lieberman now she plans to intend whoever wins the primary. Some other Democratic bigwigs have avoided saying whether they would support him in an independent run.
But even if they did, Lieberman could face a split in Democratic elite support. And if he does win the primary, he probably will suffer from some anti-war Democrats deciding not to vote for him due to his contingency plans to run as an independent if he lost the primary against the candidate they wanted. That might not be enough to elect a Republican…but no matter what happens in November, Lieberman likely faces an overall reduction in his national status.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.