I think there is one Democratic casualty of the Foley scandal: Ned Lamont

[Pale Blue Dot]

:-(

I've been absorbing the poll numbers all morning, and I now think that Mark Foley has done irreparable harm to the Lamont campaign. My logic is this: Suddenly, across the country, a whole bunch of Senate and House races have become unexpectedly very competitive. If you are the Democratic leadership, do you spend your time and money on those races, or on a race in which both candidates claim they will caucus with the Democrats?

Of course, I think this is a mistake. I believe that if there is anything less than a 51-49 Dem. majority in the Senate, Lieberman will bolt for the Republicans and the power that they will offer him. At 51-49 exactly, I believe that Lieberman will caucus with whomever gives him the most power. In that scenario, the Democrats will have to give him high-level committee assignments that he really doesn't deserve considering his betrayal of the party or risk his defection.

I will keep fighting for Lamont until the bitter end. I believe, like Mr. Smith, that lost causes are the ones most worth fighting for. For all of you non-Connecticut Dems, however, the answer is simple: WE MUST WIN 52 SEATS IN THE SENATE THIS NOVEMBER. That means that you need to go out and fight for your Senate candidate. Please get out and volunteer today.

[OrangeCountyDemocrat]

1. I'm In Agreement With You

Lieberman is as good as gone if he wins, and how tragic would it be to actually FLIP the Senate, only to have Lieberman convert, and have the Dems lose the majority they had just gained.

[WCGreen]

2. The GOP will not give him anything....

They aren't gonna turn their backs on one of their own and give him the chairmanship of any committee....

[Pale Blue Dot]

3. You and I simply disagree there.

1. If it's the difference between holding the Seante and losing it, I think the Republicans make that deal;

2. Lieberman, in my view, has proven that he is "one of their own."

[WCGreen]

5. On the war....

But he has a pretty liberal voting record as far as that goes...

Who do they toss out in order to give him a chairmanship....

[Pale Blue Dot]

7. On the war. On torture. On civil liberties. On social security.

On Mark Foley. On Clinton.

So, you're saying that the Republicans would rather have no chairmanships than demote one of their own so that they could have them all?

[hvn_nbr_2]

9. If their choice is one committee chairmanship or ALL committee chairs...

they'll give him whatever he wants.

[shrub chipper]

4. IMO, a more likely scenario

would be , if the Dems win a majority w/Lieberman among the winners, for them to dump rumsfeld and offer Lieberman the SOD position, so that the Rep CT Governor could appoint his successor.

[WCGreen]

6. That is much more likely......

[Peace Patriot]

8. The polls are a guide. There are by no means a certitude!

Remember Harry Truman!

Hang in there, fight the good fight! And remember where you started, at zero--way back when. The Lamont candidacy MADE THE WAR INTO A NATIONAL DISCUSSION. Whatever else you have accomplished, or will accomplish--and win or lose against Lieberman--you did that! And even more than that tremendous feat, you gave people hope and inspiration, critically important needs in these dark times. Think lo-o-o-o-ong term! The whole curve of things. Think of future rematches, of other races and challenges, and of other ways to represent Lamont supporters in pressuring government to listen. And if money ends up being the deciding factor, think about that, too--how insane that is, and how much we need to change it.

Also, as for a future Senate with Lieberman in it--if the Democrats were going to collude with Bushites on war issues, they would do so anyway, with or without Lieberman. There are, I believe, 11 Democratic Senators who voted for torture and suspension of habeas corpus (in my opinion, thus repudiating the American Revolution). So it ain't just Lieberman.

The movement YOU started, of electoral challenges of the war, and of unknowns and political novices coming forward--to bust up this War Cabal--is awesome and will have lasting reverberations throughout our political system. It is the future, and you helped to create it, in the most difficult circumstances.

Be of good cheer! Take a little break. Refresh yourself! And don't think of "fighting to the bitter end." Think of fighting for your principles, and for the right of the people to be heard. These things are much bigger than win/lose. These are the things that make history, and that bring about profound change. (Remember Eugene McCarthy? He LOST in New Hampshire! And was it worth to bring down LBJ and eventually stop that dreadful war? You bet it was! Win/lose is not the whole game, when such grave matters are at issue.)

[Beelzebud]

10. Unfortunately, I agree...

Which is why I was one of the VERY few that questioned the wisdom of spending the summer before the mid-terms taking down a Democrat. That still doesn't seem like the most wise way to spend our time and energy this summer.