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Primary election day . . .

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by D-Backs Hack, Sep 12, 2006.

  1. D-Backs Hack

    D-Backs Hack Guest

    In a lot of states, including mine. Get out and vote if you can.

    And Rhode Island Republicans: If you boot Lincoln Chaffee in the senate primary for wingnut Stephen Laffey, much thanks for the Democratic Senate seat pickup in November.

    Funny, I haven't seen any hand-wringing on cable news about how the far side of a party is putting democracy in peril by threatening to evict a moderate senator, in part because of Iraq (Chaffee was the only GOP senator to vote against the resolution).

    If you're in Maryland, however, good luck:

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/12/AR2006091200535.html

    My God, why is it so hard to run a simple election in this country?
     
  2. The comparisons between Chafee and Lieberman are faulty.

    Lieberman was an absolute, mainstream Democrat except for one issue. Chafee is to the far left of most Republicans and, if he were a Dem, also would be considered a liberal. He is not moderate in any sense of the word, unless your perspective is to the left of Lenin.
     
  3. cranberry

    cranberry Well-Known Member

    Wrong. I spent a long time in Connecticut and, in fact, lived a few blocks from Lieberman. He's always been on the conservative side of the party.
     
  4. Oz

    Oz Well-Known Member

    I voted in my state primary, what, two months ago? Been waiting for Nov. 7 ever since.
     
  5. Well, he votes with the party about 90 percent of the time, so the party must be a lot more conservative than most people think.
     
  6. D-Backs Hack

    D-Backs Hack Guest

    I think they are more similar than you think -- except, of course, in media reaction to it.

    Regardless, your description of Chaffee suggests that you feel Rhode Island Republicans should be able to elect a senate nominee that is more in line with their views. I still don't know why you and others wouldn't afford Connecticut Democrats the same opportunity.
     
  7. Were Connecticut Demorcrats barred from voting for Lamont? Doesn't seem that way.

    I just think it's funny that a candidate who agrees with virtually everything its party believes was rejected so soundly. When it comes to party loyalty, I don't think Chafee comes anywhere close to Lieberman.
     
  8. Point of Order

    Point of Order Active Member

    1. Holy Joe lost touch with his constituency - that's not about right or left, it's about Connecticut.
    2. Being on the wrong side of the Iraq issue, and so firmly on the wrong side of it, isn't the same as dissenting on a run-of-the-mill appropriations bill. Iraq gets weighted more heavily.
    3. Lieberman has been migrating to the right side of American politics since 2000. He was the last Democrat to abandon the Bush plan to privatize social security, giving the administration bipartisan cover long after the American people rejected his idea (and if republicans maintain control of both houses of congress, it will be privatized).
    4. Lieberman has always been a values-voters type guy. He condemned Clinton, regularly. He condemned Hollywood, regularly. Iraq made the difference. Losing touch in Connecticut made the difference.
    5. If the Democrat can't win in R.I., regardless of whether it's Chafee or Laffey on the republican side, then I feel sorry for the state of Rhode Island. I watched the debate Laffey and Chafee had and it looked more like a junior high class election debate. Both of these guys are an embarrassment to campaigning. The senate campaign up there will look like a community theatre production of Phantom of the Opera
     
  9.  
  10. We'll see how much Lieberman's "lost touch with Connecticut" when he wins re-election.
     
  11. Point of Order

    Point of Order Active Member

    Monday, Sept. 11, 2006 3:36 p.m. EDT

    Zogby also found that Sen. Joe Lieberman, who is running as an independent in Connecticut, has seen his lead over Democrat Ned Lamont shrink from 10 points in August to four points in the new poll.

    http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006/9/11/154024.shtml
     
  12. PopeDirkBenedict

    PopeDirkBenedict Active Member

    Here are some differences between Chafee and Lieberman:

    --Chaffee has the complete support of the party's establishment. The NRSC has said they will disavow Laffey if he wins. This is in direct contrast to Schumer, et al. vowing to support the winner of the primary, which only encouraged Dems to vote for Lamont.

    --The outside influences (Club for Growth, etc.) in the GOP primary have a clear agenda (electing conservatives that they like) and supporting Laffey over Chafee fits with that agenda. On the other hand, Daily Kos has said that his agenda is putting more Democrats into power and into office. It's a nakedly partisan agenda. It's his right to do so. Lord knows there are GOP groups with the same agenda. But pouring money and resources into toppling Lieberman only takes away resources from other Senate races (NJ, TN, PA, MT, MN, OH, MO, etc.) where those resources could be the difference between winning and losing. If your only goal is to take back the Senate for the Dems, how does the Lieberman/Lamont sideshow help that cause?
     
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