(no subject)

Okay, the Joe Lieberman/Ned Lamont thing crashed all over the news today. I've just starting digging into who the heck Ned Lamont is (and I haven't yet divined who the Republican candidate is), so I'm not really well educated on this topic. However, since you don't have to be educated to have an opinion in this country (as Al Gore proves daily), I already have a few things to share:

1. I have a pretty good idea of who Joe Lieberman is, and what he stands for. He's a Democrat surfing in the middle in a way that's probably making the Clinton's proud and envious.
2. Joe's been in the Senate for a long time (18 years), and as John Kerry is daily proof, that is just too long. I think after you're in the Senate for too long, dealing will all of the innuendo and mindspeak, you loose all but the scarcest touch with reality. Once things like "I voted for it... before I voted against it" start to make sense, you need a break.
3. From his campaign website, Ned Lamont looks like a sharp-left on every front. I'm not sure that RU486 as an over-the-counter med is a really good idea; there are some really nasty potential complications, and I think it's irresponsible.
4. Apparently he was involved with the Nixon administration, but 0 to Senate seems like a real jump to me.
5. It looks very possible that Joe will lose to Ned in the primaries, where only the most extreme portion of the Democrats are likely to vote.
6. Joe is threatened to proceed as an independent if he loses the primary.

I think Lieberman is a serious threat as an independent, most particularly because he is going to be tolerated by a lot larger percentage of the population of Connecticut than just the left-wing or right-wing. I think he's probably more dangerous to the liberal vote as an independent than if he switched parties outright; I think there are a lot of voters here who just look for the (D) lever and would feel threatened by the dark (R) side, but might be swayed to an old friend running as an independent.

In any case, I could see myself voting for Joe, but I think Ned's way outside my comfort zone. Luckily, I don't have to make up my mind yet.

Oh, and it looks like the Democratic platform is "We're still not Bush!" again this time around.