{news} Lieberman is a Phony

[clifford thornton]

      INDEPENDENT THOUGHTS: Lieberman is a Phony Independent
      By Jim Mangia<http://www.independentvoice.org/blog_details.asp?id=60> 

      Posted by: Jim Mangia<mailto:jimmangia at independentvoice.org>
      on 08/24/2006 at 12:00 PM 


      In California, if a candidate who lost a party primary wanted to run as an independent, the law would prevent it.  California is one of a few states with "sore loser" laws that prevent candidates from bolting from their parties and running as independents in the general election.

      So here in the "political reform" state of California, Senator Joe Lieberman, would not be allowed to run as an independent in an attempt to keep his Senate seat, since he lost a close Democratic primary to anti-war candidate Ned Lamont.  But in Connecticut, candidates do have the right to run independent after losing a party primary.  And moreover, Connecticut has "open" primaries, which allow the state's independent voters to vote in Democratic and Republican party primaries.  (California voters overwhelmingly enacted the "open primary" initiative in 1996 but it was overturned by the Courts at the behest of the Democratic and Republican parties in 1998).

      Interestingly enough, more than 2/3s of the independents who voted in Connecticut's Democratic primary last Tuesday, supported anti-war candidate Ned Lamont, not Joe Lieberman.  Most of Lieberman's support in fact, is coming from Connecticut Republicans not Democrats and Independents.

      The fact is: Lieberman is not independent of anything.  He has been a staunch "regular" Democrat throughout his non-illustrious political career.  He never had an independent thought in his body.  Lieberman's new-found affinity for the Independent line is all about attempting to save his political career and is a direct slap in the face to independents across America.  Independents after all, are attempting to build a movement that puts the interests of the American people first, and the blind ambition of career politicians at the back of the line (where it belongs)!

      But an interesting fact that has been missed by the media coverage of the historic defeat of an incumbent Senator in his own party's primary, is the fact that the overwhelming majority of independents who voted in the Democratic primary, cast a resounding vote against the war in Iraq (which was the cornerstone of Ned Lamont's insurgent campaign).  Since independents are increasingly deciding the elections in race after race across America and will have a strong voice in the 2008 presidential elections, the anti-war position of Connecticut's independent voters may not bode well for other pro-war Democrats like Hilary Clinton.  Many of the state presidential party primaries are "open" and allow independent's to vote in party contests.  While I'm not a gambling man, I would place my bets on independent voters casting their presidential ballots in favor of insurgents and anti-war candidates in the party primaries, much like they did in Connecticut.

      I wonder what the pro-war "regulars" in both parties think about that?

      Jim Mangia is the Co-Chair of IndependentVoice.org<http://www.independentvoice.org/> and the former National Secretary of the Reform Party. Every week he writes a column on Independents and Politics called "Independent Thoughts" which appears on www.independentvoice.org<http://www.independentvoice.org/>.  

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