Common Sense

Joe Lieberman is trailing challenger Ned Lamont by double digits now, meaning that he will probably have to run as an independent in November. The primary election is only 4 days away and I don’t see how Joementum can build to overcome such a deficit.

The poll, by Quinnipiac University, showed Mr. Lamont leading with 54 percent to Mr. Lieberman’s 41 percent among likely Democratic primary voters. The poll of 890 registered voters, conducted from July 25 to 31, has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.

“I’m not elated,” Mr. Lieberman told reporters after stopping at a children’s museum here. “Obviously the poll results are disappointing. Our poll results have me a little bit better, but behind.”

“Look at its message,” Mr. Lieberman said. “I think my opponent has tried and appears to be succeeding in making this a referendum on George Bush and the Iraq war, and I’ve tried to make it a vote for the future, based on my record of fighting for and delivering for Connecticut.”

If only you had not put your lot with the president and the Iraq war, you might not have this problem, Joe. I could have told you Democrats would not like you being so cozy with such an unpopular, dare I say crazy, Republican president. Or any of a number of reasons why in a primary, your own party is turning its back on you.

Well, the people in your party are. Many officials in the party say they are planning to support you in your independent bid. The only message that tells me is that they only care about the party and its people so that they can get elected, then do whatever they want. They’re supposed to do what we want, though.

Anyway, I don’t think you have much of a chance left in this race, and I don’t like your odds much better in the general, either. The best you can hope for is that you split the independent and Democratic vote with Lamont, giving the Republican (who nobody can remember, probably because of the fake name) a good shot at winning. Somehow, I don’t think that ever was a concern for you, Joe.