Holding Lieberman and Bush Accountable

by Matt Stoller, Thu Oct 05, 2006 at 01:25:47 PM EDT

There's a new ad out from Lamont mocking the Bush administration and the Lieberman campaign for using scare tactics to win elections. Immediately after losing the primary, Lieberman lied about Lamont's position on Iraq and then claimed that Lamont's position would essentially represent a victory for the terrorists. "If we just pick up like Ned Lamont wants us to do," he warned a campaign crowd, "get out by a date certain, it will be taken as a tremendous victory by the same people who wanted to blow up these planes."

The message of fear coming from Lieberman's camp is clear, whether it's his assertions that Lamont's plan would help the terrorists, his recent race-baiting against Al Sharpton after he asked for support from Sharpton, his desire to avoid criticism by calling Lamont's campaign negative or his selfish flip-flopping on Rumsfeld, going hard on the Secretary of Defense when running for President in 2004, then demanding Rumsfeld stay on after he lost the 2004 primaries, and then saying that Rumsfeld should resign to pander to Democrats during his Senate primary.

Lieberman, like Bush and Hastert, simply does not want to be held accountable for bad decisions, so he's resorting to fear. He doesn't want change, and he'll fight it any way he can. If you want to stay the couse in DC, vote Lieberman. If you want accountability in Washington, vote for change, and vote for Ned Lamont.

It's really that simple.

Tags: Connecticut, CT-Sen, Joe Lieberman, Ned Lamont (all tags)

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Re: Holding Lieberman and Bush Accountable

It's a good ad, BUT, in an overwhelmingly Democratic state like Connecticut (and the indys overwhelmingly lean left) he needs to highlight that HE'S the Democratic nominee. Too many people who will vote on election day may be clueless and assume that Joe is our candidate.

Calling yourself a Democrat makes sense in this political climate in blue states like Connecticut.

by jgarcia 2006-10-05 01:38PM | 0 recs

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Re: Holding Lieberman and Bush Accountable

[Lamont] needs to highlight that HE'S the Democratic nominee.

Geez, garcia, one has to be a hermit living in a cave not to know Lamont is the Democratic nominee. How big do you think the hermit vote is?

I am all for Lamont identifying himself as a Democrat but moreso that Lieberman is the real Republican candidate.

Kinda tricky actually.

Lamont could use some Republican votes.

Just keep those ads coming and bring back Underdog.

All will be well.

At least I hope so.

Best, Terry

by terryhallinan 2006-10-05 02:03PM | 0 recs

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Re: Holding Lieberman and Bush Accountable

As of the latest Q-Poll, Lamont's only winning 57%-37% among likely Dem voters. That Lieberman lost hasn't really sunk in for anyone who didn't vote for Lieberman the first time.

Lamont needs to do a better job establishing himself as the "inside" candidate, that Lieberman is the fringe loser. He failed to put it in place in the first two post-primary weeks, no has he since.

by Adam B 2006-10-05 03:24PM | 0 recs

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Re: Holding Lieberman and Bush Accountable

Well, this is a good development. I don't believe Lamont is 20 points behind, but he IS behind. And he's got quite a bit of ground to make up in a short time.

As to WHY Lamont's slipped, there's plenty of blame to go around, and the Lamont campaign deserves some of it for keeping such a low profile while Lieberman hogged the aiwaves.

But plenty of blame should also be ascribed to national Democrats who have paid nothing more than lukewarm lip service to Lamont while catering to every Joe whim and raised eyebrow. If the REPUBLICANS were able to mobilize THEIR faithful to ditch THEIR OWN NOMINEE and support Lieberman instead, how could it have been so hard for Democrats to go all-out and get THEIR base to unequivocally support Lamont?

by Master Jack 2006-10-05 02:16PM | 0 recs

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Re: Holding Lieberman and Bush Accountable

I called it. When democratic leaders switched allegiences to Lamont back then, I didn' think it would help because it lacked conviction.

We need more Warner, Clark, Edwards, Kennedy, Dean like support. I wish Dean never said he would welcome Lieberman though. Murtha flat out criticized Lieberman.

Clinton should be embarassed. He could have won a lot more of the base support from the netroots if he just gave Lamont unequivocable support a lot easier than his wife hiring Daou in a desperaate move.

by Pravin 2006-10-05 02:34PM | 0 recs

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Re: Holding Lieberman and Bush Accountable

I wish it were "simple". Then I might understand why the Fat Lady has finished Dressed Rehersal and is set for song.

Simply a 9 point Lieberman advantage in the Blumenthal/Franklin trend moving in the wrong direction. It is just as simple as a 53-33 Zogby phone poll. I don't know what;'s wrong with CT or Lamont or what's wrong but this race by all rights should have been within 5 points nor more by now

Lieberman doesn't matter much except at 50-49 where his price will surely be a committee chairmanship.

I renounce the use of nutmeg for the duration and pray that Bush throws Rummy under the bus and gives Joementum a free ride out

by jmac 2006-10-05 02:53PM | 0 recs

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Re: Holding Lieberman and Bush Accountable

I agree. I am afraid this race may be over. There, I said it. And I think the Lamont campaign really must have fucked this up somehow, because I do not get it.

Perhaps any oxygen Lamont gets could better be used to make sure Sherrod Brown, Tester, and Whitehouse win. I also think Webb and McCaskill aren't doing as well as they should be.

Okay, ready for the downrates.

by jgarcia 2006-10-05 03:06PM | 0 recs

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Re: Holding Lieberman and Bush Accountable

You're right. It's over. If Lamont picked up 100% of the undecided vote -- he'd still lose. Lamont polls like George W. Bush and Rick Santorum poll.

These stupid ads don't help. Who is doing the media for this candidate? Do they think this cutesy-poo, content-free crap is going to move voters? What is their point? What voter are they targeting? What is their strategy?

These ads are intellectual, not emotional. There's no connection being made. They attack Lieberman but without drawing any blood. They make Lamont look un-serious. He looks like a dillettante. Where's the fire? Where's the passion? Where's the hunger for the job? He's not asking people for their vote, he's asking for a laugh.

And someone is suggesting sending Bill Clinton in to hammer Lieberman? You gotta be nuts. We need to be praying Lieberman doesn't jump the aisle.

by takhallus 2006-10-05 04:00PM | 0 recs

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Re: Holding Lieberman and Bush Accountable

It just boggles my mind that people actually like that sanctimonious, war-mongering asshat. Of course, I think the bulk of his support comes from people who care more about hating 'teh Left' than about actual issues, but he still needs a good chunk of Democrats who are buying into some pretty backward political thinking ("he has seniority", "I've always voted for Lieberman", "I like him" this last is the worst) to put him over the top.

My own feeling is, Bill Clinton owes it to the party and the country to hit Lieberman loud and hard.

by BlueinColorado 2006-10-05 03:07PM | 0 recs

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From a Lamont phonebank volunteer...

I'll comment more later cause I gotta run out the door, but the problem is that people don't care about hating 'teh left' they just buy into his talking points. During my phonebanking, the single most common reason I hear for indepedents and democrats supporting Lieberman is "experience". While this is a completely flawed viewpoint since no experience is far better than a candidate who is doing wrong by our state and our opinions, it is also quite hard to refute. I am all for political outsiders going to washington, but that is a matter of opinion, and there aren't really any hard and fast facts to back it up.

by Arouet 2006-10-05 04:04PM | 0 recs

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Re: Holding Lieberman and Bush Accountable

Great ad! And just in time for Halloween.

Today I received a flyer in the mail from the Lamont campaign and have now started seeing Lamont ads on the air. I get the feeling the Lamont team is switching gears and getting ready for a big push.

The sooner the better. Lieberman has been buying a lot of air time with all that Republican money he has, and it shows in the polls, so Ned has a little catching up to do.

The important thing is that Joe is wrong on most issues, Ned has a great platform, a great team on the ground, and a great story to tell. Once the ball gets rolling this campaign is going to be fun to watch.

by CaptCT 2006-10-05 03:04PM | 0 recs

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Re: Holding Lieberman and Bush Accountable

That ad is really funny!

But it also seems a bit insider-baseball to me. It's basically an ad about Joe Lieberman's ads. Kind of makes Ned look like an irate product spokesperson instead of a candidate.

I wonder if the drop in the polls is reflecting the "celebrity death match" dynamic that's emerged in this race--Lamont and Lieberman locked in a death match that's left the people of Connecticut out of the loop a bit?

My favorite ad is still the very first one--with Lamont at home and the mighty-mighty bloggers barging in to help him. That ad has so much heart. It makes me smile just thinking of it.

by Jeffrey Feldman 2006-10-05 04:06PM | 0 recs

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Sirota's blog missives need to be in ads

About the only major negativity by the Lamont campaign I see marginalizing Lieberman is coming from Sirota in his blog entries and the links he gives us and Huffingtonpost.

When we read them we get outraged. It makes Lieberman seem like a smaller man all the time. THat's the key to winning over the non republican spport. You got to remove the wide man senior senator aura Lieberan inexplicably still has among a sizable electorate in CT. We got to capture Lieberman in a lot of "Dukakis in a tank" like moments. People might complain, but it works. There is no need for lying. Just use Lieberman's clips, use a simple theme for each ad. Run a series of ads. Get the essense of those Sirota blog entries into an ad campaign. Get stateents from prominent democrats cutting ads STRONGLY IN FAVOR of Lamont using key words like "not repeating the mistakes of the past" and showing "good judgement for future challenges".

For the town meetings, you got more time than a 30 second ad. A list should be made countering all the arguments made in favor of the fake Lieberman wise man aura thing. It's time to expose the little man.When this thing is done, Henry Gibson (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002099/) should have more credibility than Lieberman as a wise politician in that state.

by Pravin 2006-10-05 04:35PM | 0 recs

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Re: Holding Lieberman and Bush Accountable

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by estebban 2006-12-27 12:16AM | 0 recs