Ned Lamont spoke last night (Monday, 2/27/06) to a meeting of the Yale Democrats and the Yale community at large.  Here is a summary of what he said, interspersed with some of my own comments.  He made a very good overall impression on the crowd of 80-100 people, mostly students.  He gave what is becoming his standard stump speech, followed by a brief Q & A session.  I think that he's getting very good at telling the crowd who he is, what he's about, and why Lieberman has to go.    

    After college, Ned worked at a small newspaper in Ludlow, VT.  This experience gave him appreciation for the needs of everyday Americans.  It seems like those in DC, he said, are not even trying to make a difference anymore.

Who is he?:

    He is an entrepreneur, who started his own cable company that, for the first time, offered colleges a choice in their cable service.  Now he wants to offer CT residents a real choice for the first time in too long.  Through his business experience, he learned that you can't kick problems down the road - they'll only get worse.

    Obviously, he's not afraid of a challenge.  He wants to challenge the status quo and bring his entrepreneurial approach to CT politics and the US Senate.  

Strategy:

   

"It's high time that we rock the boat!"

    He plans on talking with as many people around the state as possible.  He going to go to town committees, house parties, everything.  This will be very much modeled on the Dean campaign.  He needs grassroots support to counter the establishment support that Lieberman brings.  This race is obviously an uphill battle.  However, it can only be a good thing for Democrats in CT and nationally.  

Lamont On the issues:

The War:

                   

"'Stay the course' is a losing strategy. 'More of the same' is a losing strategy".

    Ned respects Lieberman and his integrity, but stridently disagrees with him.  Lieberman's WSJ op-ed from November spurred him to enter this race.  He thinks we needed to ask more questions from the beginning and challenge the President's litany of questionable assertions.  The troops have fought wonderfully, but the leadership in Washington has let them down.  We need to hold those leaders accountable for their errors.

    He says we need to pull the troops back.  Start with reservists and Nat'l guard troops- bring them home.  Pull the regular troops back to the periphery - our presence is doing more to destabilize Iraq than to help secure it.

    Lamont will stand up to the President - Democrats need to stand up and be heard.  The war and our conduct in the GWOT has thoroughly eroded our moral authority in the world, and we need to reclaim it.

Justice Alito:

    Alito's confirmation will jeopardize a woman's right to choose for decades.  The recent South Dakota law is just the most recent demonstration of that fact.

Energy Bill:

    This was a bill written by lobbyists behind closed doors, overwhelmingly opposed by the rest of the New England delegation - across the aisle - yet supported by Lieberman.

Healthcare:

    "We're paying more and more and getting less and less." 

    Our current system allows companies that do not offer benefits to come in and undercut those that do.  He said, "I support universal, affordable healthcare to level the playing field."

Q & A:

Q: If you're elected, but the senate is still in Republican hands, what should Democrats do?

A: Stand up and make your strong opposition heard!  However, he said that Democrats will take back the Senate.

Q: What is your ideal Democratic foreign policy?

A: 1) Utilize our allies. 2) Reclaim the moral high ground. 3) Preserve a viable military option, something the President has not done.

Bottom line?:

"Democrats should stand up and be Democrats again"

And, the money quote:

"Some people have told me that I would be jeopardizing a safe seat.  This is a blue state. We wouldn't be losing a Senator, we'd be gaining a Democrat."