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July 18, 2006

When no one trusts you, you've no one to trust

Carla's post below on Lieberman's increasing troubles in Connecticut started a thread about exactly what Joe's problem is: Is he generally too conservative for Connecticut? (Carla says yes, Chris says not so much.) Is it that he's pissed off the Connecticut voters, or the Democratic Party apparatus in CT? (My vote was both, with strong emphasis on the latter.) Chris also forwarded a column by former CT state senator Kevin Rennie, detailing Leiberman's disfavor among the rank and file.

This afternoon, via Kos (who adds some interesting statistics) and the Hotline, comes the latest piece from Rennie, which includes the following:

The theme of a Saturday conclave of Greater Hartford Democratic town committee chairs was that if Lieberman loses the primary he will hurt all other Democratic candidates by running as an independent in November. The message was clear: help him now or your favorites suffer in November. [...]

The response of the crowd of about 50 could not have been encouraging, though Lendenfeld impressed with his plan. Still, there was much resentment about Lieberman’s support of the war in Iraq and, now, threat to bolt party if he falls short on 8/8. Reactions ranged from support to nods to hostility. Most local leaders are far more interested in the gubernatorial race with its tangible rewards in patronage and prestige.

One of Lieberman’s problems became evident in aftermath of meeting: lots of local leaders are quietly opposing him and were eager to share tales of the event. Plan is to hire workers to make calls and hit the pavement. Fears are growing that Lieberman will have no chance of winning in a low turnout. Twenty percent, the number batted about, is thought to be fatal to his chances.

Rennie describes the treatment Lieberman's getting as "a snootful of democracy." Love that phrase. It's a blog title waiting for the blog to appear that's worthy of it.

Posted by Nothstine at July 18, 2006 03:38 PM