Comments on: Lieberman Could Save House for Republicans

By: Matthew

Matthew — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 21:26:29 +0000

How likely is it that Lieberman will attract Republicans who would not otherwise vote?

The argument quoted by the NYT is based on the premise that Lieberman will bring significant Reps who would otherwise stay home and that this will offset any additional Dems who might be energized by Lamont.

And then when we turn to individual House districts, I would venture that that there are more Lamont-energized Dems in the winnable districts currently held by Reps than there are Lieberman-energized Reps who would otherwise stay home in those same districts.

By: Old War Dogs

Old War Dogs — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 18:44:30 +0000

Lieberman Could Save House for Republicans...

:-) Proud of yourself, Kos?
...

By: Michael

Michael — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 18:15:16 +0000

You all forget, Joe is "principled" remember? Even if he is required for either party to get the majority, openly submitting to this party or that so he can get (or keep) his chairmanships would be an absolute sellout, not just by him, but by that party as well. I don't think either side will want to pay Joe's ransom if it comes to that.

By: legion

legion — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 17:29:03 +0000

Good points, YAJ. If Lieberman is the knife-edge between an otherwise evenly-didived Senate, he will wield enormous power... IF he wins his own election. It's a huge gamble, but one with with an equally-huge payoff...

By: yetanotherjohn

yetanotherjohn — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 17:04:34 +0000

I have a hard time imagining the democrats not welcoming Lieberman back with open arms. Start with the least likely scenario, the democrats win 6 seats. Pushing Lieberman away would be to take the victory that they won and squander it. Not going to happen.

If you take the most likely scenario, that the democrats take some seats, but less than 6, then they could afford to push Lieberman away. But they would then be reinforcing their "soft on defense" image by pushing one of the few democrats who is not soft on defense out of the tent even when his liberal state returns him.

The only way I see Lieberman caucusing with the democrats would be if the democrats forced him.

As far as Chaffee goes, he looks well set to win the primary. Winning the general election is more problematical (I think the latest polls shows the election to be well within the margin of error), but Chaffee has a much better chance than his opponent. While a week is a long time in politics, it doesn't look like the republicans are likely to emulate the democrats in this regard.

I think Chaffee has about a 40% conservative rating. Not what the 'Alabama' republicans would like, but most likely much better than the democratic alternative. I think the vast majority of 'Alabama' republican voters are smart enough to realize that it is better to have someone who will caucus with your party and vote with the party 40% of the time than the alternative to losing the seat to the democrats and having someone in the seat who would vote less than 40% of the time with the GOP.

By: Michael

Michael — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 17:03:06 +0000

James,
I was wondering if you refer to every incumbent loss as a "purge of the impure", of if you just think Lieberman's case is special?

By: Conservative Outpost

Conservative Outpost — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 15:30:00 +0000

Daily Update...

NEWS: - Ernesto hits Cuba, likely to be hurricane again - Rumsfeld Cautions Against Missile Defense Expectations - S. Dakota Becomes Abortion Focal Point - Investigators probe why jet used wrong runway - Mandatory Pre-Employment Screening Closer to Rea...

By: Kent G. Budge

Kent G. Budge — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 15:19:06 +0000

Being a pariah, untrusted by either side, has honorable historical precedents. Read: Winston Churchill.

Sadly, Lieberman's no Churchill.

By: legion

legion — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 15:06:05 +0000

A more interesting question might be: If Lieberman does get back into Congress, will either party accept him into their ranks, or will he be forever a pariah, untrusted by either side?

By: » Gone Hollywood

» Gone Hollywood — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

[IMG Outside The Beltway | OTB] Beltway Traffic Jam Karr’s DNA Not a Match with JonBenet Ramsey As I Predicted… Office of Force Transformation: Mission Accomplished Housing Bust? Lieberman Could Save House for Republicans Frank Zappa on Crossfire (Video) Gmail for Your Domain Caption Contest I Feel A Fatwa Coming On…. [IMG OTB Sports] Former MLB pitcher Jeff Reardon not guilty by insanity in jewelry store robbery

By: PoliBlog ™: A Rough Draft of my Thoughts

PoliBlog ™: A Rough Draft of my Thoughts — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

more Republicans to the polls, hurting the Democrats’ chances of winning a couple of key … Trackback by Outside The Beltway | OTB — Monday, August 28, 2006 @ 7:42 am Hide Comments | Add your comment Outside The Beltway | OTB linked with Lieberman Could Save House for Republicans...