We’re not in the business of judging winners and losers; there are plenty of well-informed Nutmeg State voters who can make up their own minds. But putting aside the (curiously ironic) blogger charge that Sen. Joe Lieberman's strong performance in last night's debate was marred by his rudeness, many Connecticut and nat'l Dems likely got up this morning asking themselves if they really want to stake their hopes with Ned Lamont.
Beyond his obvious deficiencies in stagecraft and presentation (more than excusable for a first-time statewide candidate running against a three-term incumbent Senator who has run twice in nat'l elections), Lamont handed at least three issues to Lieberman on a silver platter.
Asked about what he would do to address high gas prices, the challenger said conservation was the answer and cited Jimmy Carter's infamous donning of a sweater in the White House to underscore the nation's energy crisis. Such a response may play well with the true-believing environmentalists, but Cardigan Conservationism won't do anything to make the guy in New Britain or Norwich feel better about shelling out $3+ at the pump.
Then, hammering Lieberman about his support for pork-barrel projects, Lamont said that such congressional earmarks should be banned. Seeing a gift fall into his lap, the incumbent naturally retorted that to follow such a course of action would deprive Connecticut of a series of key public works programs he put in last year's highway bill, citing chapter and verse the location and nature of each project. Lamont then seemed to say that Lieberman didn't get enough pork in the bill. Decrying earmarks may sound good on paper, but Lamont showed the danger of going down this path in an actual campaign when real roads, bridges and tunnels in real cities with real voters are at stake.
Lastly, Lamont seemed to waste his chance at the end to pose one question to Lieberman, while the incumbent used his opportunity to ask if the "Greenwich millionaire" would release his state and fed tax returns. By avoiding the topic (and assumedly not disclosing the information), Lamont allows Lieberman to continue his wink-wink, nod-nod campaign that the wealthy cable tv exec is not like you and me. That he is rich would not be news were Lamont to release his returns, but by keeping them private he continues to give Lieberman both an issue and a sub rosa theme.
Now all this may not matter in a low-turnout August primary where only the most hardcore of partisans show up.
But should Lieberman lose that bout, he goes into the general election with three issues to hammer Lamont on; Issues that all appeal to the many moderate and indie voters that make up the CT electorate. And ones that, importantly, will play well with the more practical, less dovish workaday Dems who live far from Greenwich and who have kept Lieberman in office for decades.
[JONATHAN MARTIN]
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