A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

BARACK OBAMA


As he continues to consider a run for president in 2008, one of the issues that has kept me from embracing Barack Obama has been his exceptionally close relationship with Democratic turncoat Joe Lieberman. Today he did something of a symbolic gesture (though he could certainly do more) by sending an email to his list of Connecticut supporters showing his support for the actual Democratic candidate for Connecticut, Ned Lamont. From Lamont's campaign website:

Ned Lamont has waged an impressive grassroots campaign to give the people of Connecticut a choice in the November Senate election. He has a vision for his state and country, and his campaign has been about presenting that vision to Connecticut voters.

Ned Lamont and I share a commitment to bringing our troops home safely from Iraq, to achieving energy independence, to helping all our citizens realize the American dream, and to empowering the American people to reclaim their government. Ned Lamont’s campaign is about delivering on these goals in Washington.

The November 7th election is right around the corner. Please join me in supporting Ned Lamont with your hard work on-the-ground in these closing weeks of the campaign.

http://www.nedlamont.com/downthestretch

We all watched Ned’s improbable primary victory two months ago. His campaign generated a record turnout that saw 30,000 new Democrats vote to change course at home and abroad.

Ned earned the Democratic Senate nomination through his hard work and clear message. And his victory paved the way for an entire crop of Democratic challengers to stand up and fight for the common good. Today the candidacies of Diane Farrell, Joe Courtney and Chris Murphy are integral to the Democrats’ strategy to regain the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.

A majority of Connecticut Democrats supported Ned Lamont in the August primary. I hope they will see this impressive movement through to the end by volunteering their time with Ned in these next two weeks.

As I previously noted, he should definitely be doing more, given his very high profile and presidential aspirations, but this is definitely a positive turn of events for a man who I understands looks at himself as a Lieberman protege of sorts.
Given Lieberman's antics of late (as in calling Lamont a "goddam sonuva bitch" to his face after their debate earlier this week), one might wonder if Lieberman might take exception to his buddy Barack cozying up to the guy who actually won the Democratic primary. regardless, I'm glad that he took this step, and hope that he can be convinced to take that book tour of his through Connecticut sometime in the next 12 days.

BARACK OBAMA

Russert is doing his damndest to get Barack Obama to fall into the usual Demo pit... eating their own. In other words, he is trying his best to get Obama to criticize Democrats and the Democratic party in general. He's also just trying to trip him up any which way he can.

So far, and overall, Obama is doing a truly masterful job of deflecting and redirecting the conversation. Go Obama!

I swear I'd vote for him for President if he wasn't a teenager. Clinton/Obama, I just might go for.

BUDPAUL THOUGHTS - Just my two cents, but I've got a couple of problems with Barack and the possibility that he's going to run in '08. First, he's been in the Senate less than two years at this point and I do not believe that he is seasoned enough for the job at this point. Plus, look at the committees he's currently serving on - Environment and Public Works, Veterans' Affairs and Foreign Relations - not exactly a strong resume at this point. 2012? Better.
Another thing that chaps my ass about him is his ultra-close relationship with on Joe Lieberman. I know that Barack is more of a "DLC" Dem then "Netroot" Dem, and I will refrain from passing judgment on which is "better" at this point, but anyone with as close a relationship with Lieberman as Barak has given what Joe's done to and said about the Dems over the years certainly warrants closer scrutiny in my book.
BLUEKAT'S THOUGHTS: We are different people with different viewpoints, which should make this site even more interesting, I hope. I agree that Obama does not have a great deal of experience in Congress but I don't see that as a negative factor. If anything, I see any experience in Congress as a negative factor for anyone running for President, and to a lesser degree, Vice President. There hasn't been a member of Congress elected President since Kennedy. Congress (both parties) has an approval rating of 16%. Neither factor is encouraging. He is very compelling, but does need more scrutiny. Still, he's not seasoned enough for #1, possibly viable for #2, as I see it.
As for Lieberman, I don't think that he should be running as an independent. I disagree with the way he has conducted himself during the Bush administration. I also disagree with the way he was eviscerated by his party. Democrats eat their own. Since the Johnson administration, Democrats have tended to criticize one another more than their opponents. It is our greatest failing that we cannot come together as a party and recognize that there is room for far left liberals, liberals, moderates and centrists. I think, on whole, the far left liberals have nearly co-opted the liberal blogosphere and are attempting to do so party-wide, which will be disastrous for anyone running a national campaign. I find what they are attempting to do to Rahm Emanuel laughable, when he is working so hard to elect Democrats that he has lost 14 pounds and hardly finds time to gulp a sandwich. This, while I envision his attackers sitting on their asses like me, smoking, drinking and eating and typing, like me. As for me, I refuse to be categorized, except as a Democrat. Depending on the issues, I might be far right to centrist. The Democratic Party needs to be The Real Big Tent, if for no other reason, so that we can all get our bleary-eyed, fat ass carcasses inside. Perhaps here, we can help show how to pitch that tent, eh?