About a week ago, Hartford Courant columnist Kevin Rennie said that [tag]Joe Lieberman[/tag], in anticipation of losing his [tag]primary[/tag] fight against [tag]Ned Lamont[/tag], planned to “shake up his campaign [tag]staff[/tag]” before launching his independent Senate campaign. Spin from the Lieberman camp suggested the senator wants to replace his team with “pungent veterans who will take the fight to Lamont.”
I’ve learned, however, that the spin isn’t the whole story.
Two independent sources have confirmed that some Lieberman aides decided well in advance of yesterday’s primary that if the senator abandoned the [tag]Democratic[/tag] [tag]Party[/tag] for an independent campaign, they would resign in protest. Given yesterday’s results and Lieberman’s announcement, that’s exactly what’s about to happen.
The staff “shake-up,” in other words, isn’t necessarily Lieberman cleaning house — it’s Lieberman losing staffers who won’t work for someone who isn’t a [tag]Democrat[/tag].
It may prove to be part of a pattern, as the senator’s Dem allies keep [tag]Lieberman[/tag] at arms’ length — while embracing [tag]Lamont[/tag].
Indeed, it’s important to remember that Lieberman’s Dem ties are, from his perspective, key to his success in November. But if there is a fissure in the party, Lamont’s chunk is much bigger, and likely to grow even more in the coming weeks.
This morning, for example, Reid and Schumer made good on their promise.
Democratic Leader Harry Reid and DSCC Chair Chuck Schumer issued the following joint statement today on the Connecticut Senate race:
“The Democratic voters of Connecticut have spoken and chosen Ned Lamont as their nominee. Both we and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) fully support Mr. Lamont’s candidacy. Congratulations to Ned on his victory and on a race well run.
“Joe Lieberman has been an effective Democratic Senator for Connecticut and for America. But the perception was that he was too close to George Bush and this election was, in many respects, a referendum on the President more than anything else. The results bode well for Democratic victories in November and our efforts to take the country in a new direction.”
Feingold offered his enthusiastic support; Hillary Clinton’s PAC gave Lamont $5k; Obama’s PAC did the same; Lieberman ally Chris Dodd has vowed to “help in any way I can to secure [Lamont’s] victory in the general election this fall”; Ted Kennedy has pledged his “enthusiastic support”; and Barbara Boxer, who campaigned for Lieberman last month, has now said she’ll campaign for Lamont.
Lieberman is convinced that he’ll be able to maintain a significant amount of his Dem support over the next three months. As his friends, colleagues, and staff stay with the party and the choice of the party’s voters, Lieberman may find fewer and fewer progressive allies between now and November.