MARMOSETS FOR LIEBERMAN. Now that angry liberal blogging crazypeople have achieved their ultimate goal of destroying civility in American politics, as demonstrated by the fact that Aunt Pittypat Kondracke has keeled over on her fainting couch, here's something that's rather gotten lost in the whole Connecticut senatorial business. Joe Lieberman, an Establishment darling and former vice-presidential candidate, is getting his withered hindquarters handed to him daily to a guy who is not exactly the second coming of Huey Long. As much as I admire the fervor of his supporters, Ned Lamont seems to me to be a perfectly amiable plutocrat, smart enough and capable, but neither overly charismatic nor particularly inspirational. (Disclaimer: I haven't been in the same room with the man yet.) He's run a good campaign that is now a great one at least partly because the opposing campaign seems to be a) on the wrong side of every issue; and b) run by marmosets. That Lieberman is now life-and-death with a rookie only a few years removed from the most local forms of local government is the best evidence I can find that there's a helluva lot more going on here than the Iraq War and cyber-Ostrogoths. If you're looking for comparisons as to what can happen when a formidable incumbent gets painted as having lost touch with his constituents, please consult Cuomo v. Pataki. The most compelling sub rosa reason that's moving people toward Lamont seems to be that he was willing to make the race in the first place. And that's more than enough.
--Charles P. Pierce
