Curious Logic

Memeorandum is quite abuzz with the latest news coming out of Connecticut. Seems that Sen. Joe Lieberman (D) is considering pursuing a run on the independent ticket should things with Ned Lamont turn out badly for him in the primary.

Well, let's study this a bit more. Lieberman has seen his lead shrink to within 15 points. That lead will continue to shrink as Lamont's getting the anti-war left base energized.

So, what happens if Lieberman loses the primary to Lamont? Well, if Lieberman does nothing, Lieberman will be off the ticket and the general election in November will be wide open between a far left anti-war candidate and whoever the GOP puts forth. If Lieberman comes through and takes the Independent line, he'll win at the general election where he's going to gain more support from independents and Republicans along with disaffected moderate Democrats.

In other words, this whole thing is likely to backfire on the Democrats pushing to drum Lieberman out of the Senate based on his position regarding the Iraq war.

Regardless of the outcome, the Democrats in Connecticut have a big problem on their hands and they may end up losing more than just the seat in Connecticut. They might lose their chance at picking up seats in the Senate because the anti-war left decided to pick fights with candidates who don't toe their line.