Another [Lieberman] campaign adviser, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss strategy, said the public poll tracked internal campaign surveys. “The race has been headed in that direction for a while,” the adviser said. “It’s a fairly accurate reflection of where the race is.”
The Lieberman campaign, fearing that low voter turnout in the primary would favor Lamont, had plans to build a get-out-the-vote operation bigger than any seen in a state race in Connecticut. But in the face of discouraging polls, campaign officials concluded this week that the money likely would be wasted.
Lieberman plans to spend the remaining days of the campaign making a positive case for himself through television ads and a series of media interviews, according to campaign officials. He has decided not to attempt to discuss the war in his final commercials.
Lamont’s crew on the ground should not get complacent. The size of the victory is crucially important. Lieberman is not trying to dampen expectations, he’s going to lose badly and they couldn’t hide that fact. They are readying his supporters and the press for the inevitable, so it won’t be supported as a shocking upset.
Lieberman in now trying to prevent a huge outcry for him to respect the result. Here’s a message for the Democratic leadership. Do you want the progressive blogs to spend the fall in a fight with you, or in a fight with the Republicans? Do you want our money pouring into Congressional races, or into Connecticut? Because if Lieberman does not drop out, it will be unremitting war on Lieberman and on the cynical incumbent protection racket in the Senate. You start this war and we’ll organize to Lamonticize against Salazar and Landrieu and Pryor, and anyone else that refuses to respect the will of the people that make up this party. Is that what you want?
You will lose. The blogosphere is a weapon. And it can be turned as easily on Morrison and Lieberman as it can be turned on Santorum and Burns. The leadership would be incredibly unwise to give any support, tacit or otherwise, to an independent run by Joe Lieberman.
You have come out with a unified message that we should begin a withdrawal of troops from Iraq. That is Ned Lamont’s position, too. It is not Lieberman’s position and that is why he is going to lose.
Rally behind Lamont and the party and the message will be unified. Give Lieberman a green light, and you will have no end of trouble and it will drastically improve the Republicans’ chances of retaining their majorities.
