8.11.2006

The Lamont Effect

WNYC, New York Public Radio, has a story on Hillary that shows the effect Ned Lamont's victory will have on our party:

Senator Hillary Clinton has denounced Vice President Dick Cheney for saying terrorists would be emboldened by the results of Connecticut's Democratic Primary.

[...]

CLINTON: I don't take anything he [Cheney] says seriously anymore. I think that he has been a very counterproductive even destructive force in our country and I am very disheartened by the failure of leadership from the president and vice president.
Being seen as a Hawkish Democrat is now a bad thing. Watch for more Democrats to start racking up 'I'm against the war' points. Many will couch their comments in 'I'm against this war' or 'I'm against the way Republicans have conducted this war' frames, but the effect, both politically and in the real world will be the same: More pressure on Republicans to take responsibility for a 'stay the course over the cliff' policy that nearly 6 in 10 Americans disagree with.

Even if Ned Lamont loses in November, his victory over Joe Lieberman made it politically safe to be critical of the war.

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