Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Et Tu, TNR Readers?
If, as seems likely, Joe Lieberman loses his primary today, this survey of New Republic readers should be considered the final writing on the wall.
There could hardly be a more pro-Lieberman periodical than TNR. The magazine was an early -- and lonely endorsee of his presidential campaign in 2004. Former editor Peter Beinart wrote a strongly-impassioned article of support earlier this week (subscription required).
Yet, apparently, to no avail.
Despite the editors of the magazine, New Republic readers (at least the ones who took the time to respond to the survey) apparently dislike Lieberman with the same intensity as the Daily Kos "net-roots" folks:
Technorati Tags: Democrats, Joe Lieberman, liberals, primary
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There could hardly be a more pro-Lieberman periodical than TNR. The magazine was an early -- and lonely endorsee of his presidential campaign in 2004. Former editor Peter Beinart wrote a strongly-impassioned article of support earlier this week (subscription required).
Yet, apparently, to no avail.
Despite the editors of the magazine, New Republic readers (at least the ones who took the time to respond to the survey) apparently dislike Lieberman with the same intensity as the Daily Kos "net-roots" folks:
In general, variants on the word "enable" dominate the Lieberman discourse. "When Lieberman compromises on drastic regressive changes to our system he is not a moderate," says gibsonp. "He becomes an enabler of right wing extremists." georgiepowl agrees: "[Lieberman] is a Bush-enabler. He hasn't stood against Bush on anything important in six years." MDWooldridge puts it most concisely: "Lieberman=Cheney Enabler."If, indeed, Ned Lamont upsets Joe Lieberman, the hole it will illustrate within the formal Democratic Party will be only marginally more interesting than the one it will expose between the more traditional liberal punditocracy and the rising Lefty blogger class.
Other complaints arise, too. Many center on Lieberman's pledge to run as an independent should he lose the primary. "I don't like to all out campaign against Lieberman in the Blogosphere," avers webbhaymaker, "but when Lieberman declared that he would run as an independent ... I lost my respect for him." Reader hustveit agrees: "The independent-candidacy was the real corker for me; not only a really risky move for this reliably blue-state but strategically it was foolish beyond words." And gea1434 feels Lieberman's been irritating for years, but his "vow to run as an independent was only the last straw. I mean, if your problem is your standing with Democratic base voters, do you really think it's a good idea to vow that you don't give a hoot about the primary results?"
Technorati Tags: Democrats, Joe Lieberman, liberals, primary
