Curry misses the point

And to think I actually voted for this guy.

Will Joe opt for the insurance policy of an independent run or risk it all in a tough, bitter primary? So long as he wavers, reporters will write of little else; except, of course, "character."

Political consultants love to fight over "character." The subtext of most political ads nowadays is that anyone disagreeing with the candidate is a hypocrite, including and especially his opponent. It isn't the biggest reason people avoid politics, but it's up there.

[...]

The sense one gets of Lieberman and Lamont is of two decent, civil men who, had they met in almost any other context, would have gotten along famously. We should assume their good character and force them to sharpen their real differences. We're in too much trouble to settle for less.

Oh Bill, where do I start with you.

I'll make it simple. Curry fails to grasp the obvious...that Joe Lieberman put himself in this position and the "character" issue is fair game. If Lieberman would just say we would support the Democratic nominee after the primary, a good portion of the heat on him would go away.

Third...oh, I mean tparty nails it on the head:

This is not about "political strategy." This is about political loyalty. If Joe won't stay a Democrat, why should any Democrat vote for Joe? And if Joe is willing to leave the party just because he's facing a "inconvenient" primary challenge, to sell out his constituents for his own personal gain, isn't that a warning sign about how he'd act in the senate in the next six years?

Plus Curry's logic is frustratingly circular: Joe refuses to rule out leaving the party, that causes the debate to be about meaningless "strategy," and so in order to fix this problem he should leave the party in order to "move the debate to higher ground." Nevermind that if Joe - like Ned - would simply commit to remaining a Democrat, the debate would immediately move to "higher ground."

Bingo!

Most of the frustration towards Lieberman is his lack of loyalty and failure to work from within the Democratic Party. His failure to take the voters of Connecticut seriously when the rumors of a primary first surfaced, his failure to take Ned Lamont seriously, and his failure to support the Democratic nominee after the primary speaks volumes to the voters of Connecticut. Curry fails to understand that the ability to put this debate to "higher ground" has always been in the control of Lieberman. Instead of advising Joe to support the Democratic nominee after the primary, Curry betrays the Party and advises Joe to jump ship so the debate will go to higher ground?

If Joe jumps ship, it will be the last nail in his coffin. Curry should be ashamed of himself to suggest otherwise.