Independent’s Day

Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., announced today that he plans to run for re-election on an independent ticket if he loses this summer’s Democratic primary to Ned Lamont. Last month, John Dickerson explained why he was considering the strategy. Left-wing blogs have made Lamont, a political newcomer critical of Lieberman’s stance on the war, a serious contender in the primary race. But, Dickerson writes, “Those same polls that show Lamont rising also show that the majority of Democrats want Lieberman re-elected. If Lieberman runs as an independent, Lamont and his online supporters will face a stiff challenge—selling their message outside the liberal and anti-Lieberman wing of the Democratic Party. Can they get a mass of people energized who aren’t already with them? If they can’t, the Connecticut Senate race may be the place where Democrats learn first about the promise of blog politics, and then learn second about its limits.”