I have some mixed feelings about alot of people from outside of any state coming in to work for state level campaigns. One,you run the risk of resentment from the people who actually live,work and vote in that state. Two,we've seen how the GOP does this(Brooks Brothers Riot anyone?Lieberman supporters at a certain Lamont campaign appearance quite recently?),and abuses the privledge. Three,if you don't handle this sort of thing correctly,you will alienate people,they won't just resent it,they'll loathe it.
Now,having said all that, as an outsider,even if Ned loses today,all is not lost.This is bigger than just Ned getting the Dem nomination in this primary.
The Lamont Campaign shows you what can happen when regular citizens get involved.And THAT is the larger lesson to take away from this.People are hungry,no,starving for a politician who will listen to them and address their needs.It's got little to do with the war,the war is just one aspect of the big picture.Lieberman is being backed by the GOP,Fox pundits,and he barely spends any time with his constituency.If Lamont hadn't been giving Joe a run for his money do you think for a second he'd be stumping around CT?Hardly.And that's the ONLY reason why he's in political trouble now,he forgot why he was elected in the first place.He forgot what his party stands for.He also forgot that it's The People who decide,not him,even if one of his bestest buddies is The Decider.To scold people for exercising their rights as citizens of this country and to act as though he's entitled to that Senate seat just because he's the incumbant isn't only arrogant,it's an insult to the people of CT.
The Lamont"machine"has been around for what?6 months?Lieberman has had 18 yrs to put his together.The progressive and people powered campaign Lamont has run hasn't had to resort to lies and dirty tricks,they don't treat CT voters like they're stupid and have no business participating in their Democracy,they opened their arms and included as many people as they could.This is why the pundits and GOP spokesmodels are wetting their expensive pants.Because if this thing,this participation in Democracy catches on,what has happened in CT will begin repeating itself all over the country.And if that happens,the pundits will look more idiotic than they do now(hard to imagine ain't it?).It's simple really,they know an informed and intelligent public is their biggest threat,it boils down to being about THEM,when in fact,it's not about them at all.
The Lamont Campaign,for all it's newness,has handled lies and the opposition's harassment with grace,and they've been focused on keeping the attention on real issues effecting the country.The voters in CT have seen all this stuff up close and personal,something the punditry and GOP party itself has ignored as they pontificate about the Dems having their own"civil war",or the"insurgency"of"radical liberals".What's with these people and their war imagry?Everything is war,war,war,all the time.People are weary of this crap.
In short,there's alot of lessons from how Team Lamont has run this whole deal.Lessons that could apply to ANY campaign anyplace in America.Lessons we are slowly remembering all across the country.People used to do this sort of thing,way back when,before we got too spoiled and comfortable,cocky even,thinking that politics is something far removed from our daily lives,and that "someone else"will take care of things and all will be well because this is America.We've learned,especially since 2000,that this sort of thinking leads to massive corruption,war profiteering,and needless death and suffering.That message hasn't been lost on everyone.
So,even if Ned were to lose today(and for the record,I think he's gonna win),all is not lost.The Lamont Campaign shows us how it's done,that there's room for adjustment as you go along,and mostly,that the voters matter most,not the politicians.
Much of this race in CT reminds me of Paul Wellstone and how he worked with the people he represented.Paul never forgot who he worked for,and never turned a blind eye to what was happening in his home state.He cared about what happened to his constituents,the farmer struggling not to lose the family farm,the single parent working two jobs to support a family,the worker who lost a job to outsourcing.It's why the people of Minnesota loved the man.This isn't rocket science.I miss Paul,terribly.
Lamont comes from money(BIG money,robber baron money,as in JP Morgan.Which makes his compassion all the more remarkable really.Money allows people to consider themselves better than everyone else.See also Bush,George W for a contrast),but he doesn't act like he does.He has genuine empathy and compassion for people,and it shows in how he conducts himself.That's hard to fake.It also drives wingnuts out of their minds.Since they don't give a flying load of monkey shit about anyone but themselves,they figure genuine concern for others is simply not real,it's faked because that's what they do.Fake it,and not very well I might add.It's arrested adolescence that's sinking the GOP ship.The whole world doesn't revolve around you,and not everyone is a failed attempt at being you,THIS is what the GOP and all their little minions will never understand.It also will be the ultimate downfall of today's brand of conservativism,which,as more and more people finally see,isn't conservative and certainly not liberal.It's greedy and insane,heartless and hateful,you can't hide that forever.
The big money will fight this people powered movement with all they have.The more power the people get,the bigger the hammer that will be used to try and crush them.It'll get alot uglier than what we've seen happen in CT.You see,for those in Power,the power can only flow one way-Up.Any challenge to that will be squelched by ANY means deemed necessary.The bigger the threat,the bigger the hammer.I say this not to frighten you,but to prepare you.It's something we ignore at our own peril.The GOP has"war rooms"(again with the war imagry,ick) and a slick,well oiled machine with lots and lots of training and practice.Progressives on the other hand have to work harder and smarter,where it counts,on the ground,often without much media support to get the word out.That's why the numbers of people involved matter so much.The more people involved,the better the chances of success and the easier it is to ferret out liars.It's truly the only way to fight the powers that be.And it's going to take decades to undo the damage and wrestle that power back into The People's hands. That's also why this little primary in a little state means so much.
So buck up kids,we have a long road ahead.Just remember,Lamont's win or loss today is about possibilities,and what is possible when citizens stop sitting on their hands,roll up their sleeves and get to work.We may not always win,but the closer we get to winning,the more we learn about how to do it well.
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