Posted today on that paragon of conservative blogging, Townhall.com, is a
frontpage editorial by William F. Buckley on why he is voting for Joe Lieberman.
"Why?" (as if you really need to ask?)
Because he wants to SAVE THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY FOR AMERICA! More "conservative concern" on the flip...
The crux of Buckley's fear for our Democratic well-being?
The important contention next Tuesday doesn't involve the Republican candidate. It is Lieberman vs. Ned Lamont, the other Democrat. And the political drama in Connecticut isn't just among the candidates. It has to do with the future of the Democratic Party -- and that future affects everyone.
Those words of "wisdom," of course, remind us that the sweetest victory tonight may not be Harold Ford in TN, or Jim Webb in VA, but in simply nominating a REAL Democrat, Ned Lamont, to run for Senate in CT, and rejecting the hopelessly selfish One Man Party, known as Joe Lieberman.
Even Buckley admits we, "scored a huge victory in a critical exchange by defeating a three-term senator who once ran for vice president."
Lamont, of all our candidates this year, has actually had the nerve to stand up and say what patriotic Americans believe in. If there is any real reason (other than ignorance) for the public "not knowing what Democrats stand for" it is because of people like Joe Lieberman, who have for too long made Democratic politics more about their own personal "winning," than what we stand for as a Party.
We took a giant step in creating a Party that DOES stand for something, by beating Lieberman in the primary and nominating a REAL Democrat.
Even if the wealthy voters of CT do not appreciate what they have today in Ned Lamont, we should be proud of his candidacy as a necessary step towards making the Democratic Party actually MEAN SOMETHING again.
I can see why Buckley lives in fear of this.
A final historically tortured quote from the old coot just to remind of us of the stakes with Lamont today:
The features of the Democratic leadership are not yet set. The left is eager to assert itself as the true heir of the Democratic tradition, even as in 1948, under the leadership of Henry Wallace, the left attempted to take over the party of FDR and Harry Truman. It failed, and may fail again. But much depends on how much life there is in the opposition, and the first challenge is to vote to retain Joe Lieberman in office.
Yes, if the Republicans are to keep control of the CT Democratic Party (and indeed, the country) Lieberman has to win tonight.
I hope the voters in CT get the stakes.
And I hope we won't forget who the real Democrat is. Ned Lamont.