CT-Sen: Inspired grassroots politics beats self-centered elitism

Ned Lamont's primary victory would not have been possible had it not been for a newer approach to political campaigning.  Washington-based lobbyists and consultants can only throw money at a campaign, which goes towards reminding people to vote.  But the best kind of campaign is not one that reminds people to vote as a duty, but rather one that inspires people to vote for a cause.  Lamont's approach was people powered politics at the most grassroots level possible.

We saw that play out in the final leg of the campaign.  As nationwide supporters answered Lamont's call to join the thousands of Connecticut volunteers, Joe Lieberman poured money into a last-minute television ad blitz.  The contrast could not have been made more obvious.  Lieberman had the powerful money-men who are among the Washington establishment on his side, while Lamont had real, hard-working, taxpaying families who wanted transparency and accountability in Washington.  It was the old against the new. 

Maybe it's just me, but I think most people in this country are fed up with the old.  They are sick of high-priced lobbyists buying out a government that should be serving the people's interest.  They are sick of no one standing up to a President whose policies are bankrupting our economy, endangering world peace and compromising our own democracy.  And lastly, they are furious that they never had a vote on this war.  On Tuesday night, all those issues were addressed by Democrats as Ned Lamont showed what citizen involvement can do for a great democracy.  Our founding principles were made for nights like this.

Most of all, I am hopeful that Democratic lawmakers will get the message.  As Markos Moulitsas of the Daily Kos suggested, all of us need to continue our involvement and pressure Democrats to denounce Lieberman's inability to respect the voices of Connecticut Democrats.  There are a few things that each of us can do:

Here's what we all need to do the next few days:

1. Push Harry Reid to strip Lieberman of all committee assignments.

2. Let people know what a sore loser Lieberman is.

3. Get all Democrats -- including Bill Clinton -- to publicly back Ned Lamont.

4. Get the Democratic interest groups who backed Lieberman to switch allegiances in the general.

After Tuesday night's speech, where he officially declared his intention to stay in the race, Joe Lieberman officially forfeited his party affiliation.  He is no longer a Democrat, and he should not be treated like one either.  Lieberman could have ended on a high note and left the race with the respect of all progressives for his dedicated public service over the years.  But he chose the other alternative -- and that other alternative was to ignore the very election process that this very nation is founded on.  It's ironic that Lieberman echoes President Bush's belief about aggressively spreading democracy around the world when he rejects that very electoral system on his own soil.  I don't see any reason to take him seriously.

Please do what you can to help the Lamont Campaign, and pressure Democrats to denounce Joe Lieberman.  Show them that involved and concerned citizens will never let one powerful man compromise our election system.

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Other sites blogging about this issue: National Debunker, This and That, Synaptic Sync, But I am a Liberal, Be Conscious, Emboldened, True Blue Liberal, Talking Points Memo, The Huffington Post, Skippy the Bush Kangaroo, Political Wire, Booman Tribune, The Rittenhouse Review, Mike the Bike, Brilliant at Breakfast, Not-A-Pundit.