Lieberman Not Ruling Out Return To Democratic Party For 2012 Re-Election Campaign

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In yet another indication that Joe Lieberman is going out of his way to patch things up with the Democratic Party, The Hill reports that Lieberman is floating the idea of running for re-election in 2012 — as a Democrat.

Lieberman said that friends have asked him whether he might go back fully to the Democratic Party. “I’m an independent Democrat, and that gives me options,” said Lieberman. However, he did caution against assuming that his praise of President Obama and his work within the Democratic caucus mean he will ultimately rejoin the party: “I wouldn’t reach that conclusion.”

The new Quinnipiac poll from earlier this week suggests that Lieberman would have a very hard time in a Democratic primary. Among Democratic voters, his approval rating is at only 32%, with 61% disapproval. And another Quinnipiac poll from a month ago tested Lieberman as an independent in a general election against Democratic state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, with Blumenthal winning by a 58%-30% landslide, with an 83%-9% margin among Democrats alone.

But there’s no denying that a lot can happen in a three and half years. In 2008 alone, for example, Lieberman travelled the country and vociferously attacked Barack Obama and the Democratic Party. And look at him now.

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