TPM Reader PK on the Lieberman meta-message …
My moment of Zen today came a few minutes back when I was checking in on your site, reading your morning post on the Lieberman situation (geeze, if only he was a tad less dry you could have the makings of a Robert Ludlum novel there) and listening to Randy Newman’s “Political Science”.
I think you nailed it. While the progressive community has been hammering Joe for this decision, the fact remains that the flat-out politics of his announcement yesterday scream fear and cowardice. The best play would have been a decisive course, one of the two you offered…either challenge Democrats to support Joe Lieberman, life-long Democrat or play the “I’m doing what’s best for the people of Connecticut” card. But going the “I’ve been around long enough to have my cake and eat it too and deserve better than having my ass handed to me by a political newcomer” route, Joe has essentially abandoned ship and pushed the women and kids out of the way to take the last remaining lifeboat for himself.
Not the best move given the fact that it plays into his overriding negative, which you mentioned and which I will call “the weasel factor”.
