NYT: Putting on Game Faces in CT: Could Lieberman pull this thing out?

[DeepModem Mom]

Putting on Game Faces in Connecticut


Ned Lamont, the challenger. (Associated Press); Joseph I. Lieberman, the incumbent. (Ozier Muhammed/The New York Times)

....We’re told that the Lieberman campaign’s internal poll puts him only a few points behind Ned Lamont on the eve of the Senate Democratic primary. It’s private, so we can’t verify the methodology, but that would be an improvement over the direction that Joe’s lousy numbers were trending last week. But it’s certainly not enough to crow about a comeback just yet.

To improve his chances, Mr. Lieberman is spending heavily to saturate the media markets today with two television commercials, and there’s buzz that a new ad may appear before it’s all over. He’s also running a radio ad about Ned Lamont’s one-time membership in an exclusive Greenwich country club. That factoid, combined with Mr. Lieberman’s speech last night accusing Mr. Lamont of lying, just might help drive up the challenger’s negative ratings among voters, which might depress his level of support tomorrow....

***

Candidates always put on their game faces in the final hours of a race, but the Lieberman folks seem genuinely optimistic. For all the anger out there over Iraq and President Bush, it remains very difficult for a relatively unknown challenger to oust an incumbent senator, especially one who — notwithstanding claims to the contrary — will have a formidable get-out-the-vote operation tomorrow....It’s also possible that Mr. Lieberman is not playing to win, seeing that as out of reach, but playing to score as high a number as he can. If he can keep a Lamont victory spread to a few percentage points, it might help Mr. Lieberman reduff Democrats who would call on him to drop out after the primary. Mr. Lieberman has said he will run as an independent if he loses the nomination to Mr. Lamont; if he loses tomorrow by 10 points or more, the calls for him to drop out will be greater than if he loses in a squeaker.

Mr. Lamont has been mostly out of the public eye since early this morning. His spokeswoman says he’s making phone calls to 20 prominent, undecided Democrats. While those 20 names were not shared with us, it’s likely they’re the sort who can move real votes in a primary.

As my colleague Nicholas Confessore points out, Mr. Lamont’s focus on undecided Democrats indicates that the challenger’s campaign doesn’t think it needs to do much more to excite its hand-core voters....

http://empirezone.blogs.nytimes.com/?p=473

[denverbill]

1. If Lieberman wins, Lamont should run as an independent.

</sarcasm>

I sure hope Diebold doesn't determine the outcome of this race.

[LynzM]

2. We don't use Diebold in CT.

Doesn't mean it won't be close or that other nefarious things could be in motion, but it won't be Diebold to the rescue.

[MrCoffee]

3. Seems to be a lot of "ground-softening" articles today...

The Revenge of Joementum is a big theme...or am I just being paranoid?

[Skittles]

18. I have noticed that too

it is unsettling

[benny05]

4. I Suspect that if Joe L Pulls it Off

it is because a bunch of freepers registered as Dems to vote in the primary, then they don't care about the general election. I've seen them do it in IL and NH.

Go Ned Go!

[saigon68]

14. Here are the Draft Dodgers in all of their Glory

They are CHICKEN HAWKS TOO

Especially Joementum

[sidpleasant]

15. Freepers won't affect the election tomorrow

The deadline for someone registered as a Republican to switch to Democratic affiliation was in May, before the state party convention where Ned Lamont won enough votes to qualify for a primary. Freepers would have had to have used a time machine to go into the future, see that there was going to be a primary, and return to May to change their registrations.

[JerseygirlCT]

16. If they were registered as Republicans, they would have had

to do it back in May, I believe.

[ktowntennesseedem]

5. Read a headline earlier that made it sound like Joe & Ned were deaklocked.

Think it was MSNBC.com; can't find the link now, though. The article talked about the lasest poll showing a 6-point Lamont lead, and that was at the edge of the margin of error. It basically said his lead had shrunk but it was still a lead, and it was just one poll, etc, etc. But the headline? Lieberman and Lamont are statistically tied! I fully expected to read about a 48-48 tie or maybe a one-point lead by one or the other. Fortunately the news wasn't that bad, but Joementum supporters must have been salivating when they came up with the headline.

Guess we'll just have to wait till tomorrow night.

[w4rma]

6. REMEMBER, THE PRIMARY IS TOMORROW, TUESDAY the 8TH.

Let's take this lying, flip-flopping, endorsed by DeLay, Cokie, Coutler and Hannity, warmongering, neo-liberal (neo-con?), out with the TRASH!

The GET OUT THE VOTE campaign really starts **tomorrow**, bright and early!! Drive folks to the polls and volunteer!

Goooo Connecticut Dems!!!

[depakid]

7. I hope Conn. voters can see through Lieberman & the MSM's lies

Because far right enablers like Lieberman are every bit as bad- and in many ways even worse than Republicans.

Anyone who wants a strong Democratic Party- one that stands for traditional Democratic values again- and has a chance of winning back a majority in Congress, has a stake in Tuesday's vote.

[tom22]

8. If Lieberman wins it will be because of

the highly publicized endorsement by Bill Clinton. It has been used in phone bank recorded calls and radio and TV commercials.

[fjc]

9. If Joe pulls this out, he will be a chastened Senator, I think.

Whatever the outcome, I think he already knows he fucked up.

[MaineDem]

17. That's what I'm hoping. n/t

[Catchawave]

10. Sounds like a RW blogger...

...according to the comments that follow his diary :evilgrin:

Not to worry :hi:

[ksilvas]

11. Could an moronic political nonentity win the Prez. ? Evidently.n/t

[Strawman]

12. Going negative works

People are trying to learn about Lamont now that he's a serious contender and negative ads click with the public's inherent skepticism about candidates, especially the undecideds. It's not surprising that Lieberman is bouncing a bit as people take a look at Lamont now. But I don't know if there are enough undecideds for Lieberman to come back. They can't get much more skeptical about Lieberman, so he may have bottomed out last week. The hard cores are all set. I recall seeing a poll last week saying 85% had made their minds up. If Lamont can get his people to the polls up he should win, but that's a big if. Lieberman has more experience getting out the vote. It's going to be interesting. Hope Ned can pull it out.

[Olney Blue]

13. I really don't want to send a positive message about the war to DC.

But I trust the Connecticut Dems to make the right choice

[Occulus]

19. The corporate media REALLY wants Joe to win, don't they? n/t