Lieberman to sit down with new Dem Senate campaign chief at her request

[WI_DEM]

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) told The Ballot Box that he plans to sit down with incoming Senate campaign chief Patty Murray (D-Wash.) at her request.


Lieberman said he had a brief conversation with the new chairwoman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) earlier Wednesday.



"She said, 'I want to sit down and talk with you soon,' " Lieberman said. "We just had that exchange earlier today."

With control of the upper chamber on the line in 2012, Lieberman's reelection plans are the subject of intense speculation. He caucuses with Democrats, but there have been reports the GOP would be interested in having Lieberman run under its banner.

Should the four-term senator opt to seek another term as an independent, he'll have to regain his spot on the ballot. That would mean the creation of another party banner to officially run under — not an overwhelming task, given the state's ballot-access laws. (Lieberman ran under the Connecticut for Lieberman party in 2006.)


Another Independent run from Lieberman would put the DSCC in the same awkward spot it found itself during the 2006 campaign — the committee supported Democratic nominee Ned Lamont in that race. In 2012, there is almost certain to be an official Democratic candidate pushed by the party's liberal base whom the DSCC would be pressured to support. But Democrats would also want Lieberman to keep caucusing with their party should he win reelection.


Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) told a Connecticut newspaper that he's weighing a Lieberman challenge and will make a decision at the end of the lame-duck session.


On Wednesday, Lieberman said that given the Senate debate on "Don't ask, don't tell," he's had little time to think about 2012, much less any potential challengers.
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/senate-races/133889-sen-murray-wants-lieberman-sit-down

[WCGreen]

1. Bull shit...

he has been thinking about it since early november 2006...

[pinto]

3. LOL. I suspect you're right.

He knows the ropes...

[xchrom]

2. hmmm -- she isn't meeting with him because she wants tea and watercress sandwiches.

either she's heard he wants to run as a dem, she wants him to run as a dem or he's seriously thinking of
flying the gop banner.

she knows something -- we just don't know.

[Larkspur]

4. Lieberman is toast in 2012

The CT Republicans despise him and CT Democrats hate him. He can't reuse the Connecticut for Lieberman party. Lamont supporters took it over in 2007.

[karynnj]

5. So he would need "THE NEW CONNECTICUT FOR LIEBERMAN" party

I would imagine that this is essentially Specter redux. Where the Democrats will officially welcome him as a Democrat - to insure that he stays in our caucus and he is assured of Obama's and the Senate Democrats support in the primary.

This is likely his best way to stay in office, but it is hard to see him winning a Democratic primary even with that support. He should, DADT not withstanding, be weaker than in 2006, before he endorsed McCain and spoke well of Palin - and stood on a platform when she said Obama was "palling around with terrorists". Good luck to you and others who I assume will be working to primary him.

But, the Republicans can not offer him a slot and a promise that the tea party won't challenge him. He is far to the left of even the Republicans they call "Rhinos" and the RW is upset with them on DADT. He really is a man without a party.

[sharp_stick]

6. The fact that this egomaniac

actually seems to think he has a shot in CT in 2012 is kind of funny. The only people in CT that hate Lieberman more than the Democrats are the Republicans and I don't think the Independents will be fooled again. The pukes ran a full court press for Lieberman in 2006 by essentially abandoning the nutcase they elected in the primary to his own devices.

The time the pukes will think they have a better shot and will run with either Linda McMahon if she can convince Vince to hand her another 50 mil out of the WWE purse. Vince will probably acquiesce because he enjoyed the relative peace and quiet at home while she was pretending to be a Senate candidate.

The other puke candidates would probably be Rob Simmons and/or Chris Shays. Shays being IMO the only one to worry about. Simmons used to be pretty highly regarded but with his theatrics (dropping out and then re-entering the Senate race this year) plus pretending to be the teabagger candidate he's pretty much fucked up any credibility he had. Shays is a threat, that is if he can handle being involved with the assholes running the Senate GOP. He's pretty moderate, probably as close as you'll find to a real New England Republican and that brand of Republican seems to have died with Ike Eisenhower, the new bosses don't seem to like anyone that won't kowtow to Tony Perkins.

[martymar64]

7. He spoke at the Rupublican convention. He is a traitor and deserves to lose big in 2012

[Paladin]

8. Amen. (n/t)