Josh Marshall asks:
How important is the Lamont/Lieberman race?
Well the answer is it depends. If one is a liberal blogger, than of course it is of great importance.
At the end of the day, the race matters very little.
Lieberman will still contine to caucus with Senate Dems as he has promised. Lieberman still will promote Democratic ideals in the Senate, and he will still be a Democrat. (Although if impeachment is brought up, I would wager that JL will refrain from voting for impeachement–a good thing.)
I must quibble with Mr. Marshall when he says:
I think I’m inclined to agree with Atrios that it’s wrong to see the money equation is simple zero-sum terms. It’s not like there’s a finite amount of campaign money and money to Lieberman is money taken from Indiana 2nd, Montana senate, etc.
…
Digging in to fight on one front doesn’t so much take muscle away from other races as it strengthens the movement in general.
Money is finite. Money or activism given for or against Lieberman in a state other than Connecticut takes away monies and energy that could go to local campaigns. There are better thing to worry about for Tennessee Democrats, or Iowa Democrats than whether or not Lamont or Lieberman gets elected. Especially when victory in one chamber is hardly assured.
While yes, digging in for one fight does strengthen the overall movement of a party, it is far more important in a mid term election to concentrate your efforts on races that can be influenced within your own state.
More so when the overall strength is being gained from the choice over which Democrat is being elected while local races remain competitive, and could be lost due to un-needed extension of influence.
I am quite curious though, what impact this race will have on the liberal blogosphere. If they lose this would make the netroots 0-2 for their picks that are in the national spotlight. Would it make them temper their positions? Or would a victory bring them in to the forefront of Democratic politics changing the party’s course, as some want to do.
