News & Commentary
Lamont: An Acceptable Alternative
By ANDY THIBAULT
The Cool Justice Report
http://cooljustice.blogspot.com
July 20, 2006
EDITOR'S NOTE: This column is available for reprint courtesy of The Cool Justice Report, http://cooljustice.blogspot.com
Who woulda thunk it? As the citizens of Connecticut get to know Ned Lamont, they like him.
Lamont is now considered an acceptable alternative to that other guy - what's his name, The Bush Lip-Locker - for the U.S. Senate.
And why not?
Our modern-day version of Mr. Smith goes to Washington is a capable and genial fellow who holds his ground without stooping to the base level of the other guy. When the other guy tried to denigrate Lamont for being a rich white boy, Lamont responded with a self-deprecating ad in which his family made fun of him. Toward the conclusion of the ad, Lamont steered the discussion back to a real issue, saying: Let's both support the winner of the Aug. 8 Democratic primary.
Lamont's capable performance in the debate with the other guy has resonated with voters. The Quinnipiac poll announced July 20 showed Lamont up 11 points and the other guy down 8 points from just about a month ago. Lamont is now the favorite to win the Democratic primary, 51-47 percent among likely voters. By any standard, he is a winner.
There are many ironies at work in this race. Lamont's hometown of Greenwich takes a bad rap, often justified, as a place of power and privilege gone amok. They don't want regular peons on their beaches, for example. Still, after working in Greenwich for several years, I'm happy to report I encountered a lot of nice, semi-normal people as well. Ned Lamont was one of them. I didn't even know he was a rich guy.
It's funny and pathetic to hear the other guy try to distort the character and qualifications of Lamont. For example, the other guy is an ultimate tool of the rich and powerful when it comes to energy policy, the war and health care. Lamont, in contrast, is a strong advocate for universal health care and unafraid to stand up to the closest thing the United States has ever had to a facist regime.
The other guy would censure one president for getting a blow job and be a good stooge for another president who orders massive illegal spying on citizens, institutionalizes torture and weakens the country by lying about the reason for going to war -- and condemning our young to die or be maimed without justification or purpose.
Expect more intensity and more big lies from the other guy. Desperate career politicians get that way, especially when they are losing.
How dare an upstart who hasn't sat around and sucked up lobbyist money for 18 years dare to participate in the democratic process. The other guy will whine about Lamont's qualifications, perhaps out of jealousy. Lamont has a record of achievement by running a successful business and meeting payroll while finding time to inspire young entrepreneurs as a volunteer teacher. As a member of his local board of selectmen, Lamont was more accountable to the public than many U.S. Senators, including the other guy.
The Senate was never meant to be a career. It's supposed to be public service. Public service is what Lamont will give us. The other guy, well, he'll continue to give us phony stories about the war in Iraq going well and being in the interest of the American people.
It is noteworthy that 70 percent of Republicans approve of the other guy, compared with 47 percent of Democrats and 42 percent of likely voters in the Democratic primary.
Lamont's current numbers in a three-way race are not insurmountable given recent trends. With each passing day, Lamont will look more like a winner and the other guy will be exposed as more of a loser.
Andy Thibault, author of Law & Justice In Everyday Life and a private investigator, is a mentor in the MFA writing program at Western Connecticut State University, consulting editor for the literary journal Connecticut Review and adjunct professor at the University of Hartford's Hillyer College. Website,www.andythibault.com, and Blog, http://cooljustice.blogspot.com
6 comments:
Well I am one Republican that does not have a favorable opinion of Joe Lieberman. He is a liberal, abortion cheerleader just the same as the other guy.
Joe is going to lose for all the wrong reasons but thats OK. At least Joe isn't a traitor to his own country. The other guy can't say the same.
This Republican will be voting for Alan Schlesinger unless you elites have cancelled the general election as well as the Democrat primary.....
In a three way race anything is possible but I will tell you two things. First McCommas is my last name.
Two, my vote counts for something. Who I vote for is not based on wether or not I think they can win. I vote for the better man, or woman.
Three, you know Alan "Gold" probably scatches his balls when he thinks no one is looking. At least he has a set which is more than some of us can say.
-- um well OK, that was three things..
Thank you!
[url=http://gbppljsg.com/bhid/blyx.html]My homepage[/url] | [url=http://qxiswmyu.com/mvvj/gdpt.html]Cool site[/url]
Thank you!
My homepage | Please visit
Well done!
http://gbppljsg.com/bhid/blyx.html | http://hcixrdpm.com/stsq/fows.html
Post a Comment