How Ned Lamont Can Win

By JOSEPH BENTIVEGNA
Special to The Cool Justice Report

Full disclosure. I am a Republican and at this time I plan to vote for
the Republican nominee, Alan Schlesinger. I was asked to analyze Lamont's situation, so here goes.

Ned Lamont, after a spectacular rise, has hit what political
professionals call "The Wall." This is the maximum votes a candidate can garner given the
dynamics of his race, his opponents' appeal and his positions on the
issues. In Lamont's case, this is about 40 percent.

This is just how the Republican Party in Connecticut wants it. Their
first choice was to cross endorse Joe Lieberman. This would free up time and money
to concentrate on winable races, especially the three Congressional battles.

When Lieberman refused to consent, the Democrats obliged by doing what
Connecticut Democrats do best, setting up a circular firing squad. The result: a Lamont victory and an irate Lieberman carrying out his threat to run as an
independent.

The Democrats have a long history of such behavior. How else could they
have agreed to a gerrymandering scheme that allows three out of five Congressmen
to be Republicans in a state where fewer than 20 percent of the registered voters are Republican.

The Republicans then adopted Plan Two. After urging Schlesinger to run
and endorsing him unanimously at their convention, they have fed him to the
wolves and are sending money to Lieberman. The result -- as present polls
accurately project -- Lieberman will win 50 percent, Lamont 40 percent and Schlesinger 10 percent.

Lamont's supporters feel that Lamont's message is not getting out. In actuality, the
opposite is true. Lamont is a tax-and-spend liberal who opposes the war in Iraq
but doesn't have the foggiest idea how to get out In all fairness, neither
does anyone else.

What can Lamont do? A child could see the solution. Lamont should do what
Nixon did in a similar situation when he was about to lose - -siphon money to
Schlesinger. Lamont should put off his wine cellar renovation and give
Schlesinger $1,000,000. The only problem is that this is illegal.

However, it is perfectly legal for Lamont's internet supporters to do so.
One dollar into Schlesinger's account is worth $100 in Lamont's.
See Schlesinger link, bottom right [or close to it, new links being added] of The Cool Justice Report.

With this money, Schlesinger -- if he is half as smart as I
think he is -- could run television ads attacking Lieberman as a senator who
never met a tax increase he didn't like, supports barbaric partial birth
abortion and advocates gun control -- except when they are manufactured in
Connecticut. The baseline Republicans would come home.

The result: Schlesinger 25 percent, Lieberman 35 percent and Lamont 40 percent. Otherwise, say hello to Joe for six more years.

Joe Bentivegna, an eye surgeon and a novelist, sought the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in 1994. Bentivegna lost the primary to Jerry Labriola, who was then defeated by Joe Lieberman. Bentivegna is the author of a political thriller, The Lords Of Greenwich and two non-fiction books: The Neglected and Abused: A Physician's Year in Haiti; and When to Refuse Treatment.