McIntyre: Dems Closer To McGovern Losing Strategy

Democrats lost the 2004 presidential election over leadership on national security. Last night’s win by anti-war Ned Lamont over pro-war Joe Lieberman, while joyous for the far-left netroots crowd, is a bad harbinger for future Democratic Party prospects nationally in 2008 and beyond. The closeness of the election only makes the outcome more frustrating for Democratic strategists. Had Lieberman eked out a victory, the Connecticut Senate primary would have been a huge win for the Democratic Party as they would have been able to reap the dividends of all the energy (and voters) Lamont’s candidacy had attracted, while at the same time sending a message to the country that the Democratic Party is large enough for pro-war Democrats. Had Lieberman held on and won, he undoudtedly would be reaching out to left-wing Democrats and pushing further away from President Bush and the Republicans. Instead, Lieberman will now be ostracized from the party and will be reaching out to Independents and Republicans while chastising the extremists in the Democratic Party.

For the rest of the column by John McIntyre/RealClearPolitics, click here . And for a column by Dick Morris predicting that Lieberman can still hold his seat, click here .

Question: Do you think U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman is done in Connecticut?