Man of the Hour

Yours truly counted 157 folks attending Friday evening's Democracy for America fundraiser at Burlington's Union Station. Where once-upon-a-time people actually waited for trains, the politically aware gather for wine, cheese and repartee. The main attraction was the Connecticut Yankee in King George’s Court - U.S. Senate candidate Ned Lamont.

Mr. Lamont’s the guy who upset incumbent Sen. Joe Lieberman in the August 8 Democratic Primary. The big issue?

King George and his War in Iraq.

Vermont-wise, Leahy, Jeffords and Sanders opposed the Bush war from the get-go, and at a moment when courage appeared in very short supply in Congress, they all voted against giving Bush the green light, making Vermont the only state whose entire congressional delegation did the right thing.

In Connecticut, Joe Lieberman, Al Gore’s running-mate in 2000, stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the King, even got a kiss on the cheek for his loyalty.

Some folks of Connecticut said enough is enough.

Ned Lamont is 52. Raised in Syosset, New York, on Long Island’s North Shore. Has degrees from Harvard and Yale and owns Lamont Digital Systems in Greenwich.

Lamont’s upset victory was fueled by online support from national activist organizations like MoveOn.org and DFA, which was born as Dean for America and is currently headed by Ho-Ho’s little brother Jimmy (who by the way did an outstanding job on Meet the Press two weeks ago going head-to-head with Lieberman-defender Lanny Davis).

Lieberman, as everyone knows, is now running as an independent. In fact, he’s leading Lamont 53-41 in a Quinnipiac poll released Thursday. You've got to see Joe's post-primary online statement. Who says Hollywood gets the best actors?

No need for panic. Joe was leading Ned 51-27 in a July 20 poll.

Lamont had the sparkle Friday night at Burlington’s Union Station. Told his story. How Lieberman’s lockstep support for Bush on the War in Iraq sickened him. And how Pennsylvania Rep. Jack Murtha, a Marine captain who picked up two Purple Hearts in the Vietnam War, inspired him when he courageously switched from hawk to dove last November.

When he went to see key Connecticut pols about finding somebody to challenge Big Joe from the left, Lamont said he was told, “Ah, we don't like primaries. He's a three-term incumbent. They got all these millions of dollars. It can't be done. If you feel so strongly about it, you do it!”

“So I said, ‘Maybe I will.’”

The rest is history. He decided to get in the race. And then one day he decided to go to a local DFA meeting at a diner in Norwalk. 

Turns out 125 Deaniacs showed and the response helped make Ned Lamont a household word and established Vermont-based  Democracy for America as a key new player in the brave new world of American politics. Said Lamont last night:

We had tens of thousands of Democrats register in the last couple months right before the primary. They’d had 18 years to register for Joe Lieberman.

I think they were registering because they wanted a change. We gave them something to believe in. It's hope and it's positive and I mean to do that.

Hope sure is a nice thing. It’s absence has been everywhere as recent polling has shown. Never in my lifetime have so few felt the country is heading in the right direction, just 26 percent in an Aug. 10-11 Newsweek poll. 

Why should they?

It isn’t!

One other Lamont line caught our ear at Union Station last night as he described his transformation from inexperienced political unknown to Democratic Party U.S. Senate nominee:

And there were these things called blogs. I didn't really know that much about blogs, but I do now.

Hey, Ned, don’t we all?

Comments

[SnarkyBoy]

Yeah, this makes a lot of sense: Giving $50 to a multimillionaire. What these Lamont Liberals don't get is that the public is tired of Democrats acting like Republicans, and there's nothing more Republican than a pricy chance to meet a rich guy. Personally, I'd hope these Democrats saved some cash for the embarrassingly ineffective campaigns of Welch and Parker.

To read more and enjoy a chuckle or two, click for a visit to Snarky Boy.

[John Burgess]

Peter: Glad to see you have entered the cyber world with such a great piece.
However, I could do without the Dunne materials which appeared along the margin. It raises an objectivity issue with folks who find him a bit much.

[Lunch Lady]

Seems to me I gave money to DFA, filled out their paperwork, not any from Lamont's campaign, though I have given to him CT being my home state.
DFA backed him early dispite the conventional wisdom, they (we) had a right to celebrate.
Ned was an excellent speaker, I've seen him on the cable line ups and he is very impressive.

[John Burgess for John Tracy]

Burgess, if your guy Tracy had the wherewithall to buy ad space on Freyne's blog, his face could be showing down the lefthand side of this blog as well. Instead he's plastered on city buses and mired in desperate attacks through Freyne's column. Are you equally upset that Bernie's there, too?

[Karen Ryder]

I have heard from Matt Dunne and John Tracy at DFA candidate forums. Both candidates have values and positions that I can support. However, Matt Dunne clearly has the energy, articulateness and vision that I am looking for in a candidate for Lt. Governor. I am fairly certain all VT DFA groups that have voted to support a Lt.Gov. candidate in the primaries have voted to support Matt Dunne. I think it is because he exudes these special qualities that convince DFA'ers that he outshines his primary Dem opponent and will do the best job for Vermont when he sits in the Lt. Gov's chair.