I’d expect Lieberman to pull in some heavy Republican votes, which might be enough to put him over. But it depends on the depth of support for Lamont.

On the other hand, Lieberman and the GOP patsy could split the conservative vote and hand the seat to Lamont in a cakewalk.

If I’m betting money, the only thing I would bank on is that the seat will be de facto Democratic after the election.

Similarly, moderates in Georgia threw out the far-left McKinney–not because of her questioning the administration, but rather because she’s (for lack of a better phrase) “bat-shit crazy.” Couch the legitimate unanswered questions within some poise and sanity, and it’s amazing how much less fringe they’d seem…

In the first race, an antiwar upstart overthrows a moderate (conservative) pro-war Democrat. In the other, a radical Democrat is beaten by a more moderate one.

So is Ned Lamont the “face” of the Democratic Party? Or is Hank Johnson?

Or is point…

Less here than meets the eye from an expected outcome, perhaps, but still a defeat for the middle.

This is why the primary process is flawed and the nation has become so deadfully polarized. A small, energized group can swing a primary even more easily than a general election. By focusing its efforts in the primaries, the radical left and radical right have hijacked representative democracy and deprived the vast majority of the populace of candidates that reflects its values, leaving behind only stark contrasting candidates.

Further poisoning the water is the fact since the you must vote Democrat or Republican in the primary, local races can sway the middle to one side or the other for a particularly hot issue. I am not sure what the people in that 7th district were looking at besides the congressional race, but I know in my district I had to choose between a Republican primary for one state seat in one case versus a county race that involved two Democrats. Choosing one over the other meant my choice was not heard in both cases.

So, even though I am neither Republican or Democrat, I am going to be forced to choose one parties candidate I was not allowed to have a voice in.

And before some poor muddled person leaps in with “You shouldn’t be voting in a primary if you are not a party member since the primary is intended to choose a party candidate for the general election,” I AM PAYING FOR THE PRIMARY as a taxpayer. If the two parties wish to prevent me from voting, then PAY FOR THE DAMN PRIMARY yourself.

Why the middle stands for primaries that do not represent its best interests, boggles my mind.

My thoughts on that are here.

I’m surprised at how little attention the other incumbent loss is getting. Moderate Republican Joe Schwartz, a congressman from Michigan who enjoyed broad support among independent thinkers and endorsements from media on both left and right was beaten by an arch conservative who rode issues like abortion, a ban on gay marriage, harsh immigration laws, falg burning amendments…well, you get the picture.

Taken together, from the middle’s perspective, it was a bad day.

Two wins for polarization (Lamont far left and Walberg far right) and only one (Johnson) for the middle.

Personally, I am feeling depressed.

To me both Lieberman and Mckinney paid the price for political and personal arrogance. Joe Lieberman’s arrogance was his continued support of the President’s misguided and dangerous foreign policy and his refusal to see or take responsibility for his enabling this President’s continued undermining of America’s security and it’s values.

Cynthia McKinney on the other hand paid the price for her arrogance that revealed itself when she not only struck the Capitol police officer for doing his duty, but then continued to maintain for several days it was the police officer’s fault rather than her own.

This is an admittedly simple view of why both these incumbents lost, but I do think their defeats have more to do with their own failures to admit they may have been wrong more than their overall position on the political spectrum.

Democrats rightly do not like absolutists.

The fact that some might let that influence their vote points up one of the problems with party politics.

The voters in Lieberman’s district should vote for whomever they think is the best person for the job, regardless of party label. So should the voters in the South.

you may see that the lamont win could hurt strong southern democratic candidates like jim webb, harold ford, and others.

-http://americanmoderateparty.blogspot.com