John Nichols: Hillary Clinton sees Feingold's wisdom
By John Nichols, July 11, 2006
Capitol Times
U.S. Sen. Joe "I am a loyal Democrat" Lieberman's announcement that he will run for re-election as an "unaffiliated" independent if Connecticut Democratic primary voters reject him Aug. 8 has forced his fellow partisans in the Senate to decide whether they are more loyal to Lieberman or their party.
Initially, New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, the chairman of the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., sent pro-Lieberman signals. Not only were the party leaders backing the senator in an Aug. 8 primary against attractive anti-war challenger Ned Lamont, but Schumer hinted he might back Lieberman as an independent if Lamont gained the Democratic nomination - as seems increasingly likely.
On the other end of the spectrum is Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold, who has refrained from endorsing Lieberman and recently said on the NBC news show "Meet the Press" that he would "support the Democratic nominee, whoever that is."
Somewhat surprisingly, the Democratic senator who has come closest to echoing Feingold's stand is New York's Hillary Clinton.
Photo by Mike DeVries/The Capital Times
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., speaks at Wisconsin Women in Goverment recognition dinner at Monona Terrace in 2005.
Though Clinton is backing Lieberman in the primary, she won't back him if he runs as an independent.
"I've known Joe Lieberman for more than 30 years. I have been pleased to support him in his campaign for re-election and hope that he is our party's nominee," declared Clinton in a statement issued after Lieberman indicated that he will not honor the sentiments of Connecticut Democrats if they reject him.
"But," she added, "I want to be clear that I will support the nominee chosen by Connecticut Democrats in their primary. I believe in the Democratic Party, and I believe we must honor the decisions made by Democratic primary voters."
Clinton is actually closer to Lieberman on the question of when U.S. forces should withdraw from Iraq - the issue that led to the Lamont challenge after Lieberman emerged as the loudest Democratic support of the occupation in particular and Bush administration foreign policies in general.
But Clinton is politically smart. As a potential 2008 presidential candidate, she recognizes that she needs to keep on good terms with the party's base. That base is overwhelmingly anti-war, a fact confirmed by the strength of the Lamont challenge to Lieberman.
So Clinton's banging the party loyalty drum, saying that even if it means letting Lieberman loose, "the challenges before us in 2006 call for a strong, united party, in which we all support and work for the candidates who are selected in the democratic process."
With her statement on the Lieberman contest, Clinton sends signals regarding her own New York primary contest in September - she faces a spirited if uphill challenge from anti-war labor activist Jonathan Tasini - and the 2008 presidential race.
Clinton is trying hard to maintain a position that is at least close to the middle of the Democratic Party. Interestingly, as regards Lieberman, that has brought her into relative alignment with a supposed maverick: Russ Feingold.
What Clinton is starting to realize, of course, is that most Democrats do not see Feingold as the maverick. The anti-war Wisconsinite is very much in the Democratic mainstream.
It is Lieberman, the war supporter, who is out of sync with his party, as are those who might support him against the choice of his state's Democratic voters.
The Democratic Party in Washington may not be as anti-war as it should be. But, as Feingold recognized a long time ago, and as Clinton has come to realize, the great majority of Democrats are opposed to this war. And while they do not demand party loyalty at every turn, Democrats are not about to go out of their way to preserve the political career of a Bush-backing neo-con like Joe Lieberman.
John Nichols is associate editor of The Capital Times. E-mail: [email protected]
