Concern about a Lieberman-Weicker race:

I dislike Lieberman as much as most DUers, and I like Weicker, especially since he has had the guts to speak out against conservatives over his career and ultimately bail on the Republican Party to become an Independent. However, I'll give important caveat:
If Weicker challenges Lieberman as a 3rd-Party candidate, then he could become a Nader-like candidate and throw the race to a Republican. John Rowland got elected in 1994 partly because of a split in the progressive vote between the Democrat and Weickers Lt. Governor, who ran a ditant third. The race could become something like:
Generic Republican: 38%
Lieberman: 34%
Weicker: 28%


As much as I hate Lieberman, we need someone with a D next to their name in order to give us a higher count of Democrats in the Senate. The Republican candidate will vote for Bush's pick for Senate leader, and will support Republicans on procedural votes. Also, a split between the Liberal and Centrist candidates will make it easier for a Freeper to win, and not just an old Yankee Republican. Maybe Weicker could register as a Democrat and run against Lieberman in the primary?

Like his evil twin Zel Miller

I think Weicker is aware of that possibility and does not want to hand the seat over to an actual bone fide Republican. Your poll numbers are plucked from air, right? How about we wait until we see some actual poll numbers? Suppose instead they have:

Republican: 33%
Dino: 30%
Ind: 37%

I like that outcome a lot.

Third party contenders tend to split the vote wit hthe candidate that they are closest to ideologically (even if Lieberman is more conservative than Weicker, he is still closer to Weicker than whoever the Republicans have.)

he is very likely to pull votes from both sides.

people saying we need someone with a "D" next to their names. What does it matter if the person has a "D" next to their name when they VOTE and ACT like they've got an "R" next to their name. Really, how does that "D" help us? How did that "D" help those politicians account to those of us who adamantly wanted them to vote NO against giving * the greenlight to go to war?

When we have a 49-51 or a 50-50 Senate

Committee chairs etc. It does matter. However Weicker would represent core Democratic Party principles as an independent and would organize with the Democrats. So in this case it would be great news: one vile shithead less in the senate.

However, the fact that he and Lieberman are both very popular will split the Progressive and Centrist votes and put a Republican in power.

I told this to Nader voters in 2000, people who stayed home in 2002, and Nader voters in 2004:
If you hinder Democratic efforts to take back the White House or Congress, you are helping in creating a radical conservative SCOTUS. We won't need to worry about the nuclear option or ScAlito if we can just kill him and other judges in committee. While it's bad that Lieberman may support some of this Republican legislation, if we control the Senate, that legislation won't even get introduced.