CT GOP to replace Schlesinger as Senate candidate?

Please, please let this be true...



If Orchulli enters the race, he'll draw enough votes away from Lieberman's right flank to make this a slam-dunk victory for Lamont.

http://tpmcafe.com/blog/electioncentral/2006/aug/11/ct_sen_is_a_real_gop_candidate_about_to_enter_race
http://thepoliticker.observer.com/2006/08/a-republican-headache-for-lieberman.html

This is hard to picture... in view of the reaction of Bush, Rove, et al to Lieberman's defeat.

They seem clearly to have decided to cast their lot with Nomentum... control of the Senate notwithstanding.

Strange world... Why do we even have primaries?

What is the purpose of voting if the party is just going to run whoever the hell they want to anyway? What is the purpose of passing laws that the president is just going to nullify anyway with his "signing statement"? Why is the GOP even interested in government in the first place, since they seem to have such a marked antipathy to its structures and procedures? Best to just drop out, hole up in a shack in the wilderness, and wait for Armageddon whilst polishing your guns.

Senate candidate. He was chosen at the GOP convention.

I guess the party can do whatever it wants, then. I know that if I was a Republican in Connecticut, I'd like a little more direct participation from the hoi polloi in selecting candidates for such a major office as United States Senator than simply going along with whatever choice the party pooh-bahs foisted on me.

Or maybe I wouldn't, since I'd be a Republican and accustomed to having my "betters" make my decisions for me. Hard to say.

Senate seats are considered to be locks by Democrats. I read an article recently that was referring to the GOP convention to pick the nominee for Senate. A lot of the audience members supposedly make "baaa" noises (lambs going to the slaughter)when the person finally gets picked. They look at it more as "who is willing to get their ass kicked this time." It isn't considered competitive so therefore it is only one person that comes out of the convention. If there were two or more (as with the Democrats) then they would have to have a primary.

Although, to their credit, the CT GOP recognizes what it thinks is an opportunity and is moving on it. I just don't think they'll get much traction, but their party nominee will exceed their expectations from early this year: The Republican candidate for the Senate in Connecticut will get more votes than Joe Lieberman.

Unfortunately, he'll get fewer votes than the winner, Ned Lamont.

I'd love to see this.

Besides, Loserman won't last long in the race without GOP money.

Have Joe bash Lamont for a month or so, replace the weak republican with a strong one. Have Joe step down to become Secretary of Defense. Lieberman withholds throwing his support to Lamont, and the republicans gain the seat.

Connecticut is the second most anti-Bush state in the country, second only to Rhode Island.

When even a moderate Republican like Shays is fighting for his political life, it's a sure sign that GOP candidates in Connecticut are completely unviable for Federal office.

The only scenario under which this is a horserace is the current one, in which Connecticut Republicans are forced to choose between Lieberman and Schlesinger, and overwhelmingly vote for Joe.

Remove either one from the equation, and neither of them gets enough votes to beat Lamont.

-MR

is being given some rein here. Which means they don't like propping up Liebermann for the Cheney crowd.
It is not a monchrome Bushista empire, in other words, but pride of local politics. I suggested that yesterday that the locals might have natural other ideas than the twisted "bi-partisan" Rove strategy.

I expect though, that the right pressure will be found to keep Shclesinger in place so as not to distract from the national issue and special interest of having Lieberman tear into the Dem "insurgents" and getting back in. Bushco can still profit from the race even with a legit GOP candidate, but they will not settle for less out of respect for the locals. Hah!

Remember Lieberman still has some loyal followers among Democrats. He could split the Democratic vote enough to give the win to Orchulli who is a much stronger candidate than Schlesinger. So this would not necessarily be good for lamont.

which would be beneficial to Lamont. The only worry is if the Republican is too strong and wins, but I highly doubt that. Schlesinger polls 5-10%. The Republican needs to poll 33%+ to be a threat, and that is very far off.

...but here goes: What do we know? Ken Mehlman, RNC Chair, recently refused to endorse the offical GOP nominee (Schlesinger), which strongly suggests the WH (e.g. Rove) is cooking up one of his famously bone-headed mechanations. We also know that, despite the denials, it's pretty certain Rove and Leiberman are communicating. We also know that Schlesinger is under increasing pressure by Republicans to drop out; and Leiberman will undoubtedly be under increasing pressure by Democrats to drop out. From the Rovian point of view, the obvious solution is to have Schlesinger drop out, and be replaced by Leiberman (who obviously has no greater loyalty than to himself), in the calculation that Leiberman can pull enough right-wing/pro-Israel/pro-occupation Democrats and Independents, plus enough Republicans to hang on to his seat. Also, as an endorsed (Republican) Party candidate with a credible chance to win, Leiberman can continue to tap the corporate PAC's that have bankrolled his entire career--doesn't matter to them which Party he belongs to, as long as he remains in the Senate to do their bidding. There are still too many variables to say this is probable, but it does remain something of a distinct possibility.