Joe Lieberman's Reality: Public Is Equally Fed Up With Democrats And Republicans
May 1, 2007 -- 12:33 PM EST // //
Joe Lieberman is so committed to his vision of himself as a heroic and lonely warrior battling partisans and extremists on both sides that he actually would prefer for the Democratic Party to be failing in order to sustain that vision.
Is that an overstatement? Perhaps, but only slightly. How else to interpret Lieberman's remarks at a "civility conference" yesterday:
WASHINGTON -- Democrat-turned-independent Sen. Joe Lieberman said Monday a third-party candidate could emerge to shake things up in the 2008 presidential race unless the two major parties tackle the growing problem of "partisan polarization" that alienates many voters."I think the public is fed up," he said at a forum on civility and politics on Capitol Hill. "If the two major parties don't hear this going into '08, there is a real chance of an independent third-party candidacy -- and watch out if that happens."
Extremists in both parties are driving debate in the 2008 primary contests, said Lieberman, who was the Democrats' vice presidential nominee in 2000 and unsuccessful candidate for the party's 2004 presidential nomination.
The fastest growing political party in America, he said, is "no party."
But is the public "fed up" with both parties -- or only with the GOP? And isn't the Democratic Party actually growing, while the GOP is shrinking?
Lieberman's remarks betray as clearly as one could want the equal parts dishonesty and self-delusion lurking behind his repeated calls for "bipartisanship." He's so committed to the idea that the fighting between the parties is to blame for our problems that he's simply lost the ability to perceive the simple political reality that in the broadest sense, the public supports the Dems and wants them to succeed -- both generally and specifically in their partisan confrontations with Republicans.
Democratic party I.D. numbers are increasing:
Even more striking than the changes in some core political and social values is the dramatic shift in party identification that has occurred during the past five years. In 2002, the country was equally divided along partisan lines: 43% identified with the Republican Party or leaned to the GOP, while an identical proportion said they were Democrats. Today, half of the public (50%) either identifies as a Democrat or says they lean to the Democratic Party, compared with 35% who align with the GOP.
What's more:
(1) The favorability ratings of the Democratic Party have been improving over time.
(2) The American people now think the Democratic Party has "stronger" and "better" leaders.
(3) The approval ratings of Congressional Dems, and Dem Congressional leaders, are healthy despite a brutal and sustained effort by the GOP and its media lackeys to drag Dems down in advance of the Iraq showdown with the White House.
Look, I don't mean to oversimplify here. The overall picture is undoubtedly a complex one. Some poll numbers show anemic approval ratings for the overall Congress; other surveys show low approval numbers on the Dems' handling of specific issues; and the Dems have many tough choices ahead on Iraq that could cause the political landscape to change again. But I think in the broadest possible sense, the political reality is clear. Lieberman is so committed to what The New York Times calls his "warped version of bipartisanship" that he's completely unwilling -- or completely unable -- to see it.
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