Will Lieberman Democrats Vote For McCain?

Filed Under Democratic Party, Election 2008, Joe Lieberman, John McCain, Republican Party

Lieberman Democrats are the Democrats who feel that their party has gone too far leftward and has left them, much as Joe Lieberman has said of his former party.

Writes Ross Douthat of Joe Lieberman:

Michael Scherer doesn’t think much of Joe Lieberman’s “I didn’t leave the Democrats; the Democrats left me” remarks on “The Week” over the weekend. Here’s the quote:

Well, I say that the Democratic Party changed. The Democratic Party today was not the party it was in 2000. It’s not the Bill Clinton-Al Gore party, which was strong internationalists, strong on defense, pro-trade, pro-reform in our domestic government. It’s been effectively taken over by a small group on the left of the party that is protectionist, isolationist and basically will —and very, very hyperpartisan. So it pains me.

But as Reihan notes, Lieberman is factually correct: The Democratic Party has shifted leftward over the last decade, on the fronts he mentions as well as others. Moreover, among many of Lieberman’s left-liberal foes, this leftward shift is viewed as a great achievement, which suggests that they would be better served treating his comments as a compliment than as a calumny. It’s fair to pillory Lieberman for failing to change with the times; it’s a little strange to pillory him for merely pointing out that times have changed.

The question isn’t whether the left will continue to control the Democratic Party and Joe Lieberman is behind the times for not embracing the change, but whether the Lieberman Democrats will feel that their party has also left them behind in their leftward movement.

Remember that Ronald Reagan said something similar about the Democratic party.

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