An excellent post at Eschaton (far less common than it once used to be) quotes this great explanation of why it’s OK to bounce Joe.

Is that enough of a reason to oppose Lieberman? Sure, because it’s a huge error on one of the most fundamental questions of our time. It’s an error not of policy or of political loyalty, but of attitude. And it is not an error that I see others making. I heard Ed Kilgore today, on a bloggingHeads sequence, argue that if “the bloggers” come for Lieberman today, tomorrow they’ll go after Steny Hoyer or Hillary Clinton. I can’t speak for everyone, but while I have disagreements with Clinton and probably Hoyer, I’ve never heard them say things as deeply offensive to my sense of what democracy and patriotism requires as I’ve heard from Lieberman recently.

I think the “opposed the opposers” characterization captures quite nicely why anti-war people are still rather pissed off at a certain set of people. Too many pro-war people didn’t just set out to win their argument (such courage, supporting the official actions of a sitting government), but actively joined in to marginalize those of us who disagreed. It was a highly discouraging time in history, it was a highly disheartening time to be partcipating (in the tiny way that I was) in the public discourse. Even those who who supported the war should’ve had the sense to notice that the active marginalization of dissenters, and the general way this war was sold, was something to be troubled about.

I pretty much agree with the whole of the comments and would point out that this isn’t just a negative case against Lieberman. It also builds the affirmative case for Ned Lamont. He acknowledges the differences of opinion that permeate discussions about the war. As an elected official (in the past) and as a candidate, he’s shown a commitment to working with Republicans when that cooperation isn’t co-option.

That’s what Connecticut Democrats are clamoring for. It’s not about the specific issues alone, but because our representative in the Senate isn’t doing a good job of representing our views. We want a candidate who won’t then turn around and criticize us for not agreeing with the President. That’s all this is about, and there’s not a thing Joe Lieberman can do to change that perception because it’s true.

If Lieberman wins, it will be because of the chips he’s able to call in and because of the power of incumbency. I doubt many Democrats are voting for him.