After incumbent Sen. Joe Lieberman a few days ago announced that he will leave the Democratic Party and run as an independent if he loses the primary, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) and some senior Democrats refused to say they would support the eventual winner of that Democratic primary election, if that winner is not Lieberman. In response, I and other progressive activists, writers and bloggers asked as many people as possible to get in touch with the DSCC and their Democratic Senators and demand they respect the will of Democratic primary voters, and not abet Lieberman's efforts to invalidate a democratic election. Today, the first fruits of our efforts are being reaped, as the DSCC appears to be caving to our demands. The announcement shows, once again, that a real progressive movement is being built - a grassroots movement that will give orders, rather than simply take them from insulated power brokers in Washington.
According to a breaking news report by Raw Story, the DSCC today announced it "is likely to back the winner of the Democratic primary in Connecticut, meaning that Lieberman may be left without national allies for campaign money." Specifically, "a senior Democratic party official confirmed that the DSCC is unlikely to back Lieberman should he lose the primary to Ned Lamont."
This announcement comes a day after Sen. Hillary Clinton (D) broke with other Democrats like Sen. Chris Dodd and Chuck Schumer (D) and said, unequivocally, she will not back Lieberman if he loses the Democratic primary.
Obviously, the important word from the DSCC is "likely" - that still leaves them the opportunity to reverse themselves. So if you haven't already, get in touch with the DSCC by calling them at 202-224-2447 or email at info@dscc.org. Tell the DSCC to respect its own mission that promises to help elect Democrats - not opportunists like Lieberman who, when faced with an election loss, would leave the party and try to invalidate an election as a way to hold onto power.
UPDATE: TMP Cafe's Rachel Weiner reports that "An anonymous DSCC senior staffer told CNN today that the committee will most likely support the primary winner" - a confirmation of the Raw Story report.