Greenwich Dems Ask Clinton to Urge Lieberman to Withdraw
By Patricia McCormack
The blockbuster question of the week:
“Will President Bill Clinton urge Sen. Joe Lieberman to stop his campaign and support Ned Lamont, the Connecticut Democratic Party's official nominee for the U.S. Senate in the Nov. 7 election?”
That is the action requested of Clinton in an electrifying resolution adopted by a thunderous voice vote during last Thursday's Greenwich Democratic Town Committee (DTC) gathering in the Town Hall Meeting Room.
The resolution, drawn up by Peter Berg on Aug. 11, was approved by the DTC executive committee ahead of last Thursday's meeting.
At presstime, Berg said the adopted resolution was scheduled to be in the pipeline to President Clinton with a covering letter of transmittal from DTC Chairman Jim Himes.
Here is the resolution:
“Whereas, Ned Lamont and Senator Joe Lieberman engaged in a spirited campaign leading to a fair primary contest with record Democratic turnout; and
Whereas, the primary resulted in a clear victory for Ned Lamont; and
“Whereas, Senator Lieberman's announced decision to run against Ned Lamont betrays the party that supported him for decades and jeopardizes a safe Democratic seat in the U.S. Senate; and
“Whereas, President Clinton is the most senior and influential Democrat in the United States today; now therefore be it
“Resolved, that Greenwich Democrats call upon President Clinton to urge Senator Lieberman, in the strongest possible terms, to gracefully withdraw from the Senate race and support the Democratic nominee.”
Asking President Clinton to pressure Sen. Lieberman appears to be the ultimate in pressure at this point. Just prior to the Democratic primary election Aug. 8, President Clinton resoundly endorsed Lieberman over Greenwich's Lamont in a Waterbury rally. He sealed his endorsement by wrapping his arms around Lieberman.
Lieberman used footage from that scene in commercials televised throughout the state ahead of the voting. The Clinton endorsement appeared to be an ace in the hole for Lieberman's campaign.
Yet Lamont won by more than 10,000 votes. The next day Lieberman filed a petition containing 7,500 signatures with Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz to qualify for a run as an independent candidate for a new party — “Connecticut for Lieberman.”
Subsequently, national Democratic leaders, including Sen. Chris Dodd, Connecticut's other U.S. senator, Sen. John Kerry (Mass.) and former President Clinton have united behind the Democratic nominee, Lamont.
Lieberman, meanwhile, has gained support from New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg.
The Greenwich Citizen, among numerous newspapers within Connecticut and across the United States, has urged Lieberman to stop his independent campaign and support the bona fide winner of the primary — Lamont.
greenwichcitizen.com
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