Great take on the upcoming election by Paul Krugman...

[madinmaryland]

In a recent interview with The Hartford Courant, Senator Joseph Lieberman said something that wasn’t credible. When the newspaper asked him whether America would be better off if the Democrats took control of the House of Representatives next month, he replied, “Uh, I haven’t thought about that enough to give an answer.”

Why wasn’t this a credible answer? Because anyone with the slightest interest in American politics — a group that obviously includes Mr. Lieberman — is waiting with bated breath to see how this election goes, and thinking a lot about the implications. If the Democrats gain control of either house, no matter how narrowly, the American political landscape will be transformed. If they fail, no matter how narrowly, it will be seen, correctly, as a great victory for the hard right.

The fact is that this is a one-letter election. D or R, that’s all that matters.

It’s hard to think of an election in which the personal qualities of the people running in a given district or state have mattered less. Given the stakes, voters who answer “yes” to the question Mr. Lieberman claims not to have thought about should think hard about voting for any Republican, no matter how appealing. Conversely, those who answer “no” should think hard about supporting any Democrat, no matter how much they like him or her.

There are two reasons why party control is everything in this election.

The first, lesser reason is the demonstrated ability of Republican Congressional leaders to keep their members in line, even those members who cultivate a reputation as moderates or mavericks. G.O.P. politicians sometimes make a show of independence, as Senator John McCain did in seeming to stand up to President Bush on torture. But in the end, they always give the White House what it wants: after getting a lot of good press for his principled stand, Mr. McCain signed on to a torture bill that in effect gave Mr. Bush a completely free hand.

..snip
Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company


http://nevadathunder.com/?p=2902#more-2902

[Vexatious Ape]

1. Lieberman's looking like a snake in the grass.

[bowens43]

2. "this is a one-letter election. D or R, that’s all that matters."

Truer words have never been spoken. This is why I get so upset when I see people here at DU saying they won't vote for any Dem who doesn't favor immediate withdrawal fromm Iraq or any Dem who voted in favor of the torture bill etc. Any Dem who doesn't vote for the Dem candidate because of his/her stance on any issue is a fool.

This is about who sets the agenda. Dems or Republicans. There is no way in hell that the country or the world will be improved if Repubs retain control. The only way to stop the neo-cons is to control the agenda.