Author Topic: Ned Ned Ned  (Read 1409 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

BT

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 16141
    • View Profile
    • DebateGate
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 3
Ned Ned Ned
« on: October 13, 2006, 02:10:29 AM »
Ned Lamont belly-flops as his negative, purposeless campaign grinds down to its inevitable conclusion:

Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman angrily disputed a black leader's unsubstantiated accusation Wednesday that Lieberman lied about his civil rights work in Mississippi 43 years ago.

"Now, that's really outrageous and, of course, it is a lie," Lieberman said at a hastily called press conference, where he blamed the episode on his opponent, Ned Lamont.

Hours earlier, former state Treasurer Henry E. Parker had questioned Lieberman's oft-cited civil rights history as he and other black leaders endorsed Lamont.

"I'm saying that my view is there's no evidence of what he's done. Let him prove that he's been there," Parker said at a press conference attended by Lamont.

Lamont's campaign, which immediately seemed to grasp the political misstep, disavowed Parker's claim even before Lieberman produced news clippings placing him in Mississippi.

"We have no doubt that Sen. Lieberman was active in a variety of causes prior to his career as an elected official. We have not looked into his involvement in the civil rights movement and will not question Joe's involvement," the Lamont campaign said.

But the damage was done. The episode gave Lieberman an opportunity to reinforce a constant theme of his campaign - that Lamont has relentlessly distorted Lieberman's record in the contest for the U.S. Senate.

"Don't put this on Hank Parker. This is an open letter to me at a press conference for Ned Lamont," Lieberman said. "Ned Lamont was right there. He can't disown this."

Lamont stood with Parker and other members of the Connecticut Federation of Black Democratic Clubs as they endorsed Lamont and released an open letter to Lieberman. The letter disputed a television ad that recounts his civil rights involvement.

The Lamont campaign paid for 300 to 400 copies of the open letter in which the federation said that it was "offended by your television ad which claims you were an advocate for African Americans' first class citizenship and as such you marched for our civil rights."

The letter was a sharp attack on Lieberman, accusing him of exploiting the civil rights movement for political gain, but it stopped short of Parker's claim that Lieberman lied.

"Our research indicates that there is no evidence of you taking any action that could be described as initiative to remove the shackles of second class citizenship from African Americans," the letter said.

Although the letter contained some ambiguity, as it seemed to address the value of Lieberman's contribution to the movement, Parker flatly shared his belief that Lieberman lied about marching with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and going to Mississippi.

"I suspect that he was not there, and the reason I suspect that is because he's a guy who says anything to win," Parker said.

Ned, we hardly knew ye, but the Ned we are getting to know is desperate and unappealing.

http://justoneminute.typepad.com/main/2006/10/prove_there_was.html