I‘ve written before about the effort by the Democratic Netroots to defeat elected Democrats who fail to toe the liberal line. Yesterday was an important day in that effort, as many liberal blogs and activists had targeted for defeat Democratic Congressman Dan Lipinski. The effort fell short however, as Lipinski coasted to renomination by a margin of 53-26.
By failing to knock off Lipinski, the Netroots have probably liberated him in much the same way they did Joe LIeberman. The likelihood is that Lipinski has now taken the best shot that they Netroots can deliver, and prevailed easily. Is he likely to pay any attention to liberal activists from now on? Conservatives may want to take a lesson here. For many conservatives, John McCain is a junior grade Joe Lieberman. His willingness to partner with the other party on initiatives that many conservatives oppose drives them crazy. They see him as more willing to attack his fellow Republicans than Democratic opponents. Just as many in the Netroots would rather see a Republican win LIeberman’s seat — even if it put them in the minority — many conservatives are talking as if they’d rather see a Democrat elected than McCain. But where does that leave them if, like Lieberman, McCain wins anyway?
