Just back from a quick trip to Seattle. The Blue Angels were practicing for Seafair and we had the surreal experience of sitting in the 40th floor of a building and having to stop talking at several points because they were literally flying just by the window. I don't want to sound like a kid but it was really, really cool.
It's hard not to be in a good mood today. Weather's great. It's Friday. And this is the last weekend that Droopy Dog Joe Lieberman will be able to consider himself a Senator. Tuesday is a day I'm looking to savor.
Not to start the post-mortem prematurely, but the duality of the concept of "leadership" that's manifested itself in Lieberman's looming primary defeat is fascinating. There's a school of thought that defines leadership as taking a strong stand then bringing the people around to that principle. Lieberman clearly sees himself in this mold. Yet Lieberman is about to lose his seat precisely because he stuck so closely to this top-down leadership model and didn't listen to those that were supposed to be his "followers."
I've been trying to wrap my head around what this means. It could be because Lieberman really wasn't a leader but a follower himself, in this case of the President's horrible Iraq policy, that he lost support. Nobody wants to be a toady to a toady. It could mean that people are looking for principled leaders to follow but that doesn't make them lemmings. Push to bring about a fare living wage for all workers and you'll get some people to follow. Try and have cabbage declared a sentient being and you'll probably spend your time all alone on a street corner yelling like a lunatic.
One thing that can't be denied is the calcified leadership of the Democratic party understands what a Lieberman loss means and they're scared shitless.
They're scared shitless? Good - they should be.
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