Let's meet the man who’s going to give Joe Lieberman a run for his money

I’ll take a rest from all the Broadway talk. Although it is the season. I go through two phases a year where I’ll see a handful of shows in a row and then take a break for 6 months or so.

And I could get into my intense disappointment with JJ Abrams and the ALIAS series finale.

But instead I’ll try to add a little substance with politics. Light politics. I’m not really that well read, but I try to keep abreast of the issues that are are significant to me. And I got an email today from my old friend Howard Dean telling me about this new kid from Connecticut called Ned Lamont who’s going places. This race is bittersweet for me, as there was a time when Joe Lieberman represented an important hope for us Jews. My aunt and uncle used to live in CT and go to synagogue with the senator. They were always huge supporters of his. And a good friend of mine worked as his press secretary during the Clinton Impeachment hearings. Good old Joe was outspoken and moral. He managed to observe Shabbat and be a senator. Things were exciting for a while. But by the time he was a VP candidate on Al Gore’s Presidential ticket, things weren’t looking so good. It is entirely possible that his political agenda didn’t change that much, but I remember having mixed feelings about this centrist man who wanted to censor Hollywood. Then he started supporting G.W. Bush and all his wars. And now I am indifferent towards the man. So let’s here what his new competitor Ned Lamont has to say (from his website):

Why am I running?
I am running for the US Senate because we deserve a Senator who will stand up for Connecticut and stand up for our progressive democratic values. Rather than spending hundreds of millions of dollars a day in Iraq, it is time for America to refocus on issues back home: fixing our healthcare system, upgrading our schools, and rebuilding our aging infrastructure. We will start winning in Iraq as the Iraqis take control of their own destiny, just as America has to start investing again in our own future.
I would have led the opposition to Judge Samuel Alito’s nomination to the Supreme Court, which may soon be considering the South Dakota law which outlaws a woman’s right to choose even in the case of rape and incest. I will push for energy conservation and efficiency standards as the best means to energy independence and a cleaner environment.
In other words, I am running to be your Democratic Senator.