Why are Democrats Abandoning Lieberman?
BECK: All right. Before the break, I asked the question, Winston Churchill, is he even around? Who`s listening to him if he is? We`re looking for the kind of people that stand up for what they believe in, no matter who might disagree with them, no matter what the consequences. Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman may be that kind of guy. You know, I`ve had my differences with Joe Lieberman. Joe and I are friends. We`ve known each other for an awful long time. I`m a conservative. He is a Democrat, but I live in Connecticut and voted for the guy. You know, part of my problem with Joe Lieberman is he is an absolute loyal foot soldier, man. He`s been a champion of the state of Connecticut for 18 years. He was also Al Gore`s running mate in 2000. He disagreed with a lot of what Al Gore said, but he was a good foot soldier. You don`t get more blue state than this guy, yet, he disagrees with his party on a pretty big issue, and that is the war in Iraq. The Democrats are going nuts. There is a campaign now started by the radical left trying to get Lieberman to lose his primary August 8. What kind of big tent is that, man? Joe, come on out of the Democratic Party if that`s what -- how they`re going to treat you. In the other party, the Republicans, they`ve got Log Cabin Republicans. You`ve got a bunch of conservatives and homosexuals together. How does that work out? That`s the way it`s supposed to be, a big tent. If you`re a Democrat and you don`t fall in line with the rest of your party, here`s the message they`re currently sending you: you`re finished. You tell me who`s wagging the dog here. Political analyst Steve Gill joins me now. Back in `92, Steve, you were with the White House -- you were appointed to White House fellowship and served with both Bush and Clinton.</s>STEVE GILL, POLITICAL ANALYST: The Clinton administration is still embarrassed by that fact, I think.</s>BECK: Lieberman is losing ground.</s>GILL: Yes. I`m not sure I see the connection between him and Winston Churchill. He`s too skinny and doesn`t drink enough and isn`t, clearly, as colorful as Winston Churchill.</s>BECK: Right.</s>GILL: And yet you have a whole cast of characters, I think, also vying for the roll of Neville Chamberlain in this war on terror that most on the left are denying even is a war. I do thing that Joe Lieberman, like Winston Churchill, though, is a voice in the wilderness saying let`s be reasonable here. In the past foreign policy has ended at the nation`s shores. We don`t quibble about defending our country, and for that sin the Democrats are trying to throw Joe Lieberman out of the party.</s>BECK: On my radio program, it was right after the Democratic convention the last time around. I made a comment and got all kinds of heat for it. I said the Democrats have lost their soul, and that`s the -- the moment was when they put President Jimmy Carter in with Michael Moore. And I really truly believe there are a lot of the people in the Democratic Party thought they were using people like Michael Moore, and what happened was at that point Michael Moore and that -- and the extreme left was using the Democratic Party. They have lost their soul to the extreme left.</s>GILL: I don`t think they`ve lost it. I think they`ve sold it to the extreme left, and here`s the sad thing. You have a situation now where the Democratic Party, at least the extreme wing of the Democratic Party, the mantra that they worship is who hates Bush more. Joe Lieberman does not hate George Bush enough for the left in Connecticut. That`s why they want to throw him out. And when the only test of your loyalty to a party now is how much do you hate the president and his enemies are our enemies, you have what we seem to be seeing, which is the left being willing to even align themselves with terrorists because, well, Bush is against the terrorists, so we must be with them. Bush is with Israel, so we have to oppose Israel. And it has really pushed them way off the cliff on the left.</s>BECK: Is it true that Hollywood is actually financing a good portion of money for his opponent?</s>GILL: They`re shifting a lot of money behind Ned Lamont in Connecticut, which is kind of interesting. You know, the left hates rich people unless it`s people who didn`t earn their money and get rich by earning it. They love the Kennedies. They know Ned Lamont because they inherited money and got rich the old-fashioned way. If you actually earn it and get rich, they hate you. If you get it from other people, maybe become a trial lawyer, take it from people after they`ve earned it, the left loves you. And that`s what they`ve got in Ned Lamont, a guy that can fund his own campaign and still is down a few points to Joe Lieberman, but certainly, with the money he`s able to throw into that race could catch up. Here`s a great irony for you. What if Ned Lamont beats Lieberman in that Democratic primary and then Joe Lieberman runs as an independent and gets elected in the fall? Does he then vote with the Democrats who have just been bashing him to get them out of the party, or does he do what -- the opposite of what Jim Jeffords did when he became an independent? Does he vote at least operationally with the Republicans to put them back in power?</s>BECK: To me, that`s too much war gaming. No, no, seriously. I`m a guy who, I`ve got a life, man. I don`t care about politics for politics sake. I want to have these guys to actually do something, you know? I mean, that`s what I like about Joe Lieberman. On this particular issue, he`s very, very clear on what he knows and what he believes, and he`s not going to take any crap for it. I will tell you this. And this is one of the reasons why I bring it up. Democrats, I got news for you, and the Republicans. Let me say the same thing to you. You both have sold your souls. The Republicans, I don`t even recognize you anymore. You have all these spending programs, and everything is giant government and this is the first day that Bush pulls out a veto? I don`t even know who you people are anymore. Stand up for your values. And the same thing with the Democrats. My grandparents died Democrats, because they just could not leave the party of FDR, and I got news for you, man. FDR is spinning in his grave like a lathe right now, a country that -- that has a bunch of politicians that don`t even want to stand up and defend themselves.</s>GILL: And as you mentioned at the outset of the show, we are in World War III. What`s going to be the Duke Ferdinand moment? I was actually over in the Middle East just a few weeks ago. Let me give you one example. What if all of a sudden we put troops in and get Osama bin Laden, but that knocks Musharraf out of power in Pakistan? Taliban, al Qaeda takes over? All of a sudden we`re in World War III big time.</s>BECK: Steve, thanks a lot. We`ll talk to you again.</s>GILL: Thanks.</s>BECK: You know, I do live in Connecticut. And you know, the people who are running against Joe Lieberman -- because it really is. I mean, the charges are just like -- it`s like eighth grade. You know, you listen to listen an eighth grade election. Who`s going to be the president of eighth grade? Well, here you go. We`ve got an ad for you. Go ahead; run this one.</s>ANNOUNCER: Joe Lieberman wants you to think that his 18 years of service as a U.S. senator actually means something, but here`s what he doesn`t want you to know. Senator Lieberman likes to eat paste. Lieberman actually had cooties, twice. Joe and George sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G. On August 8, vote for anybody but Joe.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Joe who?</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Joe who?</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Joe who?</s>ANNOUNCER: Joe Mama.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello. I`m Senator Joe Lieberman, and I`m actually offended by this message.