Lamont is exactly what Dems need

Mike Pernick completely misses the point when lamenting the money, time, and effort spent on Ned Lamont’s campaign for U.S. Senate (Why Ned Lamont is Bad for the Democratic Party, September 19).

In Pernick’s twisted world, it is somehow Lamont’s fault that Lieberman and his giant ego have not dropped out of the race after he lost the Democratic nomination. If Lieberman were a true Democrat, then Lamont would currently be cruising to victory and more attention would be focused on competitive House races in Connecticut. Unfortunately, that is not the case.

Furthermore, Pernick would have one believe that competitive elections should only happen between political parties, “not within them,” thus removing the power to shape a political party from the people and placing it instead in the hands of a party elite. Elected leaders would never be held accountable for their actions within a party if primary campaigns were somehow deemed taboo.

I agree that winning a Democratic majority in Congress should be a top priority for Democrats, but that majority is irrelevant if it doesn’t represent the majority Democratic view. Many progressives complain that the Democratic Party has lost its spine and want a party that will fight for its fundamental rights and beliefs such as not waging a war of choice predicated on lies that has killed thousands of people, squandered billions of dollars, and created a terrorist breeding ground for Al-Qaeda.

Ned Lamont is exactly what the Democratic Party needs, someone who will stand up for what is right and just, someone who will put a spine back into the Party. Elected leaders need to know they will be held accountable, whether in a primary or a general election. One of the most dangerous things that a democracy could do would be to decide that challenging entrenched incumbents is somehow antidemocratic. Lamont’s victory is a victory for the “big picture.” It is a victory for people-powered politics, for a truly democratic Democratic Party, and for a party that will actually reflect and fight for the values and ideals that Democrats hold dear.