Lieberman putting Dems on a leash

Lieberman has apparently stated that he will support Reid for Majority Leader (i.e., caucus with the Dems). Some have taken this to mean that he is still a firmly committed Democrat.

I have a more cynical interpretation.

I think this is simply a way for Lieberman to tie his fellow Democrats up in knots.

You see, in order for Lieberman to win, he has to get Republicans to vote for him. He can't do that if he is seen as being to close to the Democratic party. Especially if he continues to run with the "Democratic Party is being taken over by leftists" narrative.

So, in order for him to win this Fall, Lieberman will have to campaign against the party as a whole. His platform will be, "vote for me, because the rest of my party can't be trusted."

Lieberman will sabotage the Democratic narative. The only way the party can prevent this is to knock back at Lieberman. But, if they do that, they risk changing Lieberman's mind about endorsing Reid.

So, by saying he will endorse Reid now, Lieberman effectively holds down the entire party from helping out Lamont. The minute the party shows any signs of serious support for Lamont (not just endorsments and token contributions) then all Lieberman has to do is start making noise about his "displeasure" with the leadership.

Lieberman is playing the Democratic leadership for suckers if they believe that he is firmly committed to making Reid Majority Leader.