Connecticut Senate Debate: Lieberman vs. Lamont
On October 16th, 2006 the two major contenders in the Connecticut Senate race, Independent candidate Joseph I. Lieberman and Democratic candidate Ned Lamont, faced off in their first general-election debate in Stamford, Conn. Instead of fighting over Iraq as was expected, the candidates turned the debate into an attack on each other's campaigns and personal backgrounds. They chose to focus mainly on the issues of Social Security, the national deficit, and health care. Although they made some interesting arguments about these issues, the overwhelming focus was on criticizing their challenger's experience, affiliations, backgrounds, and personal character.
: http:--www.campaignnetwork.org-
Particularly striking was Mr. Lieberman's repeated insistance that he was fed up with the partisanship, bitterness, and personal hatred in our politics, yet his inability to refrain from engaging in this very behavior. He had no reservations about taking personal shots at Mr. Lamont's business and entrepreneurial experience and subsequent personal wealth. The debate was overshadowed by similar attacks unrelated to the issues at hand and a demand for apologies for advertisements and statements that were untrue or misleading.
Being that Mr. Lieberman and Mr. Lamont vary little to begin with on several issues, the focus on personal attacks only compounded the difficulty in distinguishing between the two. The debate ended with little clarification as to how the candidates differed with respect to their intentions for policy reform. The only substantial policy exchange in the debate came with the discussion of health care, which was in fact an issue on which both candidates had already made their positions quite clear. The debate left much to be desired and many questions unaddressed, and in large part this was a direct result of Mr. Lieberman and Mr. Lamont using their alloted 17 minutes of talking time to exchange one-liners and discredit each other's experience, integrity, and qualifications.
