Cokie Roberts Shocks George Stephanopoulos: Lamont Victory Disaster For Democrats

Something amazing happened on ABC’s “This Week” Sunday: Cokie Roberts practically floored host George Stephanopoulos with the political truth that most impartial individuals already know (video to follow). The discussion centered on what it would mean for the Democratic Party if Ned Lamont beat Joe Lieberman in Connecticut next week. Stephanopoulos asked Roberts, “How did this happen?” After a somewhat lengthy explanation, Roberts said, “But it's, I think, a disaster for the Democratic Party, and it's going to be very interesting to see what happens as a result of it.”

Stephanopoulos looked stunned, and asked: “Disaster for the Democratic Party? Why?” Roberts elaborated:

Yes, I do because I think, first of all, that pushing the party to the left, which is what's likely to happen, is pushing the party to the position from which it traditionally loses, and…in presidential elections but also it will send a signal to everybody in the Senate, watch out, the only smart thing to do here is play to your base, and then what that means is that your legislation becomes a mess, which it already is but even more of a mess, and you get…So you get just a total chaos.

George Will also seemed a little surprised by Cokie’s statements, and had a telling smile on his face while he watched. When it was his turn, he concurred:

It will terrify Republicans for 2006 but 2008 I think Cokie may be right. Between 1968 and 1972 the Democratic Party went into stark, hard and nearly unanimous opposition to an unpopular war in Vietnam but they did so in a way that made them unpopular…in the process, so if the blogosphere and Moveon.Org dragged the party to the left it will be a disaster.

Cokie chimed back in:

Well, and it certainly – and Bill Clinton, it's also no accident that Bill Clinton is the only Democrat who has been elected president for two terms since Franklin Roosevelt, because he was a Democrat in the middle from the south with a very strong acquaintanceship with scripture. All of that and I think you start, you know, talking about the liberal blogs and all that taking over the party and it will be a disaster.

Stephanopoulos was clearly shocked:

I do agree with that, and I want to bring this to you, Sam, but, but, but I think you're both underestimating the power of this war and how that overwhelms the traditional left/right as Ned Lamont said divisions.

Funny stuff. What follows is an edited caption dump transcript, along with a video link.

GS: Time now for the round table. I am joined, as always, by George Will. Welcome back to Sam Donaldson and Cokie Roberts. Let's start with the Lieberman race. Joe Lieberman is not the only Democrat, far from it, to support the war. Let me ask you the question I asked him, how did this happen?

Cokie Roberts: I think Connecticut is a more liberal state. You start there. It's very blue, and you've got the guy with a lot of money who is able to come in and take advantage of it. But it's, I think, a disaster for the Democratic Party, and it's going to be very interesting to see what happens as a result of it.

GS: Disaster for the Democratic Party? Why?

Cokie: Yes, I do because I think, first of all, that pushing the party to the left, which is what's likely to happen, is pushing the party to the position from which it traditionally loses, and --

GS: In presidential elections.

Cokie: In presidential elections but also it will send a signal to everybody in the Senate, watch out, the only smart thing to do here is play to your base, and then what that means is that your legislation becomes a mess, which it already is but even more of a mess, and you get --

GS: That much is --

Cokie: So you get just a total chaos.

Sam: Cokie, at this point it's playing to the country. It's not just your base, opposing the war, and it happened because George Bush was able to say last year as “Senator Lieberman said, Senator Lieberman believes” because it's not just that he supported going into Iraq and all of that, but he came back last year and said “the strategy is working,” and, of course, it's not working and I think that's what got him in trouble.

GS: George, Cokie says it's a disaster for the Democratic Party and clearly has divided the Democratic Party but I wonder if Lamont wins big on Tuesday, we don't know what’s going to happen, but if he wins big on Tuesday if that will also shoot some fear through Republican ranks. I mean basically Republicans to a person who have supported the war supported President Bush on the war.

GW: It will terrify Republicans for 2006 but 2008 I think Cokie may be right. Between 1968 and 1972 the Democratic Party went into stark, hard and nearly unanimous opposition to an unpopular war in Vietnam but they did so in a way that made them unpopular…

Cokie: Right.

GW:  …in the process, so if the blogosphere and Moveon.Org dragged the party to the left it will be a disaster. There is a reason why Bill Clinton went up to campaign for Lieberman and that's the same reason Bill Clinton went to Washington state to campaign for Senator Cantwell, another Senator who voted for the war and has not recanted on that. Lieberman's model on Vietnam -- I'm sorry, on Iraq is to some extent Hillary Clinton’s model and --

Cokie: Well, and it certainly – and Bill Clinton, it's also no accident that Bill Clinton is the only Democrat who has been elected president for two terms since Franklin Roosevelt, because he was a Democrat in the middle from the south with a very strong acquaintanceship with scripture. All of that and I think you start, you know, talking about the liberal blogs and all that taking over the party and it will be a disaster.

GS: I do agree with that, and I want to bring this to you, Sam, but, but, but I think you're both underestimating the power of this war and how that overwhelms the traditional left/right as Ned Lamont said divisions.

Video Link courtesy of Crooks and Liars.