This image was removed due to legal reasons. Former Senator Joe Lieberman, a laughingstock, turncoat ex-Democrat whose name is shorthand for “spoiler,” has a novel idea for Democratic kingpin Joe Crowley, who was felled by left wing newcomer Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the primary: Try running third party! Advertisement Liberman put that idea forward in a Tuesday evening op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, where he argued Crowley should mount a third party campaign. This is theoretically doable, thanks to New York’s ballot rules. Although Ocasio-Cortez won a definitive, stunning victory over the longtime Queens Democrat late last month, Crowley won the race on the Working Families Party line as their endorsed candidate, so he is technically still on the November ballot. When Ocasio-Cortez recently called him out for what looks like positioning for a spoiler campaign ahead of the general, Crowley claimed he’s not running but would not vacate the line. Lieberman’s idea is for him to also take back his vow not to run an active campaign. There’s precedent for this, of which Lieberman is intimately aware. After losing to a political upstart by double digits in the 2006 Democratic primary, the Connecticut congressman subverted the will of the voters and launched a third party race to win re-election. So, yes, please, do make your case for the future of the party, No Labels Joe (emphasis added throughout): Joe Crowley’s re-election would be evidence that Democrats are capable of governing again. His voting record shows that Mr. Crowley is a progressive. I know him as a bridge builder and problem solver, which is exactly what Congress needs more of in both parties. Crowley was hand-picked for his seat by the outgoing congressman and, before Ocasio-Cortez, hadn’t faced a primary challenge in 14 years. His re-election would be the dictionary definition of upholding the status quo, i.e. Democrats not governing very well! ! As to whether Crowley should indeed campaign on the Working Families line—or cede the over-and-done race once and for all—it’s not hard to guess where Lieberman will fall: Mr. Crowley faces a difficult choice. I know because I faced the same one in 2006 after losing a Democratic primary. I ran as an independent because I wanted all the voters to decide whether I deserved to continue to serve them in the Senate. It was a risk, but I concluded it was worth it to know that I had taken my fight for the kind of government I believed in as far as I possibly could. YOUR OWN PARTY’S VOTERS CAME OUT TO SAY THEY DIDN’T WANT YOU AND YOU WOULDN’T TAKE “NO” FOR AN ANSWER! I am convulsing: For the sake of Congress and our country, I hope Joe Crowley will give all the voters of his district the opportunity to re-elect him in November—and I hope they find his name on their ballots. Advertisement Crowley is already dragging his heels on dropping off the ballot—he’s claimed on Twitter that he could basically only pull this off if he dies or moves out of state—and now Ocasio-Cortez will have to spend valuable time and money treating him as a real concern when she could be devoting those resources to boosting other progressive candidates in close races around the country. When the voters speak, elected officials should listen. The advice Lieberman should be dispensing based on his own experience: Go quietly or with a genuine expression of solidarity or risk becoming a political pariah. Update, 5:30 PM: In a statement from New York Working Families Party Director Bill Lipton, the party laid into Lieberman as a warmonger and “disgraced” former senator and said they’ll go “all out” to elect Ocasio-Cortez:<doc-sep>Ocasio-Cortez "seems likely to hurt" the Democratic Party, Lieberman said. Joe Lieberman, an ex-senator with personal experience coming back after losing a primary challenge, is urging New Yorkers to vote for Rep. Joe Crowley, the longtime Democratic incumbent who lost to progressive Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in an upset that sent shock waves through the Democratic establishment. Ocasio-Cortez’s victory “seems likely to hurt Congress, America and the Democratic Party,” Lieberman, a Connecticut Independent, wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed. He encouraged voters to support Crowley, whose name, as of now -- through a quirk of New York election law -- will appear on the ballot as the nominee of the Working Families Party. Crowley has insisted he’s not running and has stated his support for Ocasio-Cortez. However, in a Twitter feud last week, Ocasio-Cortez said Crowley intends to mount a third-party challenge to her general election campaign in November. Lieberman is currently senior counsel at Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP, the law firm of President Trump’s longtime lawyer Marc Kasowitz. In 2006, he lost the Democratic primary for Connecticut senator to Ned Lamont, who ran against hawkish Lieberman on an anti-war platform. Unlike Crowley, Lieberman had discussed a backup option before his primary defeat, resolving to campaign as an independent if he lost. Immediately following Lamont’s victory, Lieberman vowed to campaign through November, and he went on to defeat Lamont in the general election, running as an independent on the “Connecticut for Lieberman” ticket. Wednesday morning, Crowley tweeted: “Still not running.” Crowley has said he will support Ocasio-Cortez and even sang “Born to Run” in her honor after her victory. “So much for “Born to Run,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted last Thursday in reference to Crowley’s refusal to take his name off the ballot. The Working Families Party, caught in the crossfire, had originally endorsed Crowley in the primary but has since enthusiastically backed Ocasio-Cortez. On Wednesday, the party strongly disavowed Lieberman’s opinion piece on Twitter, writing that New York voters shouldn’t take their cues from the ex-Senator. In the same thread, the party wrote: “We asked [Crowley] to remove himself from the November ballot, but he refused.” If Crowley decides to be removed from the ballot, his clearest option is to be nominated by the Working Families Party to a different race. Bill Lipton, the Working Families Party’s New York director, told ABC News that the party offered Crowley an alternate endorsement in order to vacate the ballot line, but Crowley declined. “There are routine procedures to remove candidates from the ballot in New York, and we were disappointed that Crowley refused to work with us to get off of the ballot line,” Lipton told ABC News. Crowley's presence on the ballot is unlikely to affect the outcome of the race. “It’s a ballot switcharoo charade [Crowley] doesn’t want to participate in, and he’s endorsed her, and there’s no doubt that she will win," veteran election lawyer Jerry H. Goldfeder told ABC News. As of now, however, Crowley will remain an option for voters. A campaign spokesperson for Crowley declined to say whether he intends to remove his name from the ballot. "Joe Lieberman has every right to his opinion. Joe still isn't running," the spokesperson said in a statement to ABC News. Ocasio-Cortez, who is a card-carrying member of the Democratic Socialists of America, defeated Crowley by a 15-point margin after campaigning on a left-wing platform of social and economic justice. In his article, Lieberman argued that Ocasio-Cortez will shift the Democratic party too far left, imperiling Democrats’ chances to take back the House and Senate in upcoming midterm elections. “If Democrats are to regain a majority, it will be by winning swing districts with sensible, mainstream candidates,” Lieberman wrote, pointing out that Nancy Pelosi has distanced herself from the left-wing insurgent. In a further twist, Lamont, the candidate who defeated Lieberman in the 2006 primary, is currently running for Connecticut governor against Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim. Lamont is heavily favored to win. The Ocasio-Cortez campaign declined to comment, and Lieberman did not respond to a request for comment.<doc-sep>Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez may have beaten Rep. Joe Crowley (D-NY) soundly in New York's 14th congressional district race (and won a neighboring district race she didn't even enter), but some top Democrats are still urging voters not to buck the establishment quite yet. According to former Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, the young progressive's radical agenda will do the party no favors. Not only did Lieberman basically tell New Yorkers to play it safe with the experienced lawmaker Crowley, but in a very detailed op-ed for the Wall Street Journal he warned his party what their future would look like if more Ocasio-Cortezes start winning elections. Because the policies Ms. Ocasio-Cortez advocates are so far from the mainstream, her election in November would make it harder for Congress to stop fighting and start fixing problems. Thanks to a small percentage of primary votes, all of the people of New York’s 14th Congressional District stand to lose a very effective representative in Washington. Fortunately, Joe Crowley and the voters in his district can prevent this damage. On Election Day, his name will be on the ballot as the endorsed candidate of the Working Families Party. But for Mr. Crowley to have a chance at getting re-elected, he will have to decide if he wants to remain an active candidate. I hope he does. Her "dreams of new federal spending would bankrupt the country," he adds. Lieberman's interjection into the campaign irked the Working Families Party, who had switched their endorsement from Crowley to Ocasio-Cortez. The group reminded voters that Lieberman was a "disgraced" washout. New York voters aren't going to take their cues from @JoeLieberman, a disgraced ex-senator who now works as a lawyer at Donald Trump's law firm. 1/ https://t.co/pgBBN8hBrE — NY Working Families (@NYWFP) July 18, 2018 Reminder that this is the same Joe Lieberman who: ? Undercut Dems in the 2000 recount ? Cheered Bush-Cheney's march to war ? Lost his primary in 2006 & refused to accept the result ? Endorsed GOP vs Obama in 2008 ? Killed Medicare expansion & public option in 2009 2/ — NY Working Families (@NYWFP) July 18, 2018 As for Crowley, he may have appreciated Lieberman's endorsement, but he rained on his fellow Joe's parade with three simple words. Still not running. — Joe Crowley (@JoeCrowleyNY) July 18, 2018 Democrats in Washington also tempered Ocasio-Cortez's win as an anomaly, not the norm. "They made a choice in one district," Pelosi said in her analysis. "So let’s not get yourself carried away as an expert on demographics and the rest of that." As you can see, Ocasio-Cortez's upset victory is quickly being overshadowed by intra party politics.<doc-sep>
Ex-Sen. Joe Lieberman is knocking progressive superstar Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as a hard-core leftist whose election to Congress would damage the Democratic Party — and he’s urging Rep. Joe Crowley to jump back into the race. “Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s surprise primary victory over Rep. Joe Crowley seems likely to hurt Congress, America and the Democratic Party. It doesn’t have to,” the former Connecticut lawmaker, who remains influential among party members, wrote in the Wall Street Journal. “Because the policies Ms. Ocasio-Cortez advocates are so far from the mainstream, her election in November would make it harder for Congress to stop fighting and start fixing problems,” he continued, calling for New Yorkers to vote for Crowley. “Fortunately, Joe Crowley and the voters in his district can prevent this damage. On Election Day, his name will be on the ballot as the endorsed candidate of the Working Families Party,” Lieberman wrote. He then urged Crowley — who has vowed to back his one-time rival — to resume campaigning. “For Mr. Crowley to have a chance at getting re-elected, he will have to decide if he wants to remain an active candidate. I hope he does,” Lieberman said, before branding the woman who upset him in a shocking primary a hard-core socialist with extreme leftist views who would “bankrupt the country.” But Crowley responded on Twitter: “Still not running.” Ocasio-Cortez has also called for the abolition of ICE, a movement the GOP has used on a national level to attack Democrats as weak on crime and immigration. “Republicans are calling Ms. Ocasio-Cortez the ‘new face’ of the Democratic Party. That’s why Nancy Pelosi has tried to put distance between Ms. Ocasio-Cortez and House Democrats. “They made a choice in one district,” Pelosi said dismissively after the upset. “It is not to be viewed as something that stands for anything else.” Crowley’s re-election, Lieberman continued, “would be evidence that Democrats are capable of governing again. His voting record shows that Mr. Crowley is a progressive. I know him as a bridge builder and problem solver, which is exactly what Congress needs more of in both parties.” Ocasio-Cortez also caused controversy in a recent interview when she said America wasn’t founded on capitalism and called Israel an “occupation” force over the Palestinian territories. The political newcomer — appearing on PBS’s “Firing Line” on Friday — was simply asked, “What is your position on Israel?” Ocasio-Cortez responded by calling for a two-state solution and defending Israel’s absolute right to exist. When pressed to elaborate, Ocasio-Cortez added: “I also think that what people are starting to see, at least, in the occupation of Palestine is just an increasing crisis of humanitarian condition.” Asked about using the hot-button word “occupation,” she backed off. “Oh I think — what I meant is like the settlements that are increasing in some of these areas and places where Palestinians are experiencing difficulty in access to their housing and homes,” she said. She chuckled and tried to laugh off her blunder. “I am not the expert on geopolitics on this issue,” she said.