Angry rich boy makes good....with 1/10th of CT voters....

Lamont beat Lieberman and leftist bloggers everywhere are claiming a thunderous victory over anyone who doesn't toe the extreme leftist line.

Now while a victory is a victory is a victory, it should be noted well that only 1/10th of Connecticut's voters made a mad dash for the voting booths. The operative word being "mad".

There has long been a debate among political intelligensia as to what truly motivates voters to vote. Leftists seem to believe that the right votes to protect what it has through lower taxes, less government, etc. A sad miscalculation on their part, actually.

Many on the right believe that the left votes purely on emotion. Also a sad miscalculation.

The truth is significantly more diffuse, as the Lamont/Lieberman race clearly demonstrates. People have different methods of obtaining and digesting information -- they also have very different ways of utilizing that information. It isn't by genetics, race, gender or even culture -- it is purely by psychographics and in some cases, experiential learning.

The 1/10th of voters who put Lamont into the catbird seat were mad -- plain, old fashioned angry -- and they voted their anger. Anger is valuable as an electoral commodity in a low turnout election. But it isn't a sustained guarantee, nor does it trump one key factor -- the survival instinct.

As today's events should demonstrate to any thinking person, it truly doesn't make a damn bit of difference who is in what office where.....there are people throughout the world hell bent on killing us. Placating them, making overtures to them, singing nice songs with them, toasting them at White House dinners....none of that made a difference as Bill Clinton found out in the 90s. In fact, if anything, weakness in the eyes of Middle Eastern cultures is as unforgiveable as supporting Israel.

So what, then, is a leftist to do? Peace slogans are nice and all, but frankly, the only way to control the problem is to meet their aggression with overwhelming force. So while Lamont would like to bring the troops home, turn out the lights, pull the shades and pray that nothing bad ever ever ever happens, the more realistic approach is to stop the terror plots where they originate.

Peggy Noonan has a brilliant column today filled with advice for both Lamont and Lieberman. And Michael Barone also has a remarkable piece on the stark change in the Democrat party. Both are right smack dead on.

Let's pray that the Republicans find their footing and get back to the business of wanting to win elections. The alternative is frankly too frightening to contemplate.