Delaware losing Joementum

I don't talk about primaries much — that's what we have Daily Kos for, after all.

But since I chimed in earlier on Sen. Joe Lieberman's apparent Delaware Strategy, I should probably revisit the subject on primary day.

I work in Delaware, but I don't live there or hang out there, and a newsroom isn't necessarily the best place to get a sense of what "the public" is thinking. Still, my sense from where I sit down in the First State supports what the polls were predicting: John Kerry wins by a lot.

I swung by the Kerry rally last Friday — at the IBEW union hall two doors down from the paper. The place was packed and buzzing. Sen. Joe Biden was there to introduce Kerry. He didn't actually say "I endorse John Kerry," but he didn't need to (video here). Biden's presence was a strong signal to Delaware Democrats. And the fact of the event itself shows at least some organization in place for Kerry.

So Lieberman, who staked everything on getting a win in Delaware, can't hope for better than second place.

And he probably won't get that. Howard Dean may be looking ahead to Michigan and March 2, but his supporters in Delaware don't have that option, and they're an enthusiastic bunch.

Delawareans were pleased that Lieberman visited so often. And he seems like such a nice man. And his mom and Hadassah are even nicer (they've each visited Delaware several times). And Delaware has a lot of the DLC-type Democrats that Lieberman ought to appeal to. And Delaware Democrats have proven they can rally behind a candidate even if he/she is not conventionally charismatic.

But, despite all that, most Delawareans aren't going to vote for Lieberman. My guess is he ends up battling for third with Edwards and Clark.

(This is the other reason I don't write about the primaries. "Lieberman won't win" is hardly a stunning insight.)