Beltway insiders on both sides of the aisle are rubbing their hands with glee at the possibility of Joe Lieberman running for 5th term in 2012.
Sen. Orrin Hatch, a conservative Republican from Utah, told Politico's Manu Raju that he'd be thrilled if Lieberman ran as a Republican. And Sen. Patty Murray,who leads the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, also praised Lieberman, telling Raju he's "a great member of our caucus,'' though she refrained from saying whether or not the party would back him.
But back in Connecticut, far from the cozy confines of the U.S. Senate, Joementum is getting a more tepid reaction. State GOP Chairman Chris Healy told Politico that Lieberman will have to renounce his liberal views on tax and spending matters if he hopes to get anywhere with the Republican party.
State Democratic Chairwoman Nancy DiNardo was also lukewarm. Lieberman's decision to endorse Republican John McCain in the 2008 presidential race "is definitely going to have an impact on Democratic support,'' she said in an interview this morning.
DiNardo said countless Democrats have approached her about Lieberman as she traveled around the state. "They were angry that he went to the convention and spoke on [McCain's] behalf,'' she said.