Joe Lieberman, not a wife beater

Lieberman's blog from hell

The official Lieberman campaign blog seems to be giving its owners fits. First was the sites included in his blogroll -- none from Connecticut, and only one spending much of any time discussing his race. A couple of the sites are virulent anti-Arab blogs, and the Lieberman campaign was forced to start pulling links. It even made it to print in a pretty stupid story.

Now, that piece in the Greenwich Time elicited the usual roll-of-the-eyes I give when anyone tries to smear a campaign or candidate based on what someone wrote on a blog or comment. That is, until I got to this line:

Lieberman's campaign said it did not know who posted the link on the incumbent's official blog, which requires users to provide a first name, e-mail address and zip code. Bloggers can still post anonymously under an assumed name, Sun said.

This is Tammy Sun, who has replaced the ridiculously stupid Dan Gerstein as the Lieberman camp's official mouthpiece. Note that she thinks anyone can put up a link on a blogroll. I doubt she even knows what a "blogroll" is. A blog, in the wrong hands, is apparently a dangerous thing.

Especially if you're as stupid as Dan Gerstein. (Did I mention that he's probably the stupidest person in politics today?)

You see, in the comments of that Lieberman blog, Gerstein had to deny that Lieberman beats his wife. Why, did he have to deny it? Because he brought it up!

Responding to a question about that Washington Times piece that claimed Lieberman had gotten millions in GOP dollars, Gerstein led off the fun.

Let me get this straight. You are asking us to disprove an anonymous, single-sourced story from a magazine of questionable credibility that not one respectable news outlet has even come close to picking up on? What's next, you want us to provide evidence that Joe Lieberman doesn't beat his wife?

Seriously, folks, I am more than happy to answer legitimate questions raised on the blog, and I apologize for not doing more of it yet (been a little busy doing a few other things), but can we please have a little perspective? Thanks.
Dan Gerstein | 09.06.06 - 8:23 pm | #

Joe Lieberman beats his wife?
Mike | 09.06.06 - 8:28 pm | #

Why does Joe beat his wife? Is it because she's a pharmaceutical lobbyist?
BluetooththeGreat | 09.06.06 - 8:31 pm | #

I don't know, blue... I just heard about it from Dan Gerstein himself.
Mike | 09.06.06 - 8:33 pm | #

Now, we have someone who, posting as Dan Gerstein, hopefully it is and not a namestealer, wants to tell us that it is the equivalent of "when did you quit beating your wife"?

If this is as untrue, or "conspiracy theory" as you want us to believe, why even address it at all?

Either it is true, or it is not. To address it in this manner only serves to fuel the fire that Lieberman's campaign is actually hiding a significant amount of support (maybe not financial) from the RNC.
David (Austin Tx) | Homepage | 09.06.06 - 8:39 pm | #

What's next, you want us to provide evidence that Joe Lieberman doesn't beat his wife?

Actually, that would be great.
NTodd, Blogsatz Eliterach | Homepage | 09.06.06 - 8:40 pm | #

Are you really suggesting that if Joe took money from Republicans then he also beats his wife? Because you know it's possible that he took money from Republicans and does not beat his wife. I don't know why this Dan Gerstein is making baseless accusations like that against Joe. Doesn't Joe have enough to worry about in this campaign (his voting record, his flip-flopping, his self-righteous personality) without jerks like Dan Gerstein making false accusations?
winklife | 09.06.06 - 8:48 pm | #

First, Joe Lieberman does NOT beat his wife. Second, I will personally look into whether or not Joe's campaign has taken a significant amount of money from registered Republicans. I don't think so. But I can make sure. How's that for transparency?
Dan Gerstein | 09.06.06 - 8:55 pm | #

First, Joe Lieberman does NOT beat his wife.

I demand proof.
NTodd, Blogsatz Eliterach | Homepage | 09.06.06 - 8:56 pm | #

Joe did not beat his wife to the lobbyist trough. My understanding is that she worked for a PR firm that represented clients with pending legislation before Congress well before Joe is being forcably retired from the Senate so that he can pursue his next career as a defense lobbyist.
JoeBlow | 09.06.06 - 9:00 pm | #

And when did Joe stop beating his wife, anyway?
NTodd, Blogsatz Eliterach | Homepage | 09.06.06 - 9:01 pm | #

As I've said, we will look into whether or not serious Republican contributions have been made to Joe's campaign. I don't think so. It may take a few days (I'm very busy), but we will post our findings on the blog. I promise.
Dan Gerstein | 09.06.06 - 9:10 pm | #

Dan, did you really claim the story to be false despite not knowing for sure whether or not there is any truth to the claim?

wow, DANGERstein strikes again...
steve | Homepage | 09.06.06 - 9:15 pm | #

As I've said, we will look into whether or not serious Republican contributions have been made to Joe's campaign. I don't think so. It may take a few days (I'm very busy), but we will post our findings on the blog. I promise.

We all wait with bated breath.

I also want to know if Joe has accepted any contributions from kitten-eating cyborgs.
NTodd, Blogsatz Eliterach | Homepage | 09.06.06 - 9:16 pm | #

How long before Lieberman's campaign forbids Gerstein from making a fool of himself in the comments again?

Update I

CT Bob caught Gerstein's implosion too. He has the full chain of comments involving Gerstein and other intermediaries, which may be worth it's weight in gold if the Lieberman campaign decides to pull those comments.

Update II

Gerstein doesn't quit: his foot stays squarely in his mouth and he takes a crack at PsyOps Campaign Warefare (Rated "T" for Teens):

This is getting ridiculous. I may need to hire two more bloggers to post anti-semitic and racist remarks with pro-Lamont names given. Our insider polls show we're losing if the election was today. The parade in Newtown killed us.

Dan Gerstein | 09.06.06 - 10:46 pm | # [Edit: This comment was not authored by Gerstein according to the Lieberman campaign.]

Attempts at sarcasm on a campaign blog are so confusing! Did Gerstein just say that the Lieberman hired bloggers to post anti-semitic and racist remarks with pro-Lamont names on the LieberBlog? He did!

And Dan, you're not supposed to tell us bloggerkinder about your insider polls - that's super-secret stuff that you're only allowed to "leak" to the press. In the spirit of NTodd, I challenge you to prove that your "insider polls" really show you losing. You know how much we wanted the parade in Newtown to "kill" you - I think you're just trying to lull us into a false sense of complacency. Gerstein, you dog you. Almost made me up and quit blogging the race you were so convincing.

It's really quit remarkable to watch someone destroy their career before your eyes.

Update III

Here are screen captures sent to me by Blankenbaker of three of the comments quoted in this post. Note that all three have different IP addresses. The first image is from Gerstein's IP according to Blankenbaker.

The following two are not Gerstein according to the Lieberman campaign.

If anyone has information that suggests that Gerstein does in fact use one of the previous two IP addresses - either from a home or alternate work account - let me know and I'll rebut the Lieberman campaign. For now I am comfortable saying that I stand corrected.

The thing is not so much that Gerstein's comments are faked, but that his name could be used by someone else posting on the site and that it could remain up for any length of time. That is just bad blogging management. Gerstein should be a protected ID on that site. If it isn't, it truly is amateur night