Lieberman the Kenyan

In 1997 then Limuru Member of Parliament (George Nyanka) switched parties 4 times in the run up to the elections. This was the most flagrant of a long running game of musical chairs that plays it self out every five years in Kenya. I have always been against these games (unless the reason for switching is blatant anti democratic moves, ala Jimnah Mbaru and Maina Kamanda), I always considered them a sign of our luck of political and democratic maturity. I admire the relative lack of musical chairs in America, where parties are based on ideology. Where a leader must take pains to explain any switch in party. Moreover, the democratic nature of primary elections in America makes my exemption above moot.

The political world has been all a flutter about the Connecticut Democratic primary, where incumbent and former VP candidate Joe Lieberman is facing a stiff challange from multi millionar Ned Lamont. Lieberman announced last week that he would seek to run as an indpendent if hw loses the democratic primary. On Monday he started the process, by filing papers to run as an independent, and regestering his own party.

It is a tard disconcerting that Lieberman would be soo scared of his fate, that he would be unwilling to accept a genuine and democratic decision by his party.

However, if it is simply a political ploy to scare the democrats into voting for him in the primary or face losing a seat in the senate, then thats a whole different story.