Lieberman's departure will hardly send politics quaking

One of Joe Lieberman's possible successors, Congressman Joe Courtney, called the senator's decision not to run again in 2012 "a tectonic shift in New England politics."

Really? Maybe he was just trying to be nice, but tectonic means earth-moving, not in the road-construction sense or the Hemingway sense (see "For Whom the Bell Tolls"), but major-league earth moving, like the San Francisco earthquake. A tectonic shift signals a huge political upheaval.

You want a real tectonic shift in New England politics? How about the election of a Republican to succeed the late Ted Kennedy in the bluest of the 50 states? Nationally, Franklin Roosevelt successfully defying the two-term tradition comes to mind as tectonic. So do John Kennedy breaking the WASP stranglehold on the presidency and the Reagan revolution.

But Lieberman? An aging senator retires after four terms. He was denied the nomination by his party the last time he ran and won only because the Republican Party threw the election. (See Schlesinger, Alan.) And then, he further endeared himself to the majority of voters in his state by endorsing John McCain for president and speaking at the Republican National Convention.

Tectonic? How about inevitable or, if you prefer, welcome?

Lieberman's retirement comes rather early in the season. So early, we are faced with the horrible prospect of having another senatorial race before the senator we just elected even casts his first vote.

The earth had hardly stopped moving after Lieberman's decision before we had two announced candidates for the Democratic nomination and the usual suspects from both parties panting in the wings. First to arrive were Susan Bysiewicz, the day before Lieberman quit, followed by Chris Murphy, the day after.

The January before the January that precedes the actual November election has been the month of choice for Bysiewicz to announce, perhaps because she tends to run for more than one office and needs the early start. On Jan. 27, 2009, she announced her candidacy for governor in the November election - of 2010 - and immediately became the front-runner until she mistakenly decided she'd rather be attorney general.

Murphy waited a whole day before getting in line with Bysiewicz and letting us know his internal polls showed him ahead of likely Democratic and Republican opponents, unlike Bysiewicz's internal polls, that show her ahead. Makes a person wonder about internal polls. The two are just the beginning, of course. To name two, there's Courtney, with credentials similar to Murphy's, and Ted Kennedy Jr., who could surprise everybody. The Republicans will surely have Linda McMahon and hopefully Rob Simmons along with the unsuccessful gubernatorial candidate, former Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele.

Murphy's announcement creates an opening that already has successors stirring in his 5th District, which meanders through 41 towns in four counties. His 2010 opponent, Sam Caliguiri, will try again, along with primary losers Justin Bernier and Mark Greenberg. They might be joined by state Sen. Andrew Roraback, who could actually be elected and others who probably couldn't.

The Democratic scenario in the 5th is a bit disquieting because of one powerful Democrat who says he's interested, House Speaker Christopher Donovan. A Donovan candidacy gives one pause because of its impact on the coming legislative session. Imagine Donovan desperate to please his union base while shepherding a Democratic governor's austerity budget through the Democratic House. Not a pretty picture for the governor or the deficit.

Donovan is reciting the mantra of candidates across the country who say they're focusing on jobs. All of them sound like Richard Nixon in 1968 with his secret plan to end the war in Vietnam. If they have thoughts on creating jobs, let's hear them.

Then there's Lieberman, who started all of this. Let's remember he won't be leaving office until months after the next election, also known as January 2013, affording him nearly two years of further mischief making.

So far, the only mention of a future activity for the senator came from his good friend and presidential choice, John McCain, who said, with a straight face, President Obama should name Joe Lieberman secretary of defense.

Now that would be tectonic or, if you prefer, terrifying.

Dick Ahles is a retired journalist from Simsbury.