(2006-08-04) — If Sen. Joe Lieberman should lose the Connecticut Democrat primary to Ned Lamont on August 8, strategists say the Republican party will be hardest hit.

“Lieberman holds one of the most important positions in the GOP,” said one unnamed Republican National Committee official (RCN). “Joe is the go-to guy for conservatives who want to show that they’re not just bitter partisans who hate all liberals. We all like him. He doesn’t shout over us on talk shows. When we say, ‘Some of my best friends are Democrats’, we’re really just talking about Joe.”

Since the retirement of Democrat Sen. Zell Miller, of Georgia, Sen. Lieberman has been the GOP’s “official, token, reasonable Democrat” and experts said it’s not clear who qualifies to inherit his mantle.

“There’s a lot of jockeying behind the scenes,” said the anonymous source. “But no one’s willing yet to come out publicly and say, ‘I love Sean Hannity and I want to be on his show twice a month.’”

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