Don’t look now, but the last remnants of moderation, cordiality, rational thought, and pro-America sentiment in the Democratic Party may have but a single day left to live. The Connecticut primary is tomorrow and it features one of the most important battles for the soul of the Democratic Party in recent memory. Senator Joe Lieberman- perhaps the last FDR-Truman-JFK Democrat left in elected office- is in the battle for his political life against Ned Lamont, a media mogul with the backing of just about every left-wing organization you can think of, except the Workers’ Party of Korea. Lamont received more than $250,000 from that well-known internet bastion of centrism, MoveOn.org.

The polls are not looking good unless you’re a radical whacko. Lamont is predicted to beat Lieberman tomorrow by anywhere from six to ten points. What’s more, Lieberman is having a very tough time pulling the knives out of his back. His Senate colleagues (and even his running mate six years ago) have either refused to endorse him or have endorsed Lamont. Perhaps most telling, the Democratic National Committee has officially remained neutral. Lieberman’s primary defeat could usher in open season on Democrat moderates currently in office as well as serve as a warning for future centrists to stay away. In short, if you’re pro-life, a capitalist, color blind, pro-Israel, you refuse to condemn a sitting President in wartime, or you support America in the war on terror, don’t even bother running as a Democrat.

It may be that Joe Lieberman’s Senate career may outlive his affiliation with the Democratic Party. He could run as an independent and indeed is polling quite well in three-way races. It may be that Connecticut’s Republicans and Independents, combined with Lieberman’s traditional working class base would serve as an advantage and defeat Lamont in a rematch- a fitting poke in the eye to the party that has sold him down the river. Lieberman’s potential move would be reminiscent of a famous political defection many years ago when another conservative Democrat realized he and his party didn’t see eye to eye: Senator Lieberman will not have left the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party will have left him.