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If you are issued a form invitation in error, and are informed privately of the error, pushing publicly to be included anyway where you know you are not welcomed is…well…rather pathetic.  Enter Joe Lieberman: (via New Times Live) 

The task fell on the shoulders of First Selectman Herb Rosenthal, a Democrat, to contact Lieberman and tell him he wasn’t welcome."I contacted Lieberman’s people and told them it would be embarrassing for me and other Democratic town officials if he marched with us," Rosenthal said Thursday. "I and the Democratic Town Committee don’t want to give the wrong idea that we are embracing his independent candidacy."

Lieberman is running as an independent to retain his U.S. Senate seat after being defeated in the Democratic primary by challenger Ned Lamont.

"Ned Lamont will be joining us in the parade," said Chris McArdle of the Newtown DTC. "As our party’s nominated candidate for senator, he enjoys the full support of the Democratic Town Committee."

Newtown has the largest Labor Day Parade in the state and it traditionally draws a cadre of politicians. Among the Democrats expected are State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, Lt. Gov. Kevin Sullivan and Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz.

Meanwhile, Lieberman’s camp is bristling with what it considers an insult.

Dan Gerstein, Lieberman’s communications director, said Thursday that Rosenthal is backpedaling now on what his real statement to Lieberman was regarding his presence at the parade."Mr. Rosenthal told the senator that he was not invited, period," Gerstein said. "It was his intent to tell us that the senator was not welcome at the parade at all. He (Rosenthal) has since changed his story to say he was just dis-inviting the senator from marching with the Democrats."

Not true, Rosenthal said.

Here’s the full scoop: Gerstein is being less-than-truthful. Again. Lieberman has been told by the parade committee folks that he is more than welcome to march in the parade, simply that he is not invited to march with Democrats in the parade — as he is running as Connecticut for Lieberman candidate, and was the loser of the Democratic primary.

Deweese said she has had to be "forceful" with Lieberman’s office to make it clear that there will be no large distance separating Lieberman’s cadre and the Democrats marching in the parade."Senator Lieberman is a good man," Deweese said. "But I told him the tasteful thing is to come and line up where I tell him to. And he was OK with that."

Neither the Newton parade committee nor the Newtown DTC made this a public issue — Turncoat Joe and his mouthpiece did. Why? Because Lieberman’s big fat ego is bruised.

You know how many times Lieberman has marched in this parade?  One other time in the nine years that the current Selectman has been running things — and the one other time was right before the 2000 election, when he needed something from the voters there.  Coincidence that he’s marching for only the second time this year — when he also is trying to gin up some votes?  I think not.

From the Newtown Bee:

"By marching with members of the DTC and invited Democratic candidates and state leaders, it would give the impression that we support his candidacy," said Mr Rosenthal when asked about the issue late Wednesday.

"I told him through his office, that as a duly elected Democratic official, he’s putting me in an uncomfortable, almost embarrassing position. We have a duly elected candidate, who was endorsed by a historic turnout of state Democrats in the recent primary. I don’t have to march with [Sen Lieberman], the DTC doesn’t have to march with him, so why would he want to make it look like he’s in good graces with the Democratic Party?" Mr Rosenthal continued. "He is not in good graces with state Democrats."…

"He’s only come to the parade once before. He’s not coming here this year as the sitting US Senator, he’s coming because he’s a candidate in the fall election," Mr Rosenthal said. Mr Rosenthal said he would take issue with any candidate who failed to be endorsed at the statewide convention, who opted to force a primary, and then upon losing, continued to mount a full-scale campaign by petition for the general election. "He was privately and publicly asked not to run by many state Democrats, and decided to run anyway even after he lost the primary. Philosophically, I have a problem with that," Mr Rosenthal said. "And I’m not going to reward that behavior by marching beside him on Labor Day."

Take the hint Joe. As if being the loser of the state Democratic primary wasn’t enough of a heads up, state Democrats have had more than enough of the whining and the campaigning with Republicans, using the Karl Rove playbook to smear Democratic candidates across the state – and they aren’t going to hand you a lollipop just because you demand one. As the mother of a three-year-old, I can tell you that rewarding the whining only gets you a lot more whining. And it’s about time that you, as a 60-some year old man, learned the meaning of "no." 

Did you think that your poor behavior would earn you no consequences?  You have been in the Beltway Bubble far too long, if so.

Face it, Joe — you got the invitation by mistake, and the only person making a big deal out of this is you. And having your lobbyist-turned-spokesperson float out the tired "politics as usual" flack about your refusal to accept the reality that you LOST the Democratic primary…and that state Democrats are fed up with your immature tantrums. You are a candidate in a party named after yourself, you don’t get special treatment just because you stamp around and demand it…stop taking behavioral cues from George Bush and Dick Cheney and grow up.

They just aren’t that into you.