Both Joe Lieberman and Ned Lamont made appearances at a "Wake Up Wal Mart" tour stop in Bridgeport, CT today to engage in the time-honored tradition of Democrats hating on one of America's most successful corporations. Lamont supporters were on hand to challenge Lieberman on the question of whether his campaign accepted money from Wal Mart's PAC during this election cycle. Wal Mart's Open Secrets file indicates it did.

This heckling started early on, when a goateed Lamont supporter in a mini-van pulled up next to some people waving pro-Lieberman signs, rolled down his window and said, "Didn't Joe Lieberman take money from Wal Mart's PAC, like $1,000?" The Lieberman supporters just glared and mumbled something as the grinning goateed guy drove away.

Lieberman himself was better prepared. The first of the two candidates to speak at the rally, at one point he shouted, "Are we ready to wake up Wal Mart?" A Lamont supporter heckled back, "Are we ready to take their PAC money?"

Lieberman responded: "Let me answer that lie with a fact. My campaign received a check from Wal Mart last February. But we sent it back a week later!"

At this, the Lieberman supporters — who outnumbered their counterparts in the Lamont camp by about two-to-one, erupted in cheers and a chant of "Let's Go Joe, Let's Go Joe."

Lamont was at a slight disadvantage because by the time he got up to speak, the crowd had been standing in the heat for about half an hour. Lamont promised to be brief, went on a tirade about "corporate America" and said that it "won't take me 18 years" to stand up to Wal Mart — a reference to Joe Lieberman's tenure in the Senate. He didn't address the issue of Lieberman and Wal Mart's PAC.

Lamont was also disadvantaged by the fact that Lieberman was introduced by a union representative. Lieberman has the backing of the AFL-CIO in this race, and for good reason — he can hardly be called a friend to "corporate America" based on his voting record. If it accomplished any purpose other than letting both candidates bash left-wing America's favorite corporate bogeyman, this tour stop gave Lieberman a chance to remind Connecticut Democrats that he has the endorsement of the "labor movement" — not Lamont.