I have a lot of respect for Hawaii’s long time US Senator, Daniel Inouye. He’s a veteran of WWII who served in the Famous “Go for Broke” 442nd Regiment, the primarily Japanese-American unit which was the most highly decorated regiment in the US Army. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for the action which led to the loss of his arm. His has served his country and his state in the Senate since 1962.
That said, what he has pledged to do if Joe Lieberman loses the Connecticut Democratic primary on Tuesday is reprehensible:
U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye said he will stand with U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman even if Lieberman loses in the Democratic primary for Senate in Connecticut and runs in the general election as an independent. […]
Inouye, who also opposed the war, has endorsed and appeared in television commercials for Akaka. Senators from the same party often help each other politically, so Inouye’s backing of Akaka and Lieberman is not unexpected. But Inouye’s explanation for sticking with Lieberman goes beyond friendship or courtesy.
“I am very concerned about a trend in my party,” Inouye said in a statement. “It mirrors what has happened with the Republican Party, where one issue —such as abortion — is paramount in defining ‘a good party member.’
“As a Democrat, I have voted with and against Joe Lieberman on a number of issues, and that is true also with other Democrats in the Senate. I voted against giving the president the authorization to go to war against Iraq; Senator Lieberman did.
“We are not a rubber stamp.”
Dear Senator Inouye, this isn’t about any litmus test for Democrats. This is about respecting the wishes of Connecticut Democrats. If they choose Ned Lamont to represent the Democratic Party, than other Democrats should accept that decision. That’s why we have elections. That’s why we claim to be a democracy. We abide by the wishes of the people, not the Beltway “in crowd” of lobbyists, consultants, media pundits and other insiders.
The people. Of the United States. Of America. You know, freedom and liberty? The right to choose who represents us in Congress? It’s really that simple.
(cont.)
As for Inouye’s claims that Lieberman shouldn’t have to undergo an “up or down” vote on his position on the iraq War, give me a break. Lieberman has disappointed Connecticut Democrats for years, by abandoning his party at every opportunity to support Republican positions on Social Security, bankruptcy reform, and legislation favorable to the Insurance industry and other corporate lobbyists at the expense of ordinary citizens. He also joined the GOP’s condemnation of President Clinton, a sitting Democratic President for private conduct that was not illegal, and not a danger to the rights and liberties of all Americans (unlike the actions of the current President).
Add in Lieberman’s cozy relationships with conservatives in Congress, the Bush administration and in the media where he regularly disparages the positions of his own party, and it’s not hard to see why Connecticut Democrats might be inclined to throw the bum out. After all, the US Senate was never intended to be a lifetime sinecure, where once you win, you stay in til you die or retire. It’s an elective office.
Senator Inouye, I urge you to respect the decision of the Democratic voters in Connecticut on Tuesday and agree to pledge your support to whomever is declared the winner: Lieberman or Lamont. And dear readers, especially those from Hawaii and Connecticut, I urge you to call either Senator Inouye’s office in Washington, DC, or in Hawaii to let him and his staffers know that we don’t appreciate Democrats who refuse to support their own party’s candidates.
It’s the least we can do.
Contact information for Senator Inouye:
Washington D.C.
722 Hart Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-1102
202-224-3934 Fax: 202-224-6747
Honolulu
300 Ala Moana Boulevard
Room 7-212
Honolulu, Hawaii 96850-4975
808-541-2542 Fax: 808-541-2549
Kona
Wayne Tanaka, Field Representative
P.O. Box 4l
Kealakekua, Hawaii 96750
808-935-0844 Fax: 808-961-5163
Kauai
Ronald Sakoda, Field Representative
1840A Leleiona Street
P.O. Box 311
Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii 96766
808-245-4611 Fax: 808-246-9515
West Oahu
Edmund C. Aczon, Field Representative
94-403 Punono St.
Mililani, Hawaii 96789
808-623-8334
Foe anyone who is still around this evening, this has also been posted at Daily Kos.
have people like Inouye forgotten what they fought for?
Then he can have his own state and vote for Joe all he wants.
The good old boy network gets more bizarre all the time. Joe doesn’t know if he’s a Dem or an Indie and Danny Boy thinks he has a vote in CT or something.
I say we vote them all out, every last one.
indeed. These guys seem offended by the notion that the voters can actually remove them from their cushy jobs.
Democracy is something they want in Iraq – not in Connecticut or Hawaii.
Seems like it is a power thing for them. Kind of amusing, actually, especially after they freak after having to face the fact that voters can actually <gasp!> elect someone other than them!
Hell, I say let’s get rid of all of them! (W/2 excaptions.)
Is Inouye planning on retiring after his current term?
If not, maybe we mad, crazed, unreasonable netroots could open up a can of Joementum on his butt.
“It mirrors what has happened with the Republican Party, where one issue –such as abortion — is paramount in defining ‘a good party member.”
No one is forcing Lieberman out of the Democratic party. No one is forcing him to change his pro-war stance. If your politics no longer reflect the beliefs of the people you represent, then chances are they will find someone else to represent them.
I am sick of politicians and journalists who don’t believe in democracy. Voting is meaningless if the incumbent wins 99.9% of the time. If they want to be a hereditary nobility, pass the law and get it over with. Rigging the system to protect yourself is dishonorable and shifty.
Congress has been pretty much worthless my entire life, there aren’t more than a few dozen of them who deserve to keep their jobs. This country is collapsing in so many ways for everyone other than huge corporations and the obscenely rich, and I’m tired of ignoring all the obvious problems that none of our politicians are even trying to solve. When do we start doing something before it’s too late?
Daniel Inouye was the prime collaborator with Oliver North’s PR and legal offensive to derail the investigation of Iran-Contra. It was Innouye who allowed North to control the direction of the hearings, who cut of Congressman Brooks attempt to question, who gave North the loosely drawn immunity that allowed him to escape prosecution, and so on. It’s amazing how the same key players in the neo-con putsch keep resurfacing.
Silly women, wanting equality, ruining everything good about democracy for the real citizens. ::foot stomp::