Update [2008-11-18 12:10:2 by BooMan]: I’m bumping last night’s article up so that I don’t need to explain the relevant committees again. Lieberman got the exact deal outlined below and won an ‘overwhelming vote’. He lost his subcommittee chair over global warming but retained his other two chairs. More below…
CNN reports, and MSNBC concurs, that Joe Lieberman will keep his gavel on the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. Both outlets report that Lieberman will be stripped of one of his two subcommittee chairs. CNN (on teevee) specifies that it will be his subcommittee chair on the Environment & Public Works Committee. That would be the Subcommittee on Private Sector and Consumer Solutions to Global Warming and Wildlife Protection. Big fucking deal.
In other words, if this reporting is correct, Lieberman will be stripped of a subcommittee chair that presides over an issue where he votes with the Democrats, and left in charge of a full and subcommittee (Armed Services Subcommittee on Airland) where he votes against the Democrats. That’s fucking brilliant. I certainly hope the reporting is wrong. Fire away!!
Update [2008-11-18 12:10:2 by BooMan]: Lieberman retains the Airland Subcommittee, which means that he oversees all Army and Air Force activities. He also retains the gavel at Homeland Security & Government Affairs. Some people worry that Lieberman will use the chair to harass the Obama administration. He won’t. He’ll use it to protect the Bush administration.
Obviously, the Democrats are idiots. And they enjoy being complicit in our nation’s greatest blunders.
I will always marvel at the way the Democrats operate, or should I say fail to operate, as a national party. Compare and contrast what happened to Trent Lott with Lieberman? Lott got the shaft when his associations became a distraction, even though he had done nothing which opposed his party, merely embarrassed himself. Lieberman could probably call for the impeachment of Obama the day after his Inauguration and nothing substantial to him would happen.
I think if Lieberman killed Obama with his bare hands, the Democrats would take away his Airland subcommittee chairmanship, but still let him keep Homeland Security.
And thus ends the brief moment of hope that this election brought on. I still hope for some change, but one thing is eternal: Senate Democrats are assholes. The only thing they know how to do is lose even when they win.
And BTW: still think Nader was full of shit about the useless duopoly?
That’s fucking retarded. That’s literally the stupidest fucking shit I have ever heard. You have to actually TRY to be this kind of stupid.
I want my change. I want my change and I want it fucking NOW.
Dude, if Bob Casey votes in favor of this I am going to rip his ass to shreds tomorrow.
All I have to add is that we know who to blame if something goes wrong. Can’t wait for the next game of “who could have predicted…”
Oh wait: one more tiny little thing. 2010 needs to involve a few strong primary challenges. We have more democrats, now it is time for BETTER democrats.
Secret ballot, I believe. No one will ever tell how they voted.
Steven’s right, it’s a secret ballot.
And you’re right…if true, this is the dumbest of all outcomes.
greenwald has some sharp observations:
This is the cognitive dissonance that occurs when the party’s leadership is out of touch with the party. these guys are still playing the defense game from the mid-1990s, it’s instinctual. You wrote recently about “how does it feel to be on offense”.
I’m kind of not feeling it right now.
The democratic leadership will deserve the blame if Lieberman fucks anything up.
thats what it will take for you to rip into bob caseys ass???????????
he is already the favorite son of obama….obama owes him big time….and in 2 years tweety will be the other pa senator and it will be the pennsylvania obama masturbation team.
I rip into bob casey on a near daily basis, anna.
C’mon, you see all the shit I write here! Bob Casey’s always hearing it from me.
what’s to be expected from Dem Leaders who have no more spine than the common earthworm.
At least earthworms are useful.
hmmmmmmmm
lieberman keeps power and doesnt get kicked out of the dems caucus, rahm is in the white house sitting on obamas right shoulder….gates may be staying….clinton may be in cabinet….dean is leaving dnc (supposedly his choice) ……….mcauliffe may be running for gov of virginia and who knows what that is a stepping stone for.
tell me again the objections to hillary as president and head of the party?
so far, only two of those things are confirmed, and McAuliffe’s chances are long.
i think my point is , was, and will be that there wasnt much difference between clinton and obama….and the sky wont fall if that turns out to be true.
not that im not happy with obama….im thrilled….im just watching to see how the progressive blogoshere takes their ass fucking this time around.
the progressive asshole has been so thoroughly raped by its so-called allies for so long, you could store a bowling ball up there.
mmmmmmmm that was a good one
Difference is
the baggage that includes the scandals and the first architects of 1999 that build the financial meltdown.
She lost the primary.
I’m pretty disappointed in some of Obama’s early moves, to be honest.
Robert Parry’s column re Obama’s starting to repeat the early mistakes of the Clinton era is a must read today.
I fear he’s trying to show how generous and forgiving he can be, in a world where that behavior simply ranks you as a naive amateur.
Obama has an agenda and he needs an administration that will act like a well-oiled machine. Does anyone think FOR A SECOND that Hillary Clinton and Bill will take orders from this young upstart when they have their own budget and their own staff and when, once ensconced, there’ll be no diplomatic way to get rid of them?
Big mistakes, right off the bat, that may hinder his agenda for the rest of his term. I can’t help but think Rahm Emanuel is to blame for some of this (including Lieberman). Dean is out, the Clinton’s are in, and we’re looking at a rerun, rather than the Change We Need.
Key problem with these worries:
“According to press reports….”
According to press reports, Obama couldn’t win the elections because Hillary Clinton was inevitable.
Of the decisions that have actually been announced, I find few miscues.
If the transition ship is run as tightly as the campaign ship, I think we might be pleasantly surprised. On balance.
The Harry Reid bunch, however, is a different matter. Obama has essentially given them the freedom to fuck up.
Thank you. This is on the spineless Dems in the Senate. Obama’s not the leader of the Democratic party first and foremost, he’s the President. We had a guy who put party first for the last eight years and look how it turned out. I can’t believe how quickly everyone starts pissing their pants when he’s had precisely two weeks as Pres-elect. Take a breath people.
Actually, Obama IS the leader of the Democratic Party. He will not be leading the party in the same way that Bush led the Republicans, and we can be thankful for that. But I agree with you about taking a breath. It’s bad enough that the white supremacists and the Catholic Church and the unreconstructed neo-cons and the right-to-lifers and the homophobes and the fear/war-mongers and so forth are attacking him already. Should we liberals and progressives be joining in the fray? Given the amazing discipline of the Obama campaign (and in all likelihood the transition “campaign” is operating with the same discipline), I will wait until I hear from the source before I start critiquing and analyzing.
Sign me up on the Obama disappointment wagon.
I’ve ranting I see a Clinton III.
A fucking rewind.
TPM:
What was Obama thinking? It’s getting to look like he knows very well how to run an election campaign, but not how to lead a party.
Glenn Greenwald elaborates on The mind of the Democratic leadership
He nailed it
next time sit on our wallets, preserve our shoe leather and telephone dial pads.
I hope Obama understands that pissing off the base won’t be helpful. He’ll be tuned out as easily as we did Bush.
Ralph Nader where are you?
Ralph Nader where are you?
You’re joking of course. But I have been thinking recently that now that the Republican Party has been reduced to a regional party, now is the time to create a new progressive party. There is clearly no use for the Republican Party any more, since the Democratic Party is taking its place (except when it comes to the culture wars).
Will the blogosphere organize itself to create a new party?
No kidding.NOT
THe Republican Party is not dead and don’t count on Obama or the rising of a progressive party. Ain’t gonna happen. Because now that Obama has won, it’s
No, We Can’t
Lieberman, we’ll play nice
No to torture investigations.
Betcha he won’t restore habeas corpus
keeping Gates and his overloading with the Clintons….
with HRC as SoS, the Republican base will be rejuvenated in a heart beat. You’ll be surprised how quickly.
What a disaster.
All the focus will be on the Clintons – the couple GOP, Rush and the wingnuts love to hate. All that baggage will suck all the oxygen from the Obama administration as he plays nice. And as someone pointed out the SoS is third in line to the presidency.
The Democratic Party stands for nothing. Alternative media is right. We’ll see how the SCOTUS handle the case.
Just watch it.
Oh, God, I really didn’t think Obama was serious about this.
could be a plant to lock this in as it is reported only the press could scuttle the offer. Huffpost if they can limit press fallout –worried about the press
Obama should have offered her the VP I don’t see the difference. She’s not qualified. Like a freak show all this frenzy, leaking like a sieve so unlike the campagin. How do you quiet this?
here is Harper’s Ken Silverstein:
You channeling A.G.?
Ralph just accused Obama of giving in to the neocon criminals. It looks like he may be right.
Well, Ralph gave in to his own ego years ago.
is a good way to get fired. What then? Run for a Senate seat again?
Of course, we don’t know if all these stories are true. But let’s say they are.
I think that the real rulers of this country aren’t elected. Sometimes it’s hard to see the difference between the master and his dog when everyone’s in agreement as to where to go. That’s why there may be confusion when a Republican is in the White House, because Republicans are consonant with their masters. It’s perplexing when a Democrat seems to make these stupid and/or cowardly decisions. Just try to remember, Obama isn’t in power, he’s just in the White House.
Obama advisers: No charges likely vs interrogators
Change you can’t believe in.
BS..any Demo who speaks at a Republican National Convention should be fired from the Democratic Party. why did all of us work for Obama, just to see Traitor Joe retain his chairmanship. It is a sad day.
I will believe it when I see it, but it makes sense from the perspective that if the caucus causes LIEberman to bolt then it would be spun as Obama’s first Congressional loss since he asked the caucus to keep LIEberman in the caucus.
Personally, I’d like to see LIEberman ousted – I have no tolerance of disloyalty – but we’ll see if the caucus is pissed or useless – I see no other alternatives.
confirmation of the rumors from greenwald @ salon:
meet the new boss, same as the old boss
this really pisses me off.
oversight:
And the Iraqis are getting pretty tired of it too. This from the NYT:
Speculation is that AIPEC is in full “support Lieberman” mode and is threatening senators–wouldn’t doubt it a bit!
But there are areas (labor, education, environment) when Liebermann votes 100% Democratic.
Give him validation by giving him a Secretary position in an area that is irrelevant to AIPAC, and you get a reliable secretary and a new senator.
I’ll have to admit that I’m a little disgusted right now. Not with Obama, and not with his transition team. But with many of the comments and the commenters here at this post. The election was exactly 13 days ago. We have more than eight years (yes, MORE than eight years – this started a generation ago or more) of crap to dig ourselves out of. Everybody wants a piece of Obama, and everyone expects him to work miracles. If any of you think that this isn’t going to be a long uphill battle, you’ve been living in some kind of dream world. I really believe in this man. I’ve talked to people who have known him and worked with him since he was a community organizer. I believe in his vision, his intelligence, his integrity, and his courage. We have to give him a chance. He will not be able to undo everything immediately. But his announcements so far, with regard to Guantanamo and executive orders and torture and urban policy and the Justice Department, etc., have been proof to me that he intends to follow through on his campaign rhetoric.
It is in keeping with his character that he does not hold a grudge against Lieberman. (I am not as forgiving a person; I do hold a grudge. I called every Democratic senator today to ask them to strip Lieberman of his chairmanship of the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee.) It is part and parcel of the reason many of us voted for him. He really believes in what he “preaches.” He believes in unity and diversity. He believes in reaching across the aisle in the most basic sense – forgiving his former enemy. Perhaps he is just exercising that maxim, “Keep your friends close, and keep your enemies closer.” But that would also be in keeping with his character – practical and sensible.
The Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State issue is a bit of a mystery to me, but I’m not gullible enough to believe everything the press tells us when it involves the Obama transition. I’ll believe it if and when a formal announcement is made. There are few members of the mainstream/corporate press that I trust. After all, aren’t they still feeding us this center-right BS?
We have to give him a chance.
There is no one here who is not giving Obama a chance, if that means anything, once we’ve voted for the man. I don’t see why you’re so disturbed by people openly and honestly (if mostly anonymously) expressing their opinion.
The elite media are already criticizing Obama from the right. Do you want the progressive blogosphere to keep silent, and not criticize him from the left? What would that accomplish?
I am not willing to give Obama a free pass, but I can see a strategy here. If Obama offers the olive branch to a known traitor, that makes him look good. It is up to the rest of the party to say, “thanks, but no thanks”. If the Dems vote to keep LIEberman, it will be a travesty. I can understand Obama making peace, but I will be furious is the rest of the Democratic party accepts a traitor.
I do think we have to keep Obama on his toes. The progressive/liberal voice must continue to be heard. He may not act on our wishes, but I do believe he hears us when we speak out.
Elect him and then push hard left. The world will turn.
Because he has done almost nothing right so far.
the demorats in the senate deserve everything that’s coming to them if this is true.
this is smart politics? who the hell is running the senate anyway and what does any senator have to do to get booted out of his committee chairmanship? good lord.
what a laughingstock
who cares anymore?
CHANGE!!!!!!!!!
I smell the change and it smells like ass.
Obviously, the Democrats are idiots.
I think it’s worth repeating what Glenn Greenwald has said about this, which Brenden and idredit have already noted:
The Democrats aren’t idiots. This is about power. The Democrats want to rub it in that nothing has changed, that the same elites control the country, that progressives have no voice in the government.
A great victory for Lieberman, and still shows the Democrats have no backbone. They talk a good game. Leahy, Sanders, Carper and the others got all red-faced, and blew 3 gaskets saying how Lieberman done them wrong. But in the end, freedom of speech still rules.
Carper was on his whip team. Get a brain, moran. Go USA!!
Carper said there must be consequences, and they cannot be insignificant. Well, Lieberman paid nothing, and won a great victory. 2 Senators came out against Lieberman.
Great party you have there Boo-Man.
Carper was one of his whips. Moran.
That revered term is reserved for us Cardinals fans.
Tom Carper is a Cardinals fan?
Morans unite!
the Democrats have no backbone.
It’s not about backbone. That is their scam; that is what they want you to believe.
The Democrats are not on our side. They are with the Republicans, with both working for the ruling elite, not us, the people. The Democrats and Republicans just play good cop/bad cop with us, and most of the progressive blogosphere keeps on falling for it.
Kos is an example:
Democrats aren’t tone-deaf. They know what we want. They just don’t give a shit about what we think. They view us as hopelessly naive, for thinking that just because this country calls itself a democracy, it is supposed to work like one.
America is not a democracy: it is a plutocracy:
Once you recognize that, the behavior of the Democrats becomes much less puzzling and frustrating.
that just makes me sick, Obama’s first foolish mistake by supporting a Traitor to the Democratic Party. I think each and every Democratic Senator who voted against Traitor Joe, should use some code words to let us know how they voted.
” support true members of the Democratic Party for Chairmanship positions.” That way we know who has backbone and who doesn’t.
Maybe, but maybe it isn’t a good idea to start your presidency by settling scores. That should have been the Dems in the Senate’s job, and they blew it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfJunZu22VU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecr-QvOukfM
forgive and forget, I don’t think so.
You including Obama here? I think it’s hard not to.
Bernie Sanders called it blackmail.
It worked.
Firedoglake: Lieberman: Suck On That, Liberals!
Kos has this on his front page.
But he’s still calling Senate Dems “tone deaf”. It’s not that they can’t hear us: they just don’t think we have any say in the matter, because to them, this country is a democracy in name only.
Just like telecom amnesty — hamsher is right — obama just flipped every one of us off — took our money though and promised change — “it’s all about you” … what a bunch of shit.
Wake the fuck up, for a change. Anyone who is disappointed or pissed off right now has a serious case of attention deficit disorder. But go ahead and keep on voting in these backstabbing traitors. Just do those of us who aren’t surprised a favor and quit the wailing and gnashing of teeth. It isn’t amusing anymore. It’s fucking annoying. You’ve all gotten exactly what you deserve for low balling the real need for a real agent of change. Jesus H Christ…
Hah. You, of all people, are tired of whining and gnashing of teeth? Hilarious.
I back up my displeasure and disgust with these people by refusing to reward them over and over again for shitting on me. You guys? You must enjoy the ritual beatings.
I enjoyed the ritual beating of Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Sarah Palin, Liddy Dole, John Sununu, Gordon Smith, Ted Stevens, Virgil Goode, Marilyn Musgrave, Chris Shays, Tom Feeney, Bill Sali, Robin Hayes, Randy Kuhl, Steve Chabot, Thelma Drake, and Phil English.