Joe Lieberman thanks God that the Republicans are doing well at the polls and seem poised to make significant gains in the midterm elections. Now, I wonder why Mr. Lieberman is willing to make remarks like that. I can see how it plays well with the kind of Connecticut voters he needs to win reelection. He probably cannot win another term unless the Republicans once again field a joke of a candidate (or no candidate at all). But, on the other hand, if the Republicans took back the Senate, Lieberman would lose his chairmanships of the Homeland Security Committee and the Armed Services Subcommittee on Airland. And why does he feel so comfortable talking shit about Democrats? This is why the party needs to enforce some discipline. Without it, you get absurdities like a member of your own caucus publicly cheering for your caucuses decimation. I suggest the Democrats find a woodshed and put an end to this depressing nonsense.
About The Author
BooMan
Martin Longman a contributing editor at the Washington Monthly. He is also the founder of Booman Tribune and Progress Pond. He has a degree in philosophy from Western Michigan University.
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…if the Republicans took back the Senate, Lieberman would lose…
Isn’t it obvious that he would switch parties? Especially if he could be a deciding factor in determining the majority and could insure retaining his chairmanships!
O Gawd! <moans> Why don’t the Dems kick this ass out now?!
“And why does he feel so comfortable talking shit about Democrats? “
because the Democrats, including the President, allow him to.
…but you already know that. i think we have to listen to Lieberman’s shit until 2012. The time to do something was in 2008, but that chance was passed up.
Boo:
Do you ever get to ask questions on the conference calls? Because this is something I’d definitely ask about. This shows both Obama’s and Reid’s failure of leadership.
it’s not a failure of leadership at all. Obama told his Democrats what he wanted and they acquiesced. Nothing wrong with the leadership itself, he was just leading in the wrong direction.
Well, depends on whether you think it’s leadership’s job to keep him in the caucus and maybe get some support some of the time, or — what: take away his committee assignments? — and give him another prime grandstanding opportunity to switch parties? He in an incurable disease. I’m not sure why we’d expect the leadership to have a cure.
It’s kind of a choice between whether you’d rather have a pus-sore on your own face or on the face of the guy you sit right across from at work. The one good thing Obama might have done about the situation would be naming him ambassador to Uzbekistan or someplace. Or, what the hell– Israel.
if they’d cut the motherfucker loose to the GOP he’d have no seniority whatsoever.
that’s just a simple fact, and no amount of grandstanding on unpopular, ugly, boring Droopy Dawg’s part would have changed that.
yes, it’s leadership’s job to make tough decisions like whether to keep him in the caucus or not.
that’s why it’s called “leadership”.
Can they even take away his committee assignments in the middle of a session? That’s pretty much all the leverage they have, right? Can they just kick him out of the caucus, and if so, by what means?
We needed Lieberman to get health care and we’ll need him for other things, but the trade-off is getting less compelling, to say the least.
Why did we need him for HCR? When we ultimately used reconciliation. And what other things? Are we going to get anything of significance passed now regardless of HolyJoe?
yeah, I’d like something more than a vague “and other things” as well, especially given the way lieberman helped kill the public option in HCR and is likely to side with his GOP owners on just about any other debate.
thinking “we need him for other things” is magical thinking that pretends the senate is the collegial comity club it was 30 years ago. that senate doesn’t exist. Lieberman’s an untrustworthy mole who has already proved his faithlessness multiple times over. anyone who gives him the benefit of the doubt is taking LSD for breakfast.
because we only used reconciliation for melding the House and Senate bill. We passed most of the HCR bill on Christmas Eve with 60 votes, including Lieberman. His price was killing Medicare expansion. Remember?
Now that 60 is gone for good and 50 isn’t really a problem, what would we need him for? I can see where he might be useful, but need? Leaning on a splintered spear is never a good idea…
We might need him on filibuster reform, next session, but there’s no reason to expect him it cooperate. Even though he supported it in the past.
he’ll never vote for filibuster reform; that would render him inconsequential and seriously undermine his perceived power.
he will continue to be a thorn in the dem caucus’ side for as long as he holds office. it’s well past time to cut him loose.
I suggest the Democrats find a woodshed and put an end to this depressing nonsense.
I hope this wasn’t a serious suggestion. For whatever faults she might have, Hamsher has always been right about this. Lucy, football and Charlie Brown. You know the drill.
NewsmaxTV. Wow, he sure can pick media outlets.
What a jagoff.
man up and strip this fucker of his committee chairmanships.
what exactly did Obama get him to agree to in exchange for letting him keep his chairmanships? Reasonable minds can disagree on whether it made sense in machiavellian sort of way to attempt to rehabilitate joe and and keep him as another vote towards 60. but its obvious that didn’t work out so well. Only question left is did Obama strike a bad deal or did Joe back out of it once the political climate turned slightly against him last summer?
Lieberman’s explanation of his remark is that he when he said “thank god”, he was referring to the fact that we live in a democracy, not that republicans have the momentum. His remark could be interpreted that way. I don’t like him much, but I will give him the benefit of the doubt on this one.
Why should anyone give him the benefit of the doubt?
With healthcare reform done. just kick traitor Joe to the curb. If the Republican’s want him they can have him. At some point the Democrats have to have respect for themselves as a party. Strip him of his chairmanship and than de-fund/delay funding all gov’t projects heading towards his state.
I find this discussion about Lieberman depressing. A woodshed isn’t sufficient for this guy.
I’d like to know who thought it was a good idea to put this asshat on the ticket back in 2000.
Last time we tried Obama stopped us remember?
I suggest the Democrats find a woodshed and put an end to this depressing nonsense.
I hope this wasn’t a serious suggestion. For whatever faults she might have, Hamsher has always been right about this. Lucy, football and Charlie Brown. You know the drill.