Lieberman's antics do not go by unnoticed by Dem leadership
By Steve Benen Tuesday May 13, 2008 7:30amAbout a month ago, Joe Lieberman explained that he’s open to delivering the keynote address at the Republican National Convention in September. “If Sen. McCain, who I support so strongly, asked me to do it, if he thinks it will help him, I will,” Lieberman told The Hill.
At the time, the Democratic Senate leadership didn’t seem prepared to do anything about Lieberman’s antics. Asked whether Lieberman’s chairmanship was at risk in the next Congress, Majority Leader Harry Reid said succinctly, “No.” Majority Whip Dick Durbin added, “We have one difference of opinion, maybe two with Sen. Lieberman. As a whip, I can tell you time and again, he’s been there when we’ve needed him.”
Democratic discontent, however, seems to be on the rise.
Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) could be stripped of his chairmanship of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee after the next election, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has said.
Speaking to MSNBC host Keith Olbermann on Friday, Reid suggested the former Democrat, who lost to a left-wing primary challenger in 2006 and has now endorsed Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) for the presidency, is not guaranteed to keep his prestigious chairmanship.
Olbermann asked Reid if there was “anything that he could do that would make you move to take his leadership position away on Homeland Security.” The majority leader responded: “Yes, of course,” but did not elaborate.
Earlier on Friday, Reid added, “I think it’s wrong what he’s done [campaigning for McCain], and I told him that.”
A Lieberman aide told The Hill, “Sen. Reid has made it clear that the chairmanship is absolutely not in jeopardy.” A month ago, I’d say that sounded right. Now, I’m not sure.
The Guardian added this item yesterday, suggesting the Republican convention may be the line Lieberman cannot cross, as far as the Democratic leadership is concerned.
Senator Joseph Lieberman, a stalwart backer of John McCain who calls himself an “independent Democrat”, could face punishment from the Democratic party if he is asked to speak at this summer’s Republican convention. […]
Reid today left the door open to sanctioning Lieberman if he speaks in favour of McCain’s nomination.
“I’ll consider anything,” Reid said at a breakfast with reporters today, adding that the Democratic presidential nominee, likely Barack Obama, would want to weigh in on Lieberman’s future role.
Hmm. A month ago, Reid suggested Lieberman is safe. Yesterday, he’s open to possible consequences.
I suppose the obvious question, then, is why Reid balked at the notion of punishing Lieberman when asked about this a month ago. My suspicion is that Reid, at least at the time, didn’t want to spark a controversy or show his cards — he abruptly said “no” when asked whether Lieberman’s chairmanship was at risk, tamping down speculation.
But over the last several weeks, my bet is that Reid has grown increasingly frustrated, and has probably heard an earful from some members of the Senate Democratic caucus. Perhaps the talk we’ve heard from Reid over the last five days is an effort to lay the groundwork for the punishment to come? At this point, I get the sense it’s a distinct possibility.
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Did Reid find a ball (not a pair) under his pillow?
What's the point of having an ersatz Republican representing Connecticut? Was the GOP so cheap it outsourced the Congresscritter seats, too?
Reid= Senator Milquetoast.
During this current term, the Dems needed Lieberman to caucus with them since the balance was barely tipped in their favor. After the November elections, the Dems need to tell this jackass to take a hike. He's been blackmailing the Dems with his phony support for 2 years now. Kick him to the curb and tell him to go ahead and become a Republican. We don't need him anymore. After November, he's no longer relevant. Unfortunately, he still has four years left in his term, so they can't get rid of him completely until 2012 - oh, wait a minute, he'll be McCain's Veep, so he won't be a Senator anymore.
The reason the Democratic Leadership loves and works hard for Joe Lieberman, is because Lieberman loves and works hard for the Republican Leadership.
The Democratic Party is the Servant Party for the Republican Party. If the Republican Leadership has an itch, Joe, Harry and Nancy rush over to give it a scratch.
Didn't Obama and Clinton campaign for Joe in CT? And he repays them...how?
Amazing how the world changes when three special elections in "safe" Republican districts elect Democrats by significant margins. Lieberman better start working on his book deal while anyone still cares.
Dems Considering the Ultimate Sanction Against Joe Lieberman
Why wait??? Yank the damn thing now. Bush is going to veto anything the congress trys to make law anyways, so show the people who are voting in record numbers for dems that you guys are worth voting for.
Not to be all nit-picky but shouldn't that be Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Israel)? Or maybe Sen. Joe Lieberman (M-Mossad)?
Yellow Elephant Safari @ 10:
Always with the Jewish thing, why even go there? The guy is a good red blooded neocon american. What more do we need to send him packing then that?
I have one disagreement with Joe Lieberman. It is about evertything he says and stands for.
RepubAnon @ 7:
Yeah, if the Dems waste this chance to win the Presidency, they might as well fold up and call it off on the political party business.
So i try not to nit pick.
The timing of this article is really funny because I just called Harry Reid's office yesterday complaining that 'Holy' Joe Lieberman is running roughshod over Democrats–even going so far as to attack Barack Obama, the soon-to-be Democratic Presidential candidate–and Mr. Reid needs to stop making excuses for the man and start dishing out some serious punishment.
If I were Harry Reid (and being the vengeful bastard I tend by nature to be) I would exile him from Democratic Caucus meetings as well as revoke all his committee leadership posts).
He would either get in line (and I am not attacking his right to dissent with Democratic policies; I am attacking the way he seems to be a Republican enabler) or he would join the Republicans in exile.
Joe must have some pretty damning evidence of some wrong-doing involving Reid and Pelosi.
“If Sen. McCain, who I support so strongly, asked me to do it, if he thinks it will help him, I will,” Lieberman told The Hill.
Lieberman is so full of himself. Let the repugs have him.
Lieberman is a right wing warmonger. He plays the Dems, and Americans, for fools by pretending to be a loyal party member.
Davis @ 18:
That's the worse part of the whole game Lieberman is playing, namely he doesn't ever pretend to be a loyal Democrat. I mean, he virtually tongue bathes Bush at any opportunity.
And if that imagery doesn't disturb you enough, just picture him with John McCain.
Talk's cheap. Wake me when if it happens.
zzzz
When is the democratic leadership going to wake up? We have Hillary killing the party from one end and we have Joe at the other end. 50% of WV voters think Obama stands for the Rev Wrights views. we have Joe agreeing with McCrazy that Obama will surrender in the war on terror, and where is the leadership of the party? This should be the democrats year, but once again, we will give it away.
diamondmc @ 11:
No, not "always the Jewish thing". Just in this case -
While Senator Reid is not my favorite choice for majority leader, I will give him props for being extremely knowledgeable about Senate procedure and for being very sly. Something big that we don't know about yet is happening, and hopefully a by-product of it will be Holy Joe's come-uppance--or his recall.
Yellow Elephant Safari @ 22:
Include me in the dictionary-sized book of names who think Reid is just all talk and no action.
Harry Reid will not do a thing about Lieberman. Harry Reid has no vision and is not a progressive. To Harry, Leiberman is like the self-destructive idiot brother you have to tolerate, who lays waste to everything within the family, but you don't have the heart (or guts) to cut him loose.
Reid and Leiberman are old school Senators, which means screw around and don't face the real issues and remember to keep those lobbyist happy.
Sorry. Having a hard time getting my link to work. Maybe now?
http://hartfordimc.org/blog/2007/07/05/liebermans-dual-citizenship/
Yellow Elephant Safari @ 24:
When it comes to Israel he's no different then any of the necon repugs, or for that matter some dems.
Alright, let's take a step back here, at least as far as the whole Committee Leadership thing goes.
There's a BIG difference between "is his chairmanship at risk in the next Congress" and "is there 'anything that [Lieberman] could do that would make [Reid] move to take his leadership position away on Homeland Security.'" The latter would include "worst-case scenarios" like "Sen. Leiberman is convicted of treason" or "Sen. Lieberman shoots hundreds from clock tower." Those, of course, would (or, at least, should; with the current leadership, nothing's a given!) cause Senate leadership to revoke his chairmanship, not to mention his seat.
The former implies heavily a restriction to revocation due to political reasons. (Which, granted, are more than called for in the case of Holy Joe, but hey.)
Let's face it: Reid is a pansy-ass, and it will take some kind of nuclear option for him to seriously consider removing HJL from the position of Committee Chair. More's the pity, of course.
I would think now that the Dems have a majority even if Holy Joe gets his kick in the pants and decides to defect in name like he already has in policy made a big difference in the pressure Reid felt from other Dems.
sophiedog @ 4:
Right on the money re Joe Jackass!~!
I don't care that Lieberman suddenly champions Republican ideas and the Republican candidate. That's his decision and I'm sure he's got good reasons for that - no matter how stupid they may be in our biased, liberal reality. It's the silence and inaction of the Democrats (especially Reid) that I can't stand. It's stunning that Lieberman hasn't been stripped of his chairmanship yet. Just get it over with as quickly as possible and don't let Lieberman fester in the Democratic sphere any longer. The longer this drags on, the worse it'll get.
diamondmc @ 21:
Good point, but don't buy into the whole 'War On Terror' meme. It literally doesn't exist and is kinda like having a war on, I don't know, drugs or something. Terrorism is a technique, not an end in and of itself, and you cannot fight a technique.
Now you could tackle some of the underlying causes of terrorism, such as rampant corporatism and imperialism, but as long as there is someone out there pissed off enough to do something about it, you are going to have terrorism of some sort.
In short, the 'War on Terror' is total nonsense, despite the fact that it is repeated often by people who should know better.
Joe Lieberman was the honorary co-chair of the Committee for the Liberation of Iraq, a blend of Project for the New American Century and American Enterprise Institute neo-cons. The purpose of this committee was to lobby our government to invade Iraq. Who was the other honorary co-chair, Mr. Maverick himself - John McCain.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Committee_for_the_Liberation_of_Iraq
Wow...when Lieberman holds a grudge he will carry it so far as to self-destruct.
And to think this clown had the high-honor of once being the vice-prez nomination.
Thanks for being a self-serving politician, Lieberman.
RickinSF @ 20:
Depends, apparently, on who's doing the talking.
"It was his success [Sean Hannity] on television that led to his getting his national radio show at a salary that's said to be some $10 million dollars over 5 years."
Reid sparked a controversy when he acted like a whimp and wouldn't consider punishing Lieberman. Reid, (like most of our leadership) talks out of both sides of his mouth.
Unsean @ 33:
I'm no buying into the terror thing. I said that is what McCrazy and Joe who are trying to run this line on the american people. If you believe the polls out of WV alot of dems in that state believe the samething. The democratic leadership has been silent on any and all of this bullshit.
The War on Non White People has many names:
War on Drugs
War on Terrorism
War on Crime
War on the impoverished
Joe Lieberman is not an independant, he is a republican, and has been for a long time now. Why he is still "respected" by some democrats is beyond me. Take away his seats and let the republicans give him any job they want. He is a traitor to the democatic party, period.
Reid and Pelosi have been astoundingly ineffective at defending the Constitution from the crazy neocons, and that's their job. I received an invitation to a cocktail party fundraiser/dinner yesterday. It was from Nancy Pelosi's office and it benefitted the DCCC. It will be at a neighbor's place up the street. It asked for $1000, $7500, or $28,500 or for me to get friends to pool donations, ranging from $10,000 to $100,000.
I was very annoyed because I had just watched a rerun of The Daily Show with Douglas Feith as guest. Why isn't he in jail? Why aren't Cheney or Bush impeached and imprisoned?
I wrote, in total seriousness, on the return card "Put impeachment back on the table and I will consider this" and I mailed it in. They don't seem to listen to the will of the voters, but perhaps they'll listen to my wallet snapping shut.
I do donate to individual candidates, but the pooled things, like the DCCC, will not get a cent of my money until they get spines and become effective leaders and do their job upholding the Constitution, that thing that George W. Bush called 'just a g.d. piece of paper'.
Bush's Fear and Terror Antics are surfacing again too..
Bush on May 13, 2008 --> Democratic presidency could lead to another terror attack on U.S.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/nation/5777723.html
Veterans know what is really going on..
They are calling for the arrest of Bush and Cheney
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwINBO9fu-I
Reid will do nothing. Next.
Wow, a sternly worded response from Sen. Reid.
How's that working out?
Why is Leiberman allowed to do the things he does to undermine the Democratic party? Simple really; the Democrats have a one seat majority in the Senate and if Leiberman switched parties, the Dems would lose control over the Senate committee heads. So, for now, the Dems have to put up with his anticts. But the next Senate will have a greater Democratic majority, and then they can tell Holy Joe were to go.
But will they?
With Harry Reid as Senate Majority leader, I have my doubts. Reid is a good man, but not strong and doesn't seem to be able to count votes. He has been wrong about almost every vote and has made comments like the one last month saying that the primary race would not go on indefinately. "Things will be done" I think was his comment. Well, here we are several weeks later and nothing has changes.
Anything said by Harry Reid carries about as much weight as if I had said it. And that's a bigger problem than Leiberman for the Democratic party.
We all have our issues with Reid but I for one appreciate his tendency to play his cards close to his chest. Inscrutability goes a long way in politics.
Legalize @ 42:
I was going to say that.
Different Anonymous @ 43:
that's harry's version of a withering attack.
Jamie @ 39:
you might also want to ask the current dem candidates why they supported reid and why they tolerate his response to the corruption in NOLa. I certainly wonder...
All Lieberman has to do is move his chair across the aisle and Harry Reid is no longer Majority Leader. Lieberman has been playing it for all it is worth and more. I'm sure he sees the writing on the wall regarding his own future once the Democratic majority is solidified this Nov. I just wish the people of Connecticut had the opportunity to mount a recall. Meanwhile, we have Joe Lieberman; a majority of One.
If I were Sen. Lieberman, I'd go ahead and make that keynote address. The Dems will have a larger majority come November and he'll shift over to where he belongs, anyway. I don't quite believe that he's going to retain that chairmanship when they don't need him any more.
In the meantime, he was absolutely no help to Al Gore in 2000....probably hurt him in a lot of areas. Let him do the same for McCain. Americans hate dis-loyalty....that's why we're all supposed to be in lockstep about Iraq. Let his show everyone what a self-serving creep he really is.
Unsean @ 33:
I've never been a big "conspiracy" person, but beware the raised terror alert come October. The Republicans are not going to yield power easily, and Bush would love for it to look as if the American people are still behind him. So, suddenly Homeland Security, the CIA and FBI may be announcing increased threats that only "da-da-da-duh" a strong Republican such as McCain can save us from.
They've got the power and they certainly aren't above lying to the American people. Hope I'm wrong.
For some variety of reasons I woke up this morning pissed off. Allow me to vent for a moment...
___________________
Replace Reid ... with Jim Webb.
Webb is a Marine.
Give a Marine the job. It will get done.
There's no one else in the Democratic party who has the kind of leadership skills that Jim Webb has earned from experience.
We need a Democratic party that has all the values of FDR-New Deal Democrats, but also one that has a ground-plan and attitude like the Marine Corp. In other words, a party that can function professionally under extreme stress (like the stress that's coming for our economy).
Pests like Lieberman would learn very quickly to not fuck with a party like that -- and then they would be gone, their political careers ended, abruptly.
We need to destroy this current version of the Republican party, because they have caused grave damage to the national security of the United States. They need to be destroyed because they are liars, and will never admit to the harm they have caused, and thereby will cause more harm to our national security, if given another chance.
You need something destroyed?
Call a Marine.
An aging, droning, out-of-touch politician who still defends a war that two-thirds of Americans think was a blunder is the person delivering one of the most visible speeches of the entire GOP convention?
That's almost too much to ask.
Please, PLEASE, let John McSame ask Kapo Joe to be his keynote speaker.
What could the democratic party gain by having poor sloppy joe in charge of anything? He is a back bencher now and deserves to have a fine cushy job on a committee that has nothing to do with his partisan concerns. He is a republican, and yet they still act as though he is going to help them somehow? He hasn't yet has he?
This is a sign of really questionable leadership in the senate. Time for 2 to go.
Senate Democrats should wait a couple of years before they drive Joe Lieberman to join the Republican Party.
That way, we'll get more votes from him for two years, and still be able to face him as a Republican in the 2012 election.
Reid is a twit AND a master at lying. I'm sure that with his stand on FISA and the whole dance around that that Jumpin' Joe is just fine where he is.
Reid will probably lose, and should lose, his seat IF the democrats sweep congress. He's been a ver ineffectual leader for the Democrats but has been very effective for the republicans... DOH!!!
Lieberquisling (I- Likud) should be stripped of his chairmanship, and if he sits on any committee, he should be counted as a Republican (subtracting by 1 from the number the Republicans would otherwise be able to seat).
oldtree @ 54:
Yes, the math is fairly simple.
Senate = 100 seats
Democrats = 49 + or - 1 Independent (Sanders VT)
At this time (with bonehead in the White House, and the Senate packed with obstructionist Republicans) the critical operative equation comes to this...
50 + 1 (Lieberman) does not equal 60.
60 is the only number that means anything in the Senate today.
Therefore Lieberman only represents a liability to the Democrats.
Lieberman is obviously a Republican operative.
Hopefully there are no Democrats who are talking to him in private, because you can bet your ass that he has told Republican strategists everything he knows about Democratic party operations and intentions.
______
On another note: Lieberman is the biggest mistake Al Gore ever made.
You have do deal with the Dems grossly disproportionate pandering to AIPAC, to get Lieberman's very presence in the Senate -at all.
But this viscious campaign season may have done one good thing for the party - it also created divisions within the AIPAC controlled Congress.
Those hard line Democrats more in tune with the Lieberman faction are almost exclusively behind Hillary Clinton. Notice they also represent a huge proportion of the Super D's who've not made public endorsements, even though Obama won their districts.
These are also the same Democrats who frequently cross the aisles to vote with the Right. And the same Dems who threatened Pelosi. Many more are the same ones who, because of their ideology as their first priority -will vote for McCain and not Obama.
Where Obama has wide support among the moderate Jewish members of Congress, like our hero Russ Feingold. Were their views more widely regarded in Congress - a crucial balance would be restored in many areas but especially in our foreign policy. And that is key to the Democratic Party regaining millions of angry and disillusioned members.
Now comes Harry Reid, the timid and temporary ML, and Chuck Schumer of the New York based DSCC.
The DSCC money is where the ultimate party buck stops. Schumer takes in huge amounts from AIPAC member groups and donors - and Schumer doles out the quid pro quo vote instructions, like the BK Act, FISA, Habeas, Iran, Mukasey, Roberts, Alito, Gonzales, Patriot Act I, Patriot Act II etc.etc. etc.
There's yer Government 100 1/2 -in a nutshell.
Billy Shears @ 58:
Well, in 2000, Lieberman still looked like a Democrat. After 9/11 his Zionist agenda became far more apparent when he (and the rest of the rethugs) used 9/11 as an excuse to murder all non-semitic peoples in the middle east.
mudkips @ 45:
Yes he does play his cards close to his vest, at home, far away from where the game is being played.
He takes no chances, by never playing his cards. by doing nothing that matters, he gains our respect by never making a mistake.
As an old carpenter once told me, "If you're not making mistakes, you're not getting anything done."
Tell Lieberman it's 'whom I support' and then kick him out the door come November when we should have a majority without him, and he can play 'neocon maverick' if he wishes.
"“If Sen. McCain, who I support so strongly, [...]"
Did Reid say he had to wait until after the next election? Isn't that what he has had to do all along hoping that you would elect more democrats and therefore if he decided to get nasty if he lost his positions he could cross over to republicans and majority control would go back to them?
It is indeed a real shame that when he ran as the independent that the republicans wouldn''t even endorse their own candidate and made sure republicans voted for him. I often wonder if Lieberman relishes the power he holds now and whether his promises to his electorate of endorsing a democrat for the next election will ever come back to haunt him or will he just cross over totally and run as a republican.
His speaking at the Rep. convention doesn't bother me near as much as him linking Obama to Hamas. That's just wrong no matter what party you want to affiliate yourself with. It's a long time until November and there is much to lose if Joe is stripped from his chairmanship because he will turn into a full-fledged con. Reid does need to bring Joe aside and tell him to knock it the f@*k off.
Someone should look into where Lieberman's money came from to win his last re-election????? There is method to his madness...
LET LIEBERMAN GO!
LET him defect! LET him go the Republicans.
Then maybe we'll stop hearing how the "Democratically controlled Senate" isn't doing anything.
Lieberman has creep and traitor written all over him for everyone to see, we only need look. Give-em hell harry, whats next? perhaps wagging your finger at him in a rude manner will do it. I've had my fill of these pussys who are scared to take any real action including madam non speaker. Outside of a small handfull of dems, everyone who was in office before 06 needs to be replaced with new people who will do what the people want without a bunch of crybaby excuses. Take back our media and outlaw any company, anywhere from giving over 20 dollars to any running or sitting congress person. That includes meals,trips,gifts or even a stick of gum. Take the easy,sleasy money out of government and the crooks will lose interest in running for office. CEO
Phillip@66 Lieberman got a large amount of his money from people with ties to bushs "bighouse", as I recall I think rove gave him a big chunk of change as well as tom delays little click of jackels. ceo
Squirejons @ 45:
Actually this is not correct. The organizing resolution that was passed at the beginning of this session stays in effect and the Dems will keep control over all the committees even if they tell Joe to go blow now.
.
In the "spirit of bipartisanship(read compromise)" Reid is not concerned with McLIARman's antics because it shows how the nation is coming together to become one huge f'ed up party of corporatist Fascists.
.
and ... going for the WIN.... please don't forget to ALWAYS call him
JOHN "THE REPUBLICAN" MCCAIN
he hates that middle name... but should wear it proudly ... like a flag lapel pin
It looks like Lieberman hopped on the Repug bandwagon just as the wheels were about to come off and the other band members were jumping over the side. It'll be a rough landing for him.
The Dems just have to get enough new seats that they don't need him. And hopefully in another 4 years he will go the way of Zell Miller, become a consultant or something.
Lieberman (R-Israel) will be McBush's Veep which will pull in the Jewish, Fundi, End-timers, Neo-Conservatives, and Corporate America against Obama (D-Iran) which is how they will spin Senator Obama.
Oh come on people. The primary results in West Virginia show you what Lieberman really is: a typical Democrat.
As Weaseldog said, the Democratic Party is nothing more than the servant party of the GOP. Anyone who can't see that at this point is an idiot.
Yellow Elephant Safari @ 24:
I've been watching Lieberman for a long while. I have to agree that he is very pro-Israel, but his allegiance is first and foremost to Joe Lieberman.
Paging Harry Reid: Just because Lieberman likes to put a "D" after his name, don't be fooled he's actually a Democrat.
ooo, don't hurt yourself Harry.
We should replace Reid first, THEN kick Lieberman's ass to the curb.
I still have my Ned Lamont sticker on my car.
diamondmc @ 11:
So, if someone mentioned the Saudi Monarchy and their friendship with the Bush junta.....that would be "Always with the Muslim thing?" Why are Jews like yourself constantly defending Israel? Do you see thinking American Muslims defending the corrupt and radical Saudi regime? Is it possible that you're just whiny and you're carrying the weight of centuries of Jewish history on your shoulders because Israel tells you so? For what? What has Israel ever done for you? So you share a religion with Israelis, big whoop!
And don't give me that "Jews must help Jews" bullshit, that's ghetto thinking. I think we're past that.
Tikun Olam @ 81:
I'm not a Jew and I'm tired of the assumptions that all Jews support Israel because, first, they're Jews. It's bullshit. You sound like you've read The Protocols of the Elders of Zion- written by the anti-semitic Tsarist secret police in Russia, and spread further by noted anti-semite Henry Ford- one too many times.
Now if you've got on tape Lieberman, or Feinstein, or Waxman, or any other Jew in the US government confessing that their allegiances lay with Israel rather than the US, I'll change my mind about the particular person, but not one other who hasn't confessed thew same sentiments.
if you haven't already read up on joes LIEs...go here
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/05/12/living-a-republican-war-the-lie...
and here
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/05/12/lieberman-continues-to-push-oba...
Yes Joe, we NEVER forget!
Never will happen LIE-berman is Reids Puppet-master and LIE-berman controles the strings.
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