he should be striped of his committee appointments and if he wants to caucus with the GOP let him .
On Nov 11, 6:29 am, mark <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > why should he now be a true independent? he sided with the dems for > years, until they trashed him. but now that he is considering working > with the republicans the libs want him to be an independent. so it > was alright for him to side with the dems, but partisan when he works > with the republicans. > > On Nov 11, 5:32 am, "mike [move on] 532" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > wrote: > > > > > Let Joe Lieberman be a true Independent -- with no chairmanships or > > seniorityhttp://www.buzzflash.com/articles/analysis/522 > > I love this focus on Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) these days. The people > > who put up with his bizarre view of the Democratic Party in the > > 1990s, > > his lackluster stint as Al Gore's running mate in 2000 (while > > concurrently running for the Senate, endangering a Democratic seat in > > the Senate), and his love for the Iraq war and John McCain over the > > last eight years are finally sick of Lieberman. > > > To use the language of Joe Scarborough, where the f*ck have you been? > > > I have been an anti-Lieberman supporter since the mid-1990s. The > > annoying phrasing of "bipartisanship" on a bill by the Republicans > > back then meant "Republicans plus Joe Lieberman." > > > Lieberman was an easy pick for the Republicans, and he certainly made > > no bones even then about helping Republicans justify favor for bad > > legislation. > > > But, Democrats quietly rolled along and said, "well, he is a Democrat > > on most things, and we desperately need Democrats in office." > > > His harsh sense of morality was what made Republicans love him in the > > 1990s, and likely convinced Gore to pick him as his running mate, a > > disaster perhaps even worse than the Sarah Palin pick. Gore would > > certainly like to have that one back. > > > After his seemingly insincere run (go back and watch the Lieberman/ > > Cheney debate in 2000) as the vice-presidential running mate, he was > > still forgiven since, well, he was a Democrat. Even if clearly > > Lieberman was a DINO. > > > Finally, in 2006, after his cheerleading for the Iraq War and McCain, > > Democrats went, "maybe this guy isn't on our side after all" and went > > after Lieberman in the primary. Ned Lamont won that primary, but > > Lieberman had the last laugh, going back to the Senate. > > > The Democrats would likely have kicked out Zell Miller for his 2004 > > speech at the Republican National Convention, but Lieberman dances > > around this because he's an "Independent." Lieberman ran on the > > Connecticut for Lieberman Party (CFL) in 2006, a party that now > > wouldn't have him as a candidate. > > > And now, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says he is trying to keep > > Lieberman within the Democratic caucus. > > > This pissing match is really about chairmanships. If Lieberman had > > significant integrity, he would be a true Independent with all its > > advantages. But Lieberman wants to be an Independent, yet have his > > Democratic seniority as chairman of committees, such as his current > > stint as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and > > Governmental Affairs. > > > The Bernie Sanders' comparison isn't terribly fair, since Sanders > > doesn't have the seniority that Lieberman has. > > > The simple solution is to tell Lieberman that he can caucus with the > > Democrats if he wants, but he loses Democratic Party seniority for a > > party to whom he no longer belongs. Lieberman should have been told > > this back when he lost to Ned Lamont in the Democratic Party primary > > in 2006: leave the party and if you win, you lose all seniority. > > > When Jim Jeffords left the Republican Party, the Democrats did reward > > him as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public > > Works. And to pull out a Canadian example, Belinda Stronach shifted > > from the Conservative Party to the Liberal Party in May 2005. > > Stronach > > immediately joined the Liberal cabinet as minister of Human Resources > > and Skills Development and minister responsible for Democratic > > Renewal. > > > But even though the Republicans want Lieberman to caucus with them, > > they aren't going to give Lieberman what he wants: seniority. Of > > course, seniority doesn't mean as much when you jump from the party > > in > > power to the party out of power. > > > As the Democrats go a courting with Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Sen. > > Susan Collins (R-ME), and Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA), among others, > > the > > party leaders know they will have to approach for their support in a > > gracious way. Snowe, Collins, and Specter are Republicans, even if > > they are moderate Republicans. They may be willing to help here and > > there, but they won't be lapdogs such as Lieberman. > > > There is room on the political landscape for people with Lieberman's > > views. And there is room for political figures to switch parties or > > to > > declare themselves as independents. There is integrity for people > > such > > as Jim Jeffords or Lincoln Chafee or Ben Nighthorse Campbell. > > > But politically, Joe Lieberman is a weasel. He allows himself to be > > used as the whim takes him. If he had the integrity he claims he has, > > the Republicans would eagerly give him the seniority he wants. But he > > doesn't. The GOP won't help Lieberman because they don't trust him. > > > Lieberman will be an U.S. Senator until 2013, and if he runs again, > > the people of Connecticut will have to decide whether he should come > > back. But the Democratic Party and the Republican Party shouldn't do > > him any favors in the meantime. Let him serve the way he wants: as an > > Independent. Out there alone -- in a box of his own creation.- Hide quoted > > text - > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more. -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
