Joe Lieberman Responds To 'Lieberman Must Go' Campaign

This week, Robert Greenwald and Brave New Films launched LiebermanMustGo.com, a website petitioning Senate Democrats to strip Sen. Joseph Lieberman of his powerful committee positions in 2009.

Greenwald writes:

Lieberman still holds a top rank within the Senate Democratic Caucus as chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. The Senate Democratic Steering Committee needs to know just how much of a conflict of interest this is. That's why we created Lieberman Must Go.

Here's what you can do: Sign our petition today and tell the Senate Democratic Steering Committee to strip Lieberman of his leadership role in Congress. Then, e-mail this video to everyone you know and spread it on sites like Digg and elsewhere.

Recently in Talking Points Memo, Josh Marshall suggested that the best way to limit Lieberman is by encouraging the Steering Committee to render him powerless in 2009. Lieberman must go, and you can make that happen by donating to Brave New Films today.

Yesterday, Lieberman himself responded to the campaign. The Hartford Courant reports:

When asked about the new www.LiebermanMustGo.com Web site, Sen. Joe Lieberman said this afternoon that it certainly had the right to collect signatures demanding he be shoved out of his Democratic Party positions next year. But he said, "I think most people in this country are really tired of this kind of partisan politicking."

So, what's his plan to counter the petition?

Lieberman joked, "I'm not going to sign."

Comments

[majorteddy]

What we are tired of is would be Traitor Joe Lieberman.

[TotobiAyokoh23]

Lieberman is a very confused grandpa. He has no independent sense of direction and has therefore degenerated into a nondescript politician of no instrumental value.

[laland69]

Lieberman is a backstabbing judas. I will never forget after Gore lost in 2000, Lieberman went on national tv, i think it was CNN, critizing Gore for the way he acted in the campaign. I couldnt believe he had the nerve to do that to somone who picked him for the VP slot. Lieberman must go. I wish someone could dig up that tape of Lieberman critizing Gore. He is a disgrace.

[ebanks84]

This man's whining voice and m-ccain's lying voice makes me want to puke. Gagggg....­..upchuckk­kk..

[Gary47]

The way to make Lieberman not matter is to elect a bunch more democratic senators. Everyone except the whiners knows that.

[beanie]

It was outrageous that Lieberman was able to change party affiliation in the same-year election cycle after he lost the Democratic nomination. It was apparent that the Republican cross-over vote would push him past Lamont. It was an egregious example of political manuvering. The Democrats should have screamed long and loudly. The Republicans would have one more vote for continuing the Iraq nightmare.

Take away his positions; hell he should have been disqualified from the general election in the first place!

[ebanks84]

He is an appalling jerk and m-ccain deserves him. They are two of a putrid kind.

[NTO08]

Hmmmm...th­ese same slimey Repigs tried to manipulate the Dem primaries and cause a rift that apparently worked with some naive people.

[Axolotl]

a true dbag worthy of disrespect, and thus a fine adviser to McC

[colleen2]

Joe lieberman appears to be unaware that an overwhelming majority of the people in this country are opposed to the continuing occupation of Iraq, our tax dollars supporting actual torture and that if he was up for election this year in Connecticut he would not be elected dogcatcher.

[DocWylie]

You had me at "Joe Lieberman seems to be unaware"

[bostongreen]

Lieberman, you're a shanda for the goyim.

[joyf1]

and a momser!

[PioneerKing]

McCain and Lieberman what a couple of grumpy old men - uuuuugggghhhhh they are as appealing as toilet bowel scum.

[scooperss]

Connecticut for Lieberman is a Connecticut political party created by twenty-five supporters of Senator Joe Lieberman.

[Zentomato]

Let's be realistic about Lieberman. I say this as a person who holds Mr. Lieberman in the highest of contempt but right now he does still caucus with the Democrats and he does vote along with the majority of Democratic bills and resolutions. The main exception is his infuriating stance on the Iraq war and his slap in the face to the Democratic Party by supporting the Republican opponent. I say that for now we grin and bear him (typing that I felt nauseous) but when we get enough of a majority in the Senate then we kick his smug butt to the curb.

[bbbbmer]

Lyin' Lieberman is a traitor to the Democratic party, to American Jewery, and to good common sense. He's a godawful person, and it is a sin that Bill and Hill supported his independent candidacy for the Conn. Senate seat after the Democratic party booted him during his last election cycle and nominated an antiwar candidate instead. There is a special place in HELL for such treachery -- it's called the RNC....

[wagonjak]

Unfortunately as I've heard, Obama either campaigned or did an ad for Lieberman during the runoff with Lamont too...and Barack's right turn away from his populist talk in the primary is starting to paint a picture of him as a normal politician who will do or say anything to win...hope I'm wrong on this one...

[eztempo]

Bill & Hill's support last election is in stark contrast to Lieberman's excoriation of Bill -- feeding the Republican frenzy -- when "partisan politics" was trying to IMPEACH Mr Clinton!

[bygollymissmolly]

I really don't understand why the Democrats don't kick Lieberman to the curb now. He rarely votes with them any longer. Besides, there is no way the Democrats are going to get anything accomplished before next January since the Republicans have decided to throw a block on everything they try to do. Just give up trying to legislate and continue to hold hearings until O'bama takes office.

[karela]

I don't have an opinion on this, but Harry Reid says that Lieberman votes with the dems on every issue except the war. I heard an interview with Lieberman the other day. He sounded believably sincere. He says that the war is a matter of conscience because he feels that it is essential for American security. I totally disagree with him, but maybe a person has a right to a conscience. We often have had reason to be angry with politicians who seem to be lacking one. He said that he loves his job and hopes that he will keep it, but that even if he lost it he has to follow his conscience. His vote has been the 51st vote on every bill the democrats have tried to pass for the past two years. It's true that Bush then vetoed most of them, but at least they had a chance because of Lieberman. Until he lost his primary last time and ran as an independent, he has been a democrat all his life and a Senator for the last twenty. He usually agrees with democrats on all things domestic and with republicans on foreign affairs and defense. Having said all that, I pull my hair out when he attacks Obama.

[mmerose]

I think the correct formulation would be, he thinks the war is necessary to Israeli security. If you filter Liebermanism together with Michael Savagism through the "extremist Zionism" screen, it seems to me that a little internal consistency is just barely discernible.

As for the "he must go" part, where is the Hillary Clinton must go website in response to her endorsement of John McCain during the primary, following on her bold grant of war powers to george Bush?