Bayh's Defense Of Lieberman Wrong, Senate Expert Says

Appearing on "The Rachel Maddow Show" earlier this week, Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh argued that Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman should keep his committee chairmanships, suggesting that the posts could be taken away at a later date if he misbehaves. But a Senate rules expert who spoke to the Huffington Post said this could prove more difficult than is presently assumed.

Attempting to put Democrats' fears to rest, Bayh told Maddow:

And the final thing I'd say is, if he does retain his chairmanship, we still exert oversight over him and control over him. He doesn't have the ability to just do whatever he wants. The caucus still has the right to remove him from that position at any time if he starts going off on some kind of tangent.

Bayh's rationale appeared persuasive to some Democrats, including former Clinton campaign operative Phil Singer, who wrote on his blog that the Indiana Senator's take was "not unreasonable."

But former Democratic Senate staffer Martin Paone suggested Bayh is under-educated on this matter. Paone, who became as the "secretary to the majority" in the Senate starting in 2001, notes that Republicans harbored similar desires in the past, but never executed them due to the threat of a filibuster.

"It takes a Senate resolution to change a chairmanship, and that resolution could be subject to a filibuster," Paone told the Huffington Post. Put simply, under Bayh's proposed scenario, Republicans would have every reason to filibuster a new Senate resolution taking Lieberman's chairmanship away if he was proving an effective antagonist of President Obama.

Paone noted that a similar game of political chess played out in the Senate's recent history. "We had a similar situation in the past with a Republican moderate senator, Mark Hatfield from Oregon, who voted the wrong way in the eyes of [former Sen. Rick] Santorum and others on the constitutional amendment on a balanced budget," Paone said. "There were rumblings they wanted to take his chairmanship away. But the ranking member on the committee was [Democratic] Sen. Robert Byrd, who wrote Hatfield a nice note saying, 'if they ever try to take your chairmanship away, I'll make sure we [Democrats] will filibuster such a resolution."

According to Paone, "the time to take a chairmanship away is when everybody is being appointed [at the beginning of the new Congress]. Everybody has an investment in that resolution. In order for everybody to benefit, that resolution has to pass. It's much more difficult to cherry pick in this fashion, to take one Senator's chairmanship, at a later date."

Asked if Bayh understands this complexity, Paone said "I'm sure he probably doesn't. There aren't that many people up there who do. It's not every day you want to change a chairmanship. And since the Hatfield matter never materialized, I think that shows why it's not as easy as some might think."

Comments

[harrythesurfer]

Joe Lieberman is the true embodiement of a disgusting, flip-flopping, anything goes politician.

He is a disgrace and the Democrats need to drop him.

I have reservations that the Republicans even want him around because they see that he's a disloyal piece of crap!

[sempivirens]

Conservatives despise Liberals for their weakness, even when their compassion and ability to forgive directly benefits those same conservatives.

Lets face it: Conservatives are right. Liberals are weak. Look at the ads on Huffington Post: they're blatantly ANTI-OBAMA. Would Conservatives allow that on their websites?

This is not the time to forgive Lieberman. This is the time for justice. If Liberals learned to pursue justice over constant appeasement they'd earn the respect of Conservatives.

[castleberry]

Dump Lieberman.

[StevieRae]

Write your Senators, if they're democrats.

[Whinger]

Of course he's wrong, Judas didn't get a second chance!

Does Lieberman know something we don't ?

[PKSSK]

All I can say is that I was thrilled Bayh was not picked as VP. His opinion on the Lieberman issue is further proof that Obama made the right decision. Lieberman should lose his chair/leadership of Homeland Security just like a repub would be booted from their caucus and lose his/her chair if they were in the same position. Senate dem's truly lack the loyalty, integrity, character and guts to do the right thing to protect the party, Pres-elect and the people that vote them into office. Disgraceful!!!!

[mbango]

Evan Bayh deserves to remain in the senate where frienships are more important than principles. When I think that he was considered as a potential VP?????He is a whimp who was disrespected like all the other Democratic senators and he does not have the guts and/ or strenght to kick Lieberman out. Can you imagine how Evan Bayh would have dealt with Castro or Chavez?

[inwonderland]

Bayh often surprises in that he is more assertive and vocal than sometimes given credit for being.

However, this mixed message about Lieberman, stated on the Rachel Maddow show, shows why
Bayh would not have been a good pick for Barack. Bayh's wanting to please all people is not
a good foil for Obama, but, Bayh may be reasserting his visibility for a cabinet post, or a run in 2012 with or against Obama.

Time to think about that one.

At least the digits 2012 can be considered WITHOUT two dreadful words being attached to them.
(she who will not be named by me, anyway, anymore) Sarah Palin. Enough!!

[wakeup1]

I just wrote my congressman. We don't need him on any committee!

[Bendersky]

If they want a republican to have the chair for this committee, why not do it outright and give it to Hagel. Why waste it on this turncoat?

[kylennblack]

"Sen. Joe Lieberman should keep his committee chairmanships, suggesting that the posts could be taken away at a later date if he misbehaves."

Uh, he's already misbehaved. He needs to lose his posts and other perks pronto.

I'm sick of people not being held accountable.

[MPeter]

This Guy Bayh keeps on surprising me. For a man who is supposed to be smart and capable, every time he opens his mouth, he spews garbage. I have never had anything from him that I liked. How can he defend Lieberman?

[LeftLeanWing]

1) The most compelling logic for keeping Lieberman is that he votes almost 100% with the Democrats on domestic issues. If he goes Republican he would more than likely vote with them on all issues foreign and domestic.

2) If the Republicans appear to be obstructionist by frequently using the filibuster; they will further alienate the voters who want the Obama administration and Congress to get things done.

But I must admit than I am 50 / 50 on this Lieberman conundrum. I personally want to see him glued face forward to a chimp cage @ the zoo the morning after banana pepper chili night

[kimk3]

This is all about AIPAC and Rahm Emanuel. Emanuel wants him there because they're both AIPAC whores. Rahm Emanuel is not change I want to believe in.

[bubbles3660]

Might as well just put PNAC back in charge.

[LisaJeanM]

What I find really striking about this is that after all the deplorable things Lieberman said and did in the campaign Bayh thinks nothing of going right on tv and saying a bunch of nonsense to just gloss it all over. He seems to have no idea of how stupid and PHONEY he sounds.

It's like these people spend a few years in D.C. and their brains turn to complete crud.

[plzchuteme]

It distresses me no end that this guy will extort his way into retention of his senate leadership position. If his fellow senators don't have the "nads" to do what is right and dump him, then, at least one of then should take it upon himself/herself to do right by their country and give him an "Atomic Wedgie!"