Reports: Lieberman Likely To Keep His Chair

The entire Democratic Senate caucus will gather tomorrow to vote on whether Joe Lieberman should keep his position as chairman of the Homeland Security Committee. Sources tell MSNBC the vote will go his way:

According to sources familiar with negotiations, Democrats are expected to vote in favor of letting the Connecticut senator keep his chairmanship and seniority, but give up the gavel on a subcommittee he chairs. The vote happens tomorrow morning by secret ballot.

The tide turned in Lieberman's favor, sources say, after two events in recent weeks. First, President-elect Obama told Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that he wanted Lieberman to stay in the Democratic caucus. Later, in a meeting with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Lieberman told him it would be "unacceptable" for him to give up his gavel. That was considered by some as a veiled threat that Lieberman would jump to caucus with Republicans if he was forced to give up the gavel.

Obama tipped the scales in Lieberman's favor, one source said. The source essentially explained it like this: If the wrath was directed at Obama and got over it, shouldn't the Democratic caucus do the same?

CQ Politics adds:

Despite campaigning for the Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman has "significant support" from the caucus, ally Ken Salazar said Monday.

"I think he will be a force of good in supporting an Obama administration," said Salazar, D-Colo. He is part of a four-member whip team tasked with talking to other members of the caucus to find out what, if any, punishment Lieberman deserves for supporting Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and campaigning against President-elect Barack Obama.

...

Some senators say they will defer to their party leaders.

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"I'll follow the leadership position and President-elect Obama's recommendation," said Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, D-Md. "Send a message, but don't pick a big fight within the family."

On the other hand, Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE), a close ally of Lieberman's, says the Senator should pay consequences:

"There need to be consequences, and they cannot be insignificant," Carper said in a Monday interview with The Hill.

...

Carper said he and three other Senate Democrats have been making phone calls to "take the temperature of our caucus." He said the purpose of the calls was not to lobby senators for any particular action for or against Lieberman, but "just to see where people's hearts and their minds are."

Carper said that "many of my colleagues ... are very angry with his criticism of Sen. Obama," but he would not say which sanctions he prefers.

Comments

[postman606]

They are going to treat him like Micheal Corleone treated Fredo. Use him until it's convenient to jettison him.

[Beninn]

No, Democrats won't be able to jettison Lieberman.

To oust a chairman of a committee takes 2/3rds vote of the entire Senate. That means that Joe Lieberman doesn't have to keep Democrats happy once he's in. He'll have to keep Republicans happy in order to prevent Democrats from trying to oust him.

Republicans aren't about to cross party lines to vote with Democrats to vote Joe out of the Chairmanship if he makes a deal to make it worth their while. We sure know that Republicans are disciplined and tow the party line when ordered to do so. That will be especially necessary with their small numbers in the Senate. Their districts won't punish them in the next election for standing up to Democrats.

This is a win all the way around for Lieberman.

[AKJM]

Homeland security is the group of wire taps?
Joe is not going anywhere, he knows who is doing what to whom and where the money is hidden.

[DrDemon]

LOL

[dglow]

This is the only explanation for keeping the fox in the chicken coop.

[as1504]

Let me get this straight...Obama is populating his staff with Clintonistas and lobbyists, and he wants to keep Lieberman, a blood thirsty neocon, in a position of power. I was never a big fan of Obama and never bought into his "change" and "hope" platitudes, but I never thought he would tip his hand this quickly. Why is Obama supporting Lieberman and why is he saying Democrats should go along with him. He tried to undermine Democrats in House and Senate races, not just the presidential election.

Obama and the Democratic Senate leadership are basically telling us that not only does Lieberman crap on our heads, we're supposed to say thanks for the hat. That has been the way the Dems have been treating us since we worked to put them back in power in 2006. So much for change we can believe in.

[eden4barack08]

Obama has NOT said anything except that Joe should stay in the caucus, and that is the standard position. He has not put out any extraordinary support for him whatsoever. So quit putting this on Obama!!! It is the Senate's, under the leadership of Reid, job to carry out what is correct. And the correct thing to do, is NOT to reward a non-Democrat, with an important Democratic Committee chairmanship!

[Beninn]

That was implicit when Lieberman said that if he couldn't keep the chairmanship, he would leave the Democratic caucus and join the Republicans.

Obama shouldn't have taken any position.

[SCG]

Just call him "Chairman Joe". He has more spine then those voting to keep him. He urinates on the democratic party, and they fall over themselves to find excuses to keep him.

Joke's on us.

[DrDemon]

--- > YOU GOT THAT RIGHT!

[FatherKindly]

I ain't laughing.

[toypiano]

I say we call his bluff. Remove him as chair of BOTH the Homeland Security and the Governmental Affairs committees, then let him stay in the Dem caucus. If he leaves the caucus, that's his choice. We don't need him there stinkin' up the joint with his unstable shenanigans.

Write or call your Democratic senators and tell them: Please do the right thing on Tuesday and vote to REMOVE LIEBERMAN from his committee posts.

[Okieborn]

Hell no one has asked the American Citizenry about Lieberman !!
The only thing we get is another you pay the bills from congress !!!

[barbie1212]

Democrats have no spin and they will be uprooted in 2010.

[Big0725]

Not likely!

[Driene]

I'm all for a two party system but Joe needs to go!!! The Republicans won't trust him because he's been on the voting side of the Dem's and the Dem's SHOULDN't trust him for all of his defection and all of the "I'm For McCain because Obama is".....rhetoric. If he now thinks that he has leverage because of his one vote-then he should take that vote and shove it over to the minority party-GOP!

[veracity]

We KNEW that it was only a matter of time until the stupid, cowardly, craven DC Senators CAVED IN on this, and SNATCHED DEFEAT from the JAWS OF VICTORY, as they always do.

#1. Just as they DENIED the Black CONGRESSIONAL CAUCUS a SIMPLE Congressional Investigation into all that massive Kathernine Harris/Jeb Bush/Republican VOTE-STEALING (and then trashing, uncounted) of Democratic votes in 2000..

#2. Just as they did NOTHING to OBSTRUCT George W. Bush's MOST PARTISAN nominees to high office in January 2001, despite Bush _stealing_ his election win... NOT "from Al Gore", but from _Democratic VOTERS, ROBBED_ of their popular majority both nationwide & in Florida.....
#3. Just as Dem. Senators COWERED IN FEAR as the Repub. majority THREATENED "THE NUCLEAR OPTION!" if Democrats filibustered other BushCo. atrocites...

#4. Just as the Cowering DC Democrats DID NOTHING with a 2 year majority to ASSURE VOTING STANDARDS were WORLD CLASS... (Hello? ALASKA and Minnesota votes REMAIN UNCOUNTED even to now!)

Of course we smell the hand of the Israel lobby in this (don't forget, Israel's most recent PM had to resign for CORRUPTION), but none-the-less, this is just another in a long list of DC Democrat senators STABBING DEMOCRATIC VOTERS IN THE BACK.....

[AgroGuy]

Awesome. He has done so much for the party over the last couple of years - can we expect his continued support? What are they thinking, if anything?

[dee544]

PEOPLE . . . STOP COMPLAINING AND WRITE YOUR SENATORS NOW !! AND TELL A FRIEND OR TWO TO DO THE SAME!!!

[Bedingo]

Who would have guessed that voting for the Democrats and Obama would have meant strengthening the Zell Miller wing of the Democratic Party? Maybe Joe the Senator can be convinced to take the Finance or Defense Committees (he seems to have a lot of friends among the Democrats, e.g. that beacon of civil liberties, Sen. Christopher Dodd). Oh, well The more it changes the more it stays the same. Now Joe the Senator can campaign for his buddy Chambliss in Georgia.

[TheIndependenceParty]

To the Dems, ... Joe will not vote with you. He is angry, spiteful, and wants nothing more than to spite this new president he campaigned against. What part of his agenda don't ou understand???

[AJ39]

Mikulski says, : . . .don't pick a big fight within the family."

What family? Joe Lieberman left the family! and he's not even akin to the prodigal son who came to his senses. He's still defiant, still cocksure he's right, still smug and self-righteous. And why shouldn't he be if he can get away with his betrayals? What is wrong with the Democratic caucus?

[Big0725]

It's almost a Stockholm Syndrome situation here, with Harry Reid as the captor.

[FatherKindly]

I live in Maryland and I will happily vote against Mikulski if she ever runs again simply because of this one remark.

[eden4barack08]

"I'll follow the leadership position and President-elect Obama's recommendation,"

Folks, this is BS!!! Don't you believe it for one minute! They're trying to say that Obama wants to forgive the Judas, and yes that may be true. We know our PE is magnanimous, but nowhere has he said he wants him to keep the chairmanship! Think about this, if Obama was not just being diplomatic, wouldn't he have shown us, by maybe having a public meeting, or a public support for Joe?? The cowardly Senators are just using Obama's magnanimity, to justify their spineless defense of a traitor! As if they're doing this for him! Bull!!!! They're not! Please people, keep calling them all day today, and emailing. Threaten to vote them out the next election if necessary. We cannot allow this! the party is ours more than ever now! Thanks to Obama, we're no longer just a disengaged public. Our grassroots organization got Obama/Biden and an increased Democratic majority elected. They MUST listen to us!
Please use this easy tool from Firedoglake to contact the Senators :

http://tools.advomatic.com/7/kickjoe

Please, do not give up until the vote tomorrow. Let's keep fighting 'till the last minute. This is what Obama means when he says he cannot change Washington without our help!

[Egalitare]

I'm not giving up until the fat lady sings on this.

If Lieberman retains his chairmanship, then goes down to Georgia and supports Chambliss, I'm sure I will be beaten to the punch by thousands of you with:

I TOLD YOU SO!!!!