Lamont: Lieberman "Dithering" On Health Care

One of Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) most strident critics accused him of "dithering" on health care reform after the Independent stated that he would consider sustaining a filibuster of the legislation.

Ned Lamont, who beat Lieberman in the 2006 Democratic primary only to lose to the senator in the general election (after Lieberman defected from the party), accused his one-time opponent of posturing for attention in making his filibuster threat.

"I think he wanted to rush to war now he wants to dither on health care," Lamont told the Huffington Post. "You don't have to posture. You just have to sit down and talk to your fellow Democrats and move this thing along."

"To me, a filibuster is just a way to avoid the issue," Lamont added. "Rather than do a press release he should be sitting down with his fellow senators."

Lamont would go on to insist that some of Lieberman's major objections to the health care bill were bunk. People in Connecticut, he said, support a public option for insurance coverage in part because it could expand coverage but also because it would result in lower costs -- something that he appreciated , as a business leader. Lamont also noted that by adding an opt-out clause for states to the public plan, Lieberman's concerns that this would resemble a new entitlement program were essentially moot.

"What he is saying is 'I don't want Connecticut to have the opportunity to even opt in,'" he said.

As for getting Lieberman back in the fold, Lamont didn't have a solution. He encouraged Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to make reform more palatable to moderate Republicans so as to make Lieberman's opposition irrelevant. He then conceded that such a scenario remains unlikely if the package also includes a public plan.

"I would make the case to everyone on the floor... that this is just a choice, it is an option, it is competitive," Lamont said. "It gives us a shot and let's us play into a bigger pool.... If Harry Reid makes that case, I think he will be able to get some folks behind it that will surprise you."

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Comments

[SYLee]

I move to strike excessive use of the word 'dithering'.

[Ron44]

Lieberman is a failure as a man and Senator!!!

[hischagal]

Ron44,

He most certainly is! He thoroughly disgusts me.

[Mark Kraft]

Hey Lieberman... Deal or No Deal?!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJ-VZ1VXkmc

[skyshoes]

Will Joe Leiberman (Is)/(R) halt funds for Israel? They have a public option.

Health care in Israel is both universal and compulsory, and is administered by a small number of organizations with funding from the government. All Israeli citizens are entitled to the same Uniform Benefits Package, regardless of which organization they are a member of, and treatment under this package is funded for all citizens regardless of their financial means. According to a 2000 study by the World Health Organization. Wikipedia

A Conservative Estimate of Total Direct U.S. Aid to Israel: Almost $114 Billion.
Washington Report

[hischagal]

I see your point!

[mmille732003]

How about a 'recall election' for Lieberman?

[goodog]

AdolphH hears that the PublicOption LIVES!

http://www.isle-of-avalon.net/DerInsuranceUntergang.html

[RightsGuy]

Quoted from:
http://crooksandliars.com/john-amato/bill-moyers-single-payer-plan-health-ca

Howie Klein has a rundown of all the money that the people who are blocking real reform in health care have received from the health care industry.

Arlen Specter (R-D- PA- $4,026,933)

Max Baucus (DLC- MT- $2,833,731)

Mitch McConnell (R-KY- $2,758,468)

And when you just go right to Big Insurance, the non-presidential candidates who got the biggest legalized bribes were the 7 senators who have been tasked with the job of killing single-payer:
Ben Nelson (DLC-NE- $1,196,799)

Max Baucus (DLC- MT- $1,184,113)


Joe Lieberman (DLC- CT- $1,036,302)


Arlen Specter (R-D- PA- $1,035,530)

Chuck Schumer (D-NY- $981,400)

Mitch McConnell (R-KY- $929,207)

Chuck Grassley (R-IA- $884,724)

[PhilipTaylor]

PERHAPS THIS HELPS EXPLAIN L1EBERMAN'S ANTI-AMERICAN PEOPLE STANCE!

He is used to DOING IT!

Connecticut Leads Nation in Multiple Measures of Income Inequality

Key Facts:

1. Census data shows Connecticut leads the nation in household income inequality
2. CT has second-most unequal household income distribution
3. The greatest growth in household income inequality over the past several decades.
4. CT has 4 of TOP 5 Metro Areas for increasing income inequality

http://www.ctdatahaven.org/reports/CT_inequality_07.pdf
__________­__________­__________­___

A WALL STREET EL1T1ST AGENDA!

AN "IS" AGENDA!

A REPUBLICAN AGENDA!

AN ANTI-AMERICAN PEOPLE AGENDA!

[Joe The Nerd Ferraro - Huffpost Blogger]

anybody interested in starting sit-ins across the country this friday in front of waffling congress people's local offices?

[dianhow]

Let them filibuster so we can ALL see who they are -
and how they disregard - disrespect us

[minerva117]

Thank you!! I've been saying it all along. The THREAT of a filibuster shouln't make the dems quake in their boots. I say put your money (or your political career) where your mouth is! Go ahead, filibuster, the rest of us will be taking down names.

[Anym]

Lamont 2012.

Let's get Droopy Dogg out of office and back into the doghouse where he belongs.

[LebronJeremy]

I've always kind of thought of Lieberman as a d*ck. Now, I realize I was right all along.

[dianhow]

jeremy Thats makes 2 . DICK Cheney & Joe

[RRundbaken]

We have the people of Connecticut to thank for sending him back to Congress. If the majority of Connecticut residents support a public option then for whom exactly is Lieberman voting? I wonder how much money he's getting from the insurance industry?

[Marcospinelli]

Connecticut is one huge insurance company state.

[CommunistUtopia]

Joe is doing the right thing. USA is broke and we cannot afford a government run system. They have proven to fail everywhere the are at. Look at Canada, United Kingdom, and Europe. Laggard health care systems that cost a lot more than they should. GO JOE GO, GO JOE GO.

[Cowboylove]

Since nothing you say here has any truth in it, congratulations for making the Republican argument look as stupid as it is.

[docallen001]

Thats a for sure.

[LebronJeremy]

Actually they work pretty well in Canada, the UK, France, and Germany. I bet you couldn't tell be the first thing about our health care system or anyone else's. I know you can't. You don't know anything about the subject at all, and you're just running your mouth.

[CommunistUtopia]

More propaganda from the Liberal attack machine. USA is the world leader in health care. People come here for health care; they don't go to Canada, UK, or Europe.

[Marcospinelli]

Obama wanted him, Obama can f!x it:

==President-elect Barack Obama has informed party officials that he wants Joe Lieberman to continue caucusing with the Democrats. Obama's decision could t!e the hands of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who has been negotiating to remove Lieberman as chair of the Homeland Secur!ty & Government Reform Committee while keeping him within the caucus. Lieberman has insisted that he'll split from the Democrats if his homeland security position is stripped. ==

This moment wasn't unforeseen. Everybody knew before Obama even took the oath of office that getting healthcare reform was going to require being able to break any GOP filibuster.

What did Obama get from Lieberman for letting him caucus with Democrats? If there was no agreement about not joining the GOP in filibusters, if this was yet another grand gesture like Obama's taking single payer off the table, we have a hopelessly inept and naive president. That's at best.

At worst, Obama's just another politician, c0rrupt to the core, and the only people that he's working, playing, are the American people who worked their hearts out for him & put him into office believing he was working on their behalf and interests and not Big Corporations'.

[dianhow]

O was trying to listen to all sides. O does not know yet- that GOP cares nothing about people
JUST PROFITS FOR FAT CATS . GOP REIGN - TOXIC POLICY- GREED- DISASTER

[Marcospinelli]

Do you remember the thousands of photographs of t0rture & abuse that Obama pledged he would release, then flip-flopped on?:

10/22/09: Congress passed legislation that gives the Defense Department the authority to suppress evidence of its own misconduct.

In an unprecedented move, Congress passed legislation Tuesday including an amendment which would maintain one of the most contentious hangovers of the Bush administration, allowing the Department of Defense to exempt torture photos of US detainees overseas from public access under Freedom of Information Act requests.

An amendment sponsored by Sen. Joe Lieberman, slashes a huge hole in FOIA. Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) was a key figure in stopping Lieberman's photo suppression bill the first time around. Slaughter explained that this time, the provision was slipped into the Homeland Security spending bill during the conference between House and Senate negotiators -- "apparently under direct orders from the Administration."

http://www.truthout.org/1022095
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/143322/outrage:_house_sneakily_passes_bill_banning_release_of_photos_showing_detainee_abuse/

Is Obama going to sign it, veto it or pocket veto it (do nothing, just let it sit and in 10 days it becomes law)?

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/27/lieberman-id-vote-against_n_335627.html?page=24&show_comment_id=33526704#comment_33526704

[oldpol2]

While I understand your wanting to see all the evidence of torture I think showing more pix would be very detrimental to our troops. I suggest instead that we absolutely hound Eric Holder into prosecuting those responsible using what we know exists and using what they will not release to us. We need to hound, harass and persue on a daily basis until it is done. Here are the contacts
Department of Justice Main Switchboard - 202-514-2000

Office of the Attorney General Public Comment Line - 202-353-1555
[e-mail]
snail mail
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001
MAKE YOURSELF HEARD

[Marcospinelli]

Do you remember the thousands of photographs of t0rture & abuse that Obama pledged he would release, then flip-flopped on?:

10/22/09: Congress passed legislation that gives the Defense Department the authority to suppress evidence of its own misconduct.

In an unprecedented move, Congress passed legislation Tuesday including an amendment which would maintain one of the most contentious hangovers of the Bush administration, allowing the Department of Defense to exempt torture photos of US detainees overseas from public access under Freedom of Information Act requests.

An amendment sponsored by Sen. Joe Lieberman, slashes a huge hole in FOIA. Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) was a key figure in stopping Lieberman's photo suppression bill the first time around. Slaughter explained that this time, the provision was slipped into the Homeland Security spending bill during the conference between House and Senate negotiators -- "apparently under direct orders from the Administration."

http://www.truthout.org/1022095
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/143322/outrage:_house_sneakily_passes_bill_banning_release_of_photos_showing_detainee_abuse/

Is Obama going to sign it, veto it or pocket veto it (do nothing, just let it sit and in 10 days it becomes law)?

[gd h]

I don't see how he could be hopelessly inept and naive. I guess that leaves the alternative. And I voted for and kind of liked the guy. Since then, he's shown a bit of a different side. Which makes me even angrier when I see the rednecks parading around with their "how's that hopey changey thing going for you?" Not so good. Thanks, Obama for leaving us with this, instead of the "change".

[Gretel1or2]

I think you need to read this because you (and the rednecks you describe) obviously "misunderestimate" Obama big time. Take a minute to read this blog which details Obama's overall strategy in this whole health care reform.

http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2009/10/26/13159/249