Top 15 Lieberman Betrayals: Joe's Worst Double-Crosses

On Tuesday, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) announced that he might join a filibuster against health care reform. It's not the first time he's betrayed Democrats. Below, a slideshow of the senator's worst turns. Vote for your favorite!

Tried To Kill Clinton's Universal Health Care

Back in 1993, Lieberman called Bill Clinton's reform "too governmental, too regulatory and too costly."

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[dansup]

and THIS guy won Kennedy's Profile in Courage Award??? WTF happened?

[TXeagle]

Does Lieberman think it too costly to give israel billions of US taxpayers money-in cash and state of the art weapons ? And by the way allow israel to dictate American foreign policy in the Middel East?

[FerrellGummitt]

How about when Joe Lieberman was betrayed by Al Gore in 2004 by endorsing Howard "Captain Yells" Dean for President?

[gvscmr]

The Two Buddies who are fighting Health Care Reform

Joe Lieberman - Senator CT
10 Alston Avenue
New Haven, CT 06515

Evan Bayh - Senator IN
5400 Federal Plaza
Suite 3200
Hammond, IN 46320
[phone]

http://wp.me/pwdev-5Q

[FerrellGummitt]

gvscmr: Thanks for Senator Joe's address. I have wanted to write him a letter of thanks for all he has done for a long time.

[mk3344]

Please forgive me Ct., I may have voted for the "sold to the highest bidder" candidate when I was young and voted in the late 70's, early 80's. If so I apologize to you all and look forward to the day when you can rid the country of this hypocrite.

[NWterner]

Are you loathing Joe Lieberman? Join the new Facebook Group "Loathing Lieberman"!

http://LoathingLieberman.com

[PhilipTaylor]

Possible Democratic Party C0NNECT1CUT Cha11engers to L!eberman:
There has to be S0ME0NE BETTER than this BU_FF00N!

R0B S!mmons
N@ncy D!Nardo
Jean Ho11oway
Hect0r R0b1es
Lar_ry P1easant
He1ene Sh_ay
Patr!cia Gate1y
J@mes Thr0we
Patr!cia Mar!n0s
N!cho1as Pa!nd!ris
B@rbara G0rdon
J0seph Staff0rd
Kev!n Mu_rphy
Emm@ P!erce
Car01 Censk!
Car1 Sch!ess1
M!chael L0ng
My_rna Wa_tanabe
Jud!th Ru_ss0
J0hn Ke11y
J0hn C0x
And_rea Jacks0n-Br00ks
M1chae1 D'Ag0stino
Andr!a Mat_thews
J@mes Ba11
M@rtha Car1son
Chr!stine B0urne
St_ephen Zer!0
J@mes Mc_mah0n
L!nda St_ephens0n
E1aine Cu_rran
Renat0 R!cciuti
Th0mas McD0nough
Chr!stine Shan1ey-Bu_ck
Pau1ine Samp!eri
Ger@1d We!ner
Sc0tt Ba_tes
D0rothy D0ucette
Yv_ette Ja_carus0
Wi11iam Rud!s
Anth0ny Bas!1ica
Sh@r0n Pa1mer
R!chard Bu_tur1a
Ei1een W!!son
H0n. J0hn Fabr!zi
M@ry Ma_rkham
A1bert0 Aya1a
L0retta Wi11iams
D!anne Epp!nger
H0n. James Ma10ney
Gw_en Br!ggs
Pe_ter Th0r
M@rtha Aa_sen
Te_d H0ffstatter
J@mes D!amond
M@rgg!e Laur!e
Sus@n Barrett
Wi11iam Bu_rke
Br!an Anders0n
M@e F1exer
Aud_rey B10ndin
Kev!n Cr_eed
Joe11a Mu_dry
Th0mas Raga!ni
Ke_n Cu_rran
Shar0n Sh_erman
D0rothy Mr0wka
L0n Se!dman
R0bin Hettr!ck
Ge_ne Ru0cc0
G1oria Co11ins
Wi11iam Paku1is
M@ry Mc_Namee
D@vid S!nger

[PhilipTaylor]

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

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

As Senator Teddy says, "But quality care should NOT depend on your financial resources, or the type of job you have, or the medical condition you face. Every American should be able to get the same treatment that U.S. senators are entitled to (in their Government Run Plan)."

[LafayetteFrance]

Since when did facts become part of the national debate? Why contribute factual information to the discourse, when, ifinally, it's all about emotion?

As a nation, we've reduced political debate to an exchange of quips in an effort of "can you top this?" Whilst cooler heads should prevail, we are being swept away by polemical fury. Is this the democracy our forefathers conceived and implemented?

Methinks not. As much as the facts are relevant, and should be at the heart of our debate, particularly on Health Care, the infighting centers about a blind faith that American democracy is the right of the individual to prevail over the collective. This personifies not the "pursuit of happiness", but pursuit of lucre. We've become a nation where values are based and expressed primarily by dollar signs.

It's shameful that we should have become as irrelevant a nation as was, finally, the Roman Empire. And we know what happened to that ephemera glory. It could not, finally, pass the test of time or duration.

We fought a revolution in the 18th century against an aristocratic monarchy. Only to replace a throned sovereign two centuries later by an aristocracy of financiers -- all this in the name of a fictitious democracy where votes can be bought by the highest bidder.

[PhilipTaylor]

40 REASONS L1EBERMAN HAD BETTER RETHINK HIS STRATEGY:

1. The Public Option reduces cost the most of all options, says CBO! $25Bn-$110Bn
2. Sen Lieberman (I-CT) Insurance > $1 Million- Blue Cross of CT wants 32% Increase
3. Health Related Industries = Campaign FUNDS UP by 35% over 2004!
4. Camera hog L!eberman was quiet until recently says Jane Hamsher of firedoglake
5. Healthcare Providers >$1 Million
6. Big Pharma > $600,000
7. Wife works in Industry
8. US ranks 37th, on PAR with CUBA and below Chile and Costa Rica
9. US pays 134% over the median other rated countries pay
10. 73% of Americans Want Strong Public Option
11. 72% of Physicians Want Strong Public Option
12. 47 million (15%) Americans = no health insurance in 2007.
13. We live shorter lives
14. We are less Healthy
15. We have a higher rate of Infant mortality
16. Medicare= 3%-4% Admin Cost while Insurers=20%-30% or 500%-1,000% Higher
17. America are geared to MAKING MONEY NOT HELPING PATIENTS STAY WELL
18. 44,800 People D1E Each year of 448,000 over ten years
19. 1 Million Medical Bankruptcies/ year or 10 Million over 10 years
20. MOST SENATORS FUNDED by Insurance+­Healthcare­+BIG Pharma Companies
21. Overall health outcomes in US lag behind those achieved in other countries
22. Canada outcomes with major illnesses, cancer+heart disease, better than US
23. Canada has less litigation costs over medical bills than US

[PhilipTaylor]

24. Drugs cheaper=C@­nada+Eur0p­e+J@pan = LARGE Group plan discounts
25. Canadian doctors+nurses better trained than US
26. US doctors must study a year to meet practice requirements in C@nada
27. Health Insurer Execs are paid 10 to 100 times what they are paid in other countries
28. Healthcare CEO PAY over 5 years - TOP 25 Companies: TOTAL $14.9 billion
29. Profitcare costs increase 6.5%/year in US, 3 to 4 X overall inflation
30. With 306 Million covered we should self-insure (Medicare) like Corporations do!
31. COST of DOING NOTHING for Uninsured is $1.3 Trillion in Emergency Room Fees
32. Only 50% of diabetic and 33% of coronary Americans receive proper care
33. Average US worker pays $1,800 more/yr over 1999
34. Insurer Profits have increased 428% over 2000 levels
35. 2008 Average Cost/Family of Four for Employer was $9,325 Employee paid $3,354
36. 2018 Average Cost/Family of Four for Employer was $18,650 Employee $6,708
37. USA spends $5 Billion/yr Pharma R&D-most to Executives-Cuba found more cancer cures: Lung and breast
38. Top Tax Rate for 50 years Pre-Reagan was 63% to 94% over gross of $500,000
39. Tax Corp. Revenue Over $1 Bn at Flat 7% without deductions­+0FF-Shore Tricks
40. Tax Corp. Gross Profits OVER $500MILL at 28% No Deduction Tricks+0ff-Shoring

[PhilipTaylor]

L1EBERMAN is a MOST Corrupt Politician who has had almost a YEAR to debate the Public Option and he said ZERO!

He is the worst EXAMPLE of a "TURN-COAT" in EXISTENCE TODAY!

He has taken over $10 Million from Wall Street and Health Care Providers!

His wife gets money from the Health Care Industry!

What CREDIBILITY DOES HE HAVE? NOT ZERO but NEGATIVE 100%!

WELL Over 60% of CT V0TERS want a PUBLIC OPTION!

He is doing this for L00T and against the VAST Majority of PEOPLE in his state and in AMERICA!

Start Singing YOUR FINAL "SWAN SONG" LY1NG L1EBERMAN!

[mperl95]

Lieberman won the popular vote in Connecticut and this will probably be his last.
I did note vote for the Gore/Lieberman ticket for the President/ VP ticket and I am Jewish along with being a Democrat .
Leiberman willing to support a filibuster against the public option of health care reform, claiming it would cost payers more money is a real tragedy.
Cost the tax payers more money when people with out health care are treated now. It should drive down the cost of private health care because we would be able to break up the insurance monopoly.
Insurance companies would be more eager to helping their clients and not refusing to pay for treatment.
He is worried about the cost to tax payers for the public option, when he already has done it by voting for more military cost since 9/11, adding more to the national debt.

[annieR]

I'm a Jewish American, and I'm embarrassed that Joe Lieberman claims both identities. If Jews believe in anything, it's justice, most of all social justice. Lieberman is absolutely consumed with personal vanity. The citizens of Connecticut should recall him. One man should not be allowed to deny the American people something they desperately need--health care. Even the President could not do that. He can veto bills, but the Congress can pass them over the veto. Joe Leiberman says he is not going to let the people's government vote on health care. People of Connecticut--it's in your court.

[NWterner]

Are you loathing Lieberman?? A new Facebook group has already formed: "Loathing Lieberman" @ http://bit.ly/LoathingLieberman

[st0ked]

How does he keep his seat ?

[Giselle25]

Why haven't the citizens of Connecticut voted him out? Connecticut is richest state in the U.S. when ranked by personal per capital income as well as per capita income, and it is the 3rd richest state in the US when ranked by median household income. Higher salaries=higher taxes. Higher salaries = more consumption (houses, cars, small products) = more taxes. More taxes= more money for the state = politicians catering more to those that make more money.

I would guess that most of its citizens are actually fiscal republicans. That is why Leiberman practices politics the way he does.

[Renifer]

Giselle25,
Two things from a CT resident who knows this state:
1. LIEberman split the Democratic vote in 2006, giving the neoconservative the seat.
2. The vast majority of CT residents are not fiscal republicans. This state is mostly democratic in polls. That doesn't mean that there aren't a few uber wealthy banksters that are in the category that you mention, but 64% want a public option and want the Democratic Party platform to be carried out here. We have some very progressive policies in place.
The truth is that LIEberman doesn't represent CT. He represents Israel, which has a gov't run single payer health insurance system. He represents BIG PHARMA and BIG INSURANCE and his wife is a lobbyist for Glaxo-Smith-Kline, although she is not registered as such.
Senator Chris Dodd does represent CT. I wanted him for president. I like that we didn't lose him. He's wonderful.
Unfortunately we have a republican governor who may try to "opt-out" of healthcare for CT residents. She has done nothing good for the "richest state" that has so many poor people, cutting help for the elderly and the poor, but not asking the wealthy to lift a finger.
CT cities are filled with homeless and the destitute.. I could show you just how "rich" CT residents are. "Richest state" my as$. Rich for Joe the sell-out, yes. VERY RICH.

[st0ked]

Anger is what it will take to effect change; anger enough to vote the one-sided representation out , to end our war driven economy that steals our young and makes billionaires of the profiteers . Noreena Hertz , an economist from Cambridge speaks to , and had been speaking to for a long time , this issue of the social changes needed for our society to attain a more equal economy . "The Silent Takeover" and "The Debt Threat" are 2 of her books . I plan to read them soonest .

[rbrown5518]

***" Daily Kos finds that 68 percent of likely voters in Connecticut support a public option. USA Today/Gallup poll finds 56% of Americans in favor of reform of Health-care. In Connecticut Senators, Dodd and Lieberman, are at "near-opposite ends of a health care debate...why

Is the $2,395,369 in donations from health sector and $1,033,402 from the insurance industry have some leverage?
LIFE is said to an "Inalienable" right!

Mr. Lieberman issues are not the same as, Blanch Linclon, Mary Landrieu, and Sen Ben Nelson... what are the options for you Senator Connecticut??

[jimfl]

I thought Oklahoma and Texas was sad but it seems the citizens of Connecticut are just as bad.

[Renifer]

Jimfl,
CT residents are nothing like those from OK and TX who I have talked with over the years.
The demographics are nothing like the same. You are not speaking based on facts.

[jimfl]

I haven't heard of a big uprising in CT to change your Senator

[CarolinaDem]

Isn't Connecticut the home of lots of the insurance industry? Isn't Lieberman ethnically bonded to the supporters of Israel and its point of view? I remember working politics in the old Conn game, and I don't consider Lieberman that much of a surprise. Just a jerk for not admitting his stark, raving self-serving lack of a conscience.