Leadership, Lieberman Deny He Has Dropped His Filibuster Threat

Democratic leadership and Senator Joseph Lieberman's office are both denying a report that the Connecticut Independent had pledged that he would not obstruct the passage of health care reform by backing a Republican-led filibuster.

"The Leader is speaking with Sen. Lieberman and all members of his caucus," a leadership aide told the Huffington Post. "To say that there is some 'understanding' about votes at the end of this process is preposterous."

"If you believe this story is true, you will also believe that I am replacing A-Rod in game six of the series," Lieberman's spokesman, Marshall Wittman told ABC's Jon Karl.

Speaking the morning after The Hill reported that Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Lieberman had reached a "private understanding" on the procedural process of passing health care reform, the dual disavowals will undoubtedly depress Democrats.

Health care strategists insisted on Monday night that they thought The Hill story, which cited "two sources briefed on the matter," seemed bunk to begin with. At the very least, they stressed, it was a bad strategy for pushing Lieberman's hand.

"It was a bad move," said on Democratic strategist. "Even if there was some kind of promise made, I would've kept my mouth shut. Saying he told you that just encourages him to deny it."

Still, not everyone was sour on the prospects of getting Lieberman to drop his threat of filibustering a bill with a public option. A Democrat close to the senator -- who spoke only on condition of anonymity -- said that the thrust of Wittman's pushback and the implications of The Hill's story might not, in the end, be entirely contradictory.

"My sense of it is he is using his leverage to try and make the bill as fiscally sound as possible. I also tend to think that there are a bunch of moderates who feel the same exact way he does but who can't say it publicly for risk of being savaged," the source said.

"I don't know," how he will end up voting. "I don't think he knows yet. If you knew that ahead of time he would have no leverage. If you are trying to influence a process and you are using the leverage of your vote and then say 'I'm giving away my vote and am going to stamp my feet,' then you have lost your leverage."

"They are casting him in these soap operatic terms of betrayal and self aggrandizement," the source concluded. "But this stuff happens all the time on the hill. Sometimes it plays out publicly and sometimes it plays out privately but it is part of the legislative process."

Comments

[bob8jv]

Lieberman is beginning to annoy us. We just do not know what he stands for anymore. It seems like he goes wherever he thinks he can gain the most power. He appears to use tactics that controls and manipulates congress for his own gain. We are beginning to lose trust and respect for him. We just do not believe the old school of politics will work anymore in this day and age, sorry.

[Tom Payned]

It was your premise that had TP used words YOU found objectionable, he would not be remembered.

You later wrote "And, as far as Kurt is concerned, the reason I love his work is BECAUSE he had a sense of humor more sophisticated than the average toilet stall wall.... There's humor and then there's "humor."

Sorry if used the internet to find his own words that were humor as "sophisticated than the average toilet stall wall" which I mistakenly believed might have opened your eyes that your original argument, which was based solely on your opinion, was in fact false.

As for hitting nerve, yes, you hit a nerve. Passing your opinion off as if it was factually based when in fact, it was nothing more than personal slam towards me, I decided not to allow to go unchallenged.

My responses certainly seem to have hit a nerve with you. Yet, despite your criticism, you've been unable to support your original premise, but your personal attacks continue.

Think Trout Think. Stop floundering.

Your name sake enjoys potty humor in spite of your assertion otherwise, yet that is not what he is best remembered for.

Checkmate, mate.

TP out.

[fictioneer]

Sure, sure, Lieberman. You're so tough. Whatever.

[Tom Payned]

From Wikepdia:

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, Israel has the 28th best health care in the world.

Let's tell Joe we can't send them any more money that we borrow from China, until they get rid of their inefficient government bureaucracies. That way, maybe we won't have to be so in debt keeping Israel & their socialistic government afloat.

[Scarborian]

That's brilliant! Israel has the 28th best healthcare in the world. If we stop sending them money, maybe they'll sink down the table to below the US in 37th and then the USA can claim it has improved to 36th place.

I'm surprised Bush & Cheney didn't think of that one. You don't have to improve American healthcare to move up the rankings, you can just destroy everyone else's.

[BlueSkyPilot]

Joe how cheaply did you sell yourself?
Pennies on the dollar like all the others?
You do know that the debt must be repaid!

[jeanwny]

Who cares if he does his "1" Senator fillibuster thing, he can be certain it will probably be his last

[Tim303]

I believe that thing about replacing A Rod.

[ReedYoung]

"...the dual disavowals will undoubtedly depress Democrats.­"

Not at all. Single payer involves the budget, and can therefore be passed under the Senate's budget reconciliation rules, with only 50 Senators' votes, plus Vice President Joe Biden's. Regulatory reforms, without the public option package-dealed into the bill, should get at least half of Republican Senators' votes, or they'll have a helluva time next autumn, or even two years or four years after that, depending whether they're Class I, II, or III Senators. That's where conservatives' obstructionism is leading, and it will be good for the country to unload all that corporatist dead weight from the legislature. Sure, progressives have to keep lobbying, but that hasn't been a shortcoming and won't become one. We have the momentum and we will win. Big.

[Whinger]

Good ole boy Joe The Republican, I knew I could depend on you!

[Lavafalls]

I just received an e-mail from moveOn.org. They are supporting Obama's agenda to the fullest. They got 2 million in pledges JUST YESTERDAY to be used against any democrat that filibusters healthcare with the republicans. Now is the time to stand with the president and push our agenda. If not now, when? If not us, who?

Look out joe, we're watching you,

[SharpDressedMan]

My guess is Lieberman has sensed the negative feedback and is reconsidering his filibuster thread. If he still wants to support Republicans, he need not chair the Homeland Committee.

Btw, the Teabagger Party is the only one Lieberman hasn't joined. Let's see when that happens.

[winnie47]

.....and did you pledge $ to moveon.org when they asked? The more of us that stand up, the harder it will be for the lobbyist puppets to ignore us!

[SFBunkSurf]

Lieberman would extract and sell his grandmother's gold fillings if it would benefit him. Truly the most pathetic excuse for a legislator in the Senate, although I know, there are a lot of front runners on that count....

[SharpDressedMan]

""My sense of it is he is using his leverage to try and make the bill as fiscally sound as possible. I also tend to think that there are a bunch of moderates who feel the same exact way he does but who can't say it publicly for risk of being savaged," the source said."

Lieberman is using his leverage for sure. To squeeze more favors for his personal benefit. That happens a lot on the Hill too.

[ilse]

I for one would love to see Joe Lieberman, Blanche Lincoln, Mary Landrieu, Ben Nelson, Kent Conrad, Max Baucus and Evan Bayh all removed from office next election. This would send a clear message to other blue dog democrats that when you betray your own party and stand in the way of progress, there's a price that has to paid. I'd like to see these seven be made examples of and warn other blue dogs of consequences for betraying their party and the people they represent.

[SharpDressedMan]

I would be happy to see Mary Landrieu kicked out for the way she mishandled hurricane preparations before Katrina. She knew Bush was cutting down FEMA.

As for the others, I am for it if they can be replaced by other Democrats.

[Countess]

The congress is filled with people wotking for various interest groups who fund their campaigns and Liberman and his wife have benefitted greatly but this aside and strictly from a personal point of view he is truly a disgusting human being,

[Tom Payned]

Why would anyone beleive a word this heaping pile of human fecal matter spews from his oral orifice?

He sucked up to Cheney in the 2000 VP debate, & embraced the Neo-Con Job ever since.

He's more concerned about American's spending money we don't have on keeping us healthy, than he is about us borrowing money from China so we can send Americans to the middle east to keep Israel safe, despite their many acts of crimes against innocent Palestinians while Israel wages war against Palestinian terrorist.

His double standard is appalling.

Deficits for health bad, for war, good.

Government bad when taking care of citizens, Government good for killing non citizens.

[Bill in Michigan]

I think you're on to something. The Republicans (including Lieberman) could campaign on "War is good. Health care is bad."

[dennissinned]

Joe Lieberman stars in the remake of Now You See Him, Now You Don't. New title - Now I'm Important, Now I'm Not.

[Dancer]

SO, WHY is this a story?