Joe Lieberman Filibusters Health Care While Americans Suffer

One of many classic episodes of Seinfeld was "The Opposite" -- the finale of season five. While George decides to ignore his instincts and behave in the exact opposite way he normally would, the B-story involves Elaine's boyfriend, Jake Jarmel, being hit by a cab. And instead of rushing to the hospital, Elaine stops at a movie theater concession stand and buys a box of Jujyfruits -- completely unfazed by the gravity of the situation.

When it comes to health care reform, Joe Lieberman is Elaine times a thousand.

So are Ben Nelson, Tom Carper, Blanche Lincoln and Evan Bayh. But let's focus on Lieberman since his emergence in this situation was dropped like a ton of bricks -- rubbery, fruity bricks -- seemingly out of nowhere, whereas the rest of these conservative Democrats have more or less been enemies of real reform since the process began.

With every month that goes by without health care reform, another 3,600 Americans die due to a lack of insurance. More deaths than 9/11 every 30 days. Every 30 seconds, another family slips into medical bankruptcy, potentially losing everything simply because they were unlucky enough to become sick or injured in a for-profit system that's gamed in favor of the house. There are nearly 300,000 uninsured American adults in Lieberman's home state of Connecticut alone, not to mention 53,000 uninsured children.

And Joe Lieberman, along with his conservadem friends, are stopping off for Jujyfruits. Political favors. Attention. Spotlight. Concessions -- literally and figuratively.

By shamelessly seeking attention via a filibuster threat against health care reform, Joe Lieberman is putting his own political ambitions ahead of American lives. This selfish acting out -- this pathetic, insufferable emergence of The Lieberman at reform's eleventh hour ought to further seal his legacy as one of the U.S. Senate's most greedy, self-serving political hacks.

Make no mistake. By merely threatening a filibuster, Joe Lieberman is, in effect, filibustering health care reform. It's not a threat. He's doing it right now. He's delaying reform and creating another unnecessary obstruction in a process that surely doesn't suffer from a lack of delays imposed by everyone from lobbyists to careerist political bastards.

So what's his gripe?

Lieberman's first, only and most ridiculous gripe with health care reform (so far) is that, somehow, reform with a public option will increase the deficit. This is, naturally, a lie. He's making it up because, as we're well aware, the CBO reported that the House bill, featuring a "level playing field" public option and no opt-out language, will reduce the federal budget deficit by more than $100 billion over ten years, with further deficit reduction in the subsequent ten years.

What makes this whole thing even more insane is that Lieberman actually supported the public option when he ran for president in 2004.

To date, he really doesn't have any substantive reason to be filibustering the public option other than this lie about the deficit. And so we're left with no other justification other than to peg his obstructionism as sheer hubris and drama queen posturing.

Elaine inappropriately delayed her rush to the hospital in order to stop off for Jujyfruits. Why? Because she likes Jujyfruits, and so Jujyfruits took precedent over her injured friend. It was about self-indulgence, and that explains everything Lieberman has done since 2006.

He's clearly a man who's grappling with irrelevance, so he needs to be needed -- as long as his vote becomes necessary for passing reform, he's relevant. For the wrong reasons, but relevant nonetheless. He's obstructing because he can. Meanwhile, Lieberman seems to have made it his mission to take a piss on the left whenever possible. And in doing so, he also believes he'll win friends on the right -- he's also attempting to out-flank Republican Olympia Snowe on the public option. Though beyond his comfy McCain-Graham orbit, he's trying to win acceptance in a Republican Party that's rapidly purging its ranks of anyone in the middle. So it seems like that path is a dead end as well.

He's admired by neither the left nor the right. He's that weasely kid from recess who would constantly pit one clique of friends against the other -- making friends with neither.

Meanwhile, every second that Lieberman performs this infuriating filibuster routine is another second without reform. Every second spent ameliorating the Lieberman filibuster -- massaging his ego with kid gloves and determining exactly what it is he wants -- is another second without reform. Instead of a comprehensive health care bill, we're getting a lot of unnecessary drama circulating around Joe Lieberman's masturbatory ego trip. He wins some press attention and lots of urgent calls from the White House and Harry Reid's office, while the rest of us are jammed with the medical bills.

All in all, there's no other way to peg Lieberman other than as a desperate hack who will thoughtlessly hurl thousands of Americans overboard for the sake of his unquenchable lust for attention, and his childish, vengeful hobby of tweaking the left.

Help us unseat this guy next time around, Connecticut. After all, he's playing politics with your lives. He's stopping off for Jujyfruits when he should be, you know, helping you. And there's no excuse.

Bob Cesca's Awesome Blog! Go!

 

Comments

[oldpol2]

Thanks for the great article. I believe your assesment of Joe and the republicans is dead on. The man is fighting his total irrelevence and frankly he's not being successful. To have his political career ended would be the best that to happen to the people of Connecticut.

[dirtywater22]

As a resident of Connecticut, I'm looking forward to voting out Lieberman in 2012. Both him and Senator Dodd need to be checked and balanced. The fact that Lieberman is willing to filibuster, shows his true colors yet again. He might as well jump ship and caucus with the GOP. The Democratics have not learned their lesson from his previous antics (speaking at the Republican Convention). The problem is not only is he going to burn his former party, he will hurt those Americans he swears he says he wants to help.

[Publius99]

I'm a California resident but haven't forgotten how Hillary and Bill rushed off to spend several days campaigning for Good Ole' Joe in his re-election campaign. Personally, I feel he only does good for himself. I eagerly await the moment when he joins the defunct Republican Party to revive it.. (And I still haven't forgiven Hillary for saving his turkey-wattled neck, either.)

[Osprey3]

Here's the bottom line with Joe Lieberman: He's received nearly $3 million from Pharma and the health insurance lobby. http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/10/28/798067/-%28Video%29-Joe-Lieberman,-Benedict-Arnold-is-too-nice-a-word-for-you
Need I say more?

[medicare4all]

Bob --

W need to TAX THE RICH back to what they were paying when Reagan came along (35% over what they got over 4-5 million dollars, a decent living). If they don't like it, we ratchet it back to what it was when Eisenhower was president (90 % of what they made over 4-5 million dollars, a fair living then, if you ask me --back when we had a solid middle class, the 1950s). What isn't taught in school today is how the rich paid more then than they do today. Reason being that they used our TAXPAYER-funded military, highways, schools, police, firefighters, clean air and clean water to an extent that justified their paying more, because we were the owners, and they could afford it, as their FAIR SHARE, and the corporatists were using more than their fair share of the "commons" (military, roads, etc.)

Restoring the rich paying their fair share of taxes is the ONLY way to save our democracy. Democracy means OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE. Not rule by the rich, or the corporations, for their SOLE BENEFIT.

[Gingersp]

AMEN!!!

[Oldgeezer1]

Heres a good start to getting JL out.

Senator Lieberman is threatening to filibuster health care reform. By becoming a fan now, you are pledging to donate to his opponent in 2012, if he follows through on this threat. We are not looking for donations ourselves, nor will we accept them. But when 2012 rolls around, and his opponents have announced, we wil...l remind you of your pledge, tell you which opponents are supportive of health care reform (with a public option) and ask you to follow through with them directly. (FYI, in determining total projected pledges, we are using an estimate of $50 on average per pledger. Yes, some will be lower, and some will probably flake altogether. But... some will be higher, and out of the group as a whole, there will be undoubtedly be a few who will max out at $2,300+. And each $2,300 donor makes up for 45 pledgers who flake) Read More - Non-Profit:13,360 fans

http://www.facebook.com/StopJoe?ref=share

[patsydecline]

do you think all these wingnutz and teabaggers would be putting up with having their collective souls being sold to the highest bidder and their life and death decisions made by a numbers cruncher...if they hadn't been sold that heaven is down the road with hard work and sacrifice... i think 'god' has become corporate america's best lobbyist

[Candace]

It is always all about Joe; simply stated, he wants to be president. When Gore-Leiberman ticket wasn't elected in 2000, he immediately started plotting his 2004 campaign. When Gore didn't endorse him for president in 2004, his startlingly vindictive response was generalized to the entire Democratic Party. He hung around McCain, hoping to be the Republican VP nominee in 2008. Now all he can do is be an "important" spoiler. His statement on fillibusting the health care bill was, "I have to stop it." It is always all about Joe.

[oldpol2]

You are so right on!

[Ronald Ricker]

Be sue to read the bill. If you do, you'll be the first, certainly leading all members of congress. Common sense has departed. Politics, as usual rules the day.

[MajorNews]

You want to prove without any doubt that Joe Lieberman is a total lunatic, aka Lier, ask him is he for Israel or not? Of course he 100% is. Then point to him that Israel has free Universal Nationalized health care, which means Pubic option only and everyone gets health care for free, well free for Taxes they pay. So how can he be against American government providing its people with a modest pubic option while he is 100% for Israel providing its people with total free Universal Nationalized health care!!!

[NoFooling]

We CT Dems voted him out in the primary on purpose.

The fact that he switched to an "Independent" and funded himself with Repug money is deplorable.

Next time his seat comes around, I'll change to whatever party is necessary to vote against him (again) in the primaries. Deputy Dawg has got to go!

[moonglowsun]

Here's the deal! If you can't contribute to the betterment of Healthcare Reform, then get out of the way. Lieberman needs to retire. More and more he's acting as if he no longer controls his mental faculties. People of Conneticut it's time to flood his phone lines and mailbox. You have a voice, use it.

[BobDin]

I agree with Joe Lieberman. After reading all the proposed bills they all stink, out of 7 bills you would think 1 would be good but no not with this Congress. House bill HR3200 is the worst. Originally reform was to cover all Americans and lower costs. These proposals do not cover all Americans and will increase costs and invent new taxes. I would rather leave the situation alone rather than make it worse. Anyone who thinks this is reform take out a dictionary and look up reform. These bills are trash and resemble corruption more than reform. It's no wonder after all the bribes and shady deals it only past by 2 votes.

[theycallthewindmariah]

Fantastic article. Thank you. But I have to say that after reading most of the comments on artlcles here related to Health Care Reform, that most of Huff Po readers support Liebermann's efforts in blocking anything like what came out of the House. It saddens me greatly and I've come to the conclusion that liberals on HuffPo will work to kill this bill in the hope of getting single-payer.

Lieberman and the Republicans are laughing themselves silly over the self-destruction of the Democrats.

[IntellectuallyHonest]

AND HE HELPED START THE IRAQ WAR WHICH WAS ONE OF THE DIRECT CAUSES OF THE SUBPRIME MORTGAGE CRISIS.

[chadforhope]

As a liberal democrat who is fair-minded, I can tell you the Iraq War had nothing to do with the subprime mortages. We can all thank Barney Frank for that blunder. He flat out lied when the repugs wanted to regulate Fanny and Freddy... saying there was nothing wrong. No look at the mess. You HAVE to be more of a referee than a cheerleader.

[ndbltwy]

Yeah right, Bush in Whitehouse Hastert leading congress and McConnell leading the Senate and its Barneys Franks fault.

[bodel]

Liarbermans' wife works for WELLPOINT ..a major health insurance company.Nuff said?
I live in Ct.and am ashamed of it.

[longtalldrink]

Yup, nuff said.