The New Zell Miller: The Democrats Need To Boot Joe Lieberman Before The Conventions
The Carpetbagger Report has a neat nutshell analysis of the precarious balance that keeps Joe Lieberman in the Democratic caucus, even though he isn't a Democrat any more. He lost the Democratic nomination last cycle to a great newcomer (Ned Lamont), split Connecticut's Democratic vote by running as an Independent, is endorsing and campaigning with John McCain, was considered as Don Rumsfeld's replacement for Bush's Secretary of Defense, had his superdelegate credentials pulled by the Connecticut Democratic Party, and may be giving the keynote speech at the Republican National Convention. Why haven't the Democrats booted him? Because right now the balance between Democrats and Republicans in the Senate is exactly even, and if Lieberman ditched the Democratic Party then Dick Cheney would effectively become Majority Leader. Which, of course, would be a very bad thing.
All the above is a mess, but things may get even more complicated as we approach the two national Conventions and the general election. A win by either of the Democrats could have "coattails" that also helps downticket candidates for the House and Senate. Obama, in particular, is very likely to help Democrats add a couple more Senate seats, because his strategy in both the primaries and the general election is to win more, if smaller, states while Clinton is aiming at the larger, voter-rich states. (Those two approaches -- more states with fewer voters versus fewer states with more voters -- add up to be roughly equivalent in terms of total electoral college votes for President, but since small states and large states alike have the same number of Senators -- two -- the candidate who wins hearts and minds in a greater number of states, regardless of size, will give coattails to more of his party's Senate candidates, as well. Incidentally, this is another reason I don't think the Superdelegates will override the popular vote and hand the Dem nomination to Hillary, but that's another post.)
If the Dems can gain just one more seat next November, then they don't need Lieberman to retain a majority any longer; he'd lose his ability to blackmail them with the threat of a Cheney-dominated Senate, and Lieberman would lose both his remaining political pull and his committee chairmanship. Hopefully he'd retire at the end of his term, leaving the path open for Ned Lamont to take his rightful seat.
The problem is that Lieberman knows this math better than anyone -- and he's self-centered and manipulative enough to take steps to secure his power. How? By making sure that the Democrats don't win in November. And what's the most helpful thing he could offer the Republicans? It's obvious: for Al Gore's vice-presidential running mate from 2000 to announce that his beloved Democratic Party has abandoned common sense and is weak on defense and hates Israel and loves terrorists yadda yadda -- then cap his betrayal by giving the Republican National Convention's keynote address.
Or, even worse, to do all of the above, then become John McCain's running mate, and the first person in U.S. history to run for Vice President in both parties, giving McCain a very strong shot at winning moderate and independent voters who don't realize that Lieberman is as conservative a war-hawk as they come.
This exact scenario, where Lieberman retains an undeserved ability to blackmail the Democratic party, is why my blog, Vichy Democrats, started calling for the party to throw Lieberman on his keister more than two years ago -- BEFORE he became an indispensable brick in our tenuous majority, BEFORE he was in position to pretend he was leaving the Democratic Party instead of being forcibly ejected and parlay his supposed "Democrat" status into something that helps the Republicans. (VichyDems' motto: "Patriotic Democrats, Doggedly Resisting the Vichys, DINOs, Blue Dogs, Triangulators, and DLC Accommodationists. And Still Dogging Joe Lieberman Until He's Festering in His Political Grave, of course.")
We should have kicked him out of the Democratic caucus back then. And the Democratic leadership still should kick him out now, before he can hurt us further. I say this even though it would cost us the Senate majority for the next nine months: the current crop of Superchicken Democrats running the Congress now -- especially Harry Reid -- are just waiting for Bush's term to expire instead of taking the good fight right to the neocons anyway, and there's nothing harmful the Republicans could accomplish in less than a year so long as House Democrats refuse to kowtow on legislation and so long as Senate Democrats -- for a change of pace -- hang together to form well-disciplined, cloture-proof supermajorities that are able and willing to filibuster any bad Republican initiatives and nominees.
As I wrote back in March 2006:
Some "liberal" bloggers and commenters (and many, many "concern trolls" who love to give bad advice to the enemy) express "concern" (it's almost always that word, "concern") that targeting and ousting "Vichy" Democrats will cost us seats we need to win back [now I'd say "retain"] one or both houses of Congress.
My usual response is this: I don't believe that's the case, because Joe Lieberman and Henry Cuellar are more trouble than their seats are worth and if we unseated them, the rest of the caucus would sit up, take notice, and start acting cohesively again, which ultimately will [net] us a lot more seats than we lose. *** Copying the Republican formula for success doesn't mean becoming more conservative ***, it means becoming more liberal and being proud of it [as Newt Gingrich's radical Republicans were proudly conservative]. Articulating, and expecting some reasonable degree of adherence to, a unifying party platform is a good way to articulate principles and win elections, and if that means tossing one or two enablers like Lieberman overboard, good riddance; they're dead weight anyway.
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He can Clinton can run on the same ticket as Independents! They'd be so busy fighting about who heads the ticket that it should keep them BOTH busy until well after November!
One thing that would help greatly is to find out which "Democrats" in both Congress and the Senate tuck their tails between their legs and vote with the repus in support of more of the bush idiocy. THEIR names should be FRONT AND CENTER, mentioned often and their votes hung out to air for the public view, on every news show and those that pose as such. Too many weak-sister dems have cow-towed to the repukes on too many occasions. Lieberman has his own agenda, hang on to his position on either side and guarantee himself a super-comfortable lifestyle for the rest of his life. Nice work if the whole country could get it.
What you're overlooking is that kicking the Connecticut Senator for Likud out of the Democratic Party would be perceived as an insult by a lot of the more militant Jewish people in the United States. And the far right has been as successful in dominating the Jewish community as every other community in the US. The cost of getting rid of Lieberman would be greater than you think. Having missed the opportunity to dump him as soon as he started his destructive behaviour, it may be wiser now to live with the cancer until it can safely be removed
Um no, do we want people described as "militant" voting in our party?
Alot of fringe groups want us to help continue their conflicts.
I dont see how it is our problem.
All of a sudden a Nuclear power is controlling us? And we are supposed to take it.
Aipac has no interests for our nation, its a one way street.
I agree with you completely. But I think you're underestimating the amount of control the Jewish community exercises on the centre and left of the US political field. And since the Israeli right wing is exercising more control over that community these days...
Despite the radical lefties delutions that they are going to take over the Democtatic Party and win the White House the truth of the matter is that the beginning of their end can be traced to their shabby and shameful treatment of Sen.Lieber
You should pull your head out of that dank, dark, smelly place that it is in. That's right c'mon out and see the sunshine! Lieberman is a TOOL!
this guy is a traitor
Thanks for your efforts to dump JoeLie from our party (D). With luck, the Rethugs will reject SLimeburrnam as too calculating (or, "liberal"?), even for them. Certainly, JoeLie's commitment to Principles is suspect on both the left and the right.
No, If his reputation goes on without rebuke from the trembling Dems, he will be effectively used to woo independents and undecideds when he finally does go Rep. He needs to be STRONGLY rebuked and let go now, as the author suggests. He will then be damaged goods, rather than the guy that reluctantly crossed the aisle for the betterment of the country, which is bullshit anyways, in that he has always been a Neocon from the get go.
It takes GUTS to win, and that is one move that MUST be taken even if it mildly skews things for a moment.
I went to one of the debates during the primary. In Joe's opening statement he made some reference that people in the audience should start counting the number of times that Lamont would be distorting his record. To highlight the pompous A@@ that Joe has become, later in the event, Joe tells everyone he has counted X number of times.. blah, blah. I'm thinking, here is a multi-term US Senator who has been reduced to school yard or debate team tactics (sorry to all the REAL debate team members) like that. What a fool. Fact of the matter was that everything that Lamont said about Joe and his record was TRUE. What a joke.
The real joke was on the CT citizens who lead by a complaint press core in CT, never challenged Joe on his record. Joe lied about his influence at saving the Navy base in Groton, about his desire to bring troops home, about his less than valid reason for his joe2006.co
I don't see Joe on the McCann ticket. His lying ways will be broadcast nationally and people will see him for the slimeball pol he has become. Of course, FOX viewers and some Jewish voters will go for Joe. Joe's bomb Iran fetish will be another anchor around McSame's neck. Frankly, Obama needs to HAMMER the economic downturn and the wasted $$ being dumped into Iraq as linked and play that as a key trump card.
I hope many posters are correct and this Benedict Arnold is a name best forgotten. Joe Lieberman was a Democrat in name only while being a war hawk in only ONE SPHERE of the world, Israel and the Middle East.
Joe could care less if an American soldier dies or is wounded or is maimed for life. Joe could care less about the squandering of money in the Middle East, Israel's interest are paramount.
Do you really think the Palestinians were the only ethnicity celebrating 9/11, Israel was quietly in ecstasy.
Not anti semite but I am for an unbiased support for peace in the Middle East and for now we are an advocate for Israel alone.
The four Israeli "movers" in New Jersey weren't being all that quiet.
Lieberman, who is the senator from Israel without shame is the most disgusting example of an American traitor since Benedict Arnold, without the vestige of moral character associated with our fearlier sell out to a foreign power. Watching and listening to him is a test of ones' ability to stomach the sight and sound of a human scumbag, oozing deceit and dishonesty. It would seem proper for Israel to reward him with dual citizenship and an honorary seat in the Knesset until he can retire and formally take the place he has earned in that body. Knowing the little bastard's unholy ambitions, he may run for prime minister; really.
Cry all we want but AIPAC and empty-suit Reid will do nothing to remove that traitor from his position in the caucuses.
He will haunt us for at least four more years and possibly more should McCain choose him as his VP.
By then he will have spent more money, lives and prestige for 10,000,000 colonialists in Israel who lead the world in defying UN Resolutions.
LIEBERMAN IS NOT THE PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM IS A REPUBLICAN CONGRESS AND SENATE.. MCCAIN IS BUSH REVISITED AND THAT IS A NO! NO! NEITHER OBAMA NOR CLINTON WILL DUMP JOE. HIS COMMITMENT TO ISRAEL AND THEIR SURVIVAL IS THE ISSUE. NEITHER IRAQ NOR KUWAIT WAS FOR THE CONGRESS OF ARAB STATES IN THEIR RECENT MEETINGS ON A PEACE DEAL WITH THE PALESTINEANS. BUT EVENTUALLY THEY WILL COME AROUND IF THEY WANT AMERICAS CONTINUED AID. .
Congress is old and unchangeable So Old Joe needs to go to! he will make a good lobbyist for Israel. No one will vote for this old fart so don't even think about it. Let him be Hillary running mate on the independent ticket so the losers will all be together. Hillary will become a lobbyist too she has no future in office!
Hang on, people. Lieberman is on his last throes.
As someone from CT, I can tell you he will not be voted in again. HE IS HATED HERE NOW
He is hated by people you know. Since most people hang out with people they know, you can hardly claim to speak for the whole state of CT.
You said: "Incidentally, this is another reason I don't think the Superdelegates will override the popular vote and hand the Dem nomination to Hillary, but that's another post."
Man, I *hope* something like that does not occur.. Goodness gracious, one can only *begin* to imagine the, hm, grassroots "angst", to put it mildly, that would be provoked should the Superdelegates take it upon themselves to vote $$ instead of constituen
Hoohooooo, what a mess that would be.. :))
Cyber hugs from North Georgia..
Anyone notice that Lieberman seems to have that "Joker Smile" as made by Jack Nicholson, and perhaps Keith Ledger??..
Since having a " majority" in Congress , particularly in the Senate, has done little for this nation, who cares if Liebeman, as he should, be expelled from the Democratic party.Let him go, hopefully to Israel where he will be free to hate the Arabs and order their executions.
So I'm not the only one who was privately suspecting that McCain's picking WarHawk Joe for Veep. Keep getting the word out on this.
I've been thinking that and hoping it happens because that would pretty much guarantee a win for Democrats
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