Do You Want Lieberman to Have Subpoena Power to Investigate President Obama?

Joe Lieberman has launched consistent, deeply partisan attacks on President-elect Barack Obama, questioning his patriotism and fitness to lead. While Lieberman campaigned for John McCain and spoke on his behalf at the Republican National Convention, he spread some of the GOP's nastiest smears. Think Progress has provided thorough evidence of Lieberman's partisan politics. Lieberman should not be allowed to have subpoena power to investigate the Obama administration as chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. In fact, he should not be allowed to remain chairman of this or any other committee.

Lieberman has proven he cannot be trusted to hold a high rank within the Democratic caucus. That is why we launched Lieberman Must Go last summer, a campaign that caught Congress' attention when we delivered a petition with over 43,000 signatures. Now, we ask you to help us escalate the pressure by contacting members of the Senate Democratic Steering Committee. Tell them to strip Lieberman of his chairmanship in the Democratic caucus.

We have included a sample script and phone numbers below for you to use, and we ask that you be polite when you explain why Lieberman Must Go.

Senator _________, my name is _________. I'm a registered Democrat and a [your state] resident. I urge you to vote to strip Joe Lieberman of his committee chairmanship when the Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee meets to discuss his future. A man who spent the entire election season demeaning Senator Obama's patriotism and his qualifications for office cannot be trusted with oversight authority over the Obama administration. Joe Lieberman is not a Democrat, and he should not enjoy the privileges of being a member of the majority party. Will you vote to strip Lieberman of his committee chairmanship?

Senator Debbie Stabenow, Michigan, Chair
[phone]

Senator Harry Reid, Nevada
[phone]

Senator John Kerry, Massachusetts
[phone]

Senator Daniel Inouye, West Virginia
[phone]

Senator Robert Byrd
[phone]

Senator Edward Kennedy, Massachusetts
[phone]

Senator Joseph Biden, Delaware
[phone]

Senator Patrick Leahy, Vermont
[phone]

Senator Christopher Dodd, Connecticut
[phone]

Senator Tom Harkin, Iowa
[phone]

Senator Max Baucus, Montana
[phone]

Senator Richard Durbin, Illinois
[phone]

Senator Kent Conrad, North Dakota
[phone]

Senator Carl Levin, Michigan
[phone]

Senator Herbert Kohl, Wisconsin
[phone]

Senator Barbara Boxer, California
[phone]

Senator Hillary Clinton, New York
[phone]

Senator Jeff Bingaman, New Mexico
[phone]

Senator Mark Pryor, Arkansas
[phone]

Make the call today, then let us know you did and send this e-mail to your friends and colleagues (and don't forget to Digg it!). Let Democratic leaders know Lieberman represents an impediment to real change in Washington, and that is why Lieberman Must Go!

Comments

[WendyKa]

They said they would remove Lieberman if he started anything like a witch hunt while on the committee. Would that go over well if something was already underway? Don't you think it would make a bigger deal of whatever it was he was digging into and then make Obama and the dems look like another Bush admin. "what does he want to hide?"

Strip it. Let him stay but do not trust him! How stupid and weak they would look.There is bipartisan and there is just plain weak. I'm so sick of watching the Dems get walked all over.

[KC333]

I sent this message to both of my senators and to Harry Reid because I feel that Lieberman must be booted off the commitee.

[tbone99]

If these are not our Senators , will it do us any good to call them? I live in Texas and have no Dems to call : (

[SunnySlope]

US Citizens:

Go to: www.senate.gov

Find your 2 senators and send them this message!

Sonny

[gsc999]

If MCcain had won the election, given Lieberman's chairmanship of Senate Homeland security committee, a reasonable guess, he would want the job of Secretary of State or Secretary of Defence, imagine that! Which means he would be willing to say goodbye to the Senate chairmanships. Mccain didn't win. Now he needs to be stripped of his leadership role on Senate committees. Also, his friendship with Mccain didn't end with the Presidential campaign, whats stopping him from undermining Obama's administration while he is committee chair, especially Homeland Security Committee. That would be very irresponsible of Democrats and at same time a really bad precedent.

We have had enough of this old school naked craving for power. Democrats would be wise to perceive this thrust for change in the recent elections. Kicking Lieberman out of Senate chairs will signal that yes indeed change is in the air and its not business as usual on the Hill

[salsmom]

With his words he ridiculed every Democrat who supported Obama. He stood next to John McCain and Sarah Palin an ridiculed President-elect Obama and every supporter of his. If words don't matter then what did we just go through in the past four/five months?

[Chris]

You state that Lieberman should not have subpoena pwoer. But never give a reason why. Interesting? Do libs want an Obama patsy to have subpoena power? That worked so well with Bush didn't it?

[Gidster]

I just want someone with integrity to hold that post, Lieberman has shown that he has none.

[nellie]

What a video. It's very damning. I had forgotten all the smearing Lieberman did. Under the circumstances, Obama's attitude is very magnanimous.

Lieberman should not be given the honor of chairing any committee considering his dishonesty during the campaign.

Why is he a democrat?

[scooperss]

He isn't.

[GeorgeP922]

Glen, thank you for renewing this effort.

Your calls to action for Lieberman and Condi Rice were spot on.

We need to remind Obama and the DNC that the party is now funded by people, not lobbyists.

Keeping Lieberman on these committees will be a huge kick in the nuts for me.
Let alone all of those younger senators who busted their buts for Obama and the DNC only to see a REPUBLICAN get all the credit.

Personally, as a citizen who belongs to the Democratic party, I HOPE he votes with the GOP 100% of the time now.
Our party has enough problems without "Joe the Republican" wasting our time.

[Wolf Larsen]

"Hey Fredo Lieberman.­....let's go fishing at Tahoe." - Harry "DoTheRightThing" Reid

[ZeusBoots]

I tried to call the number for Senator Dodd and his mailbox was full. I could not leave a message, so I went to his website and emailed the request to him. I am hoping he responds soon! I want to have a bumper sticker for my car's front bumper that says "Run Joe, run!" That's how peeved I am about this turncoat. I wrote to him a couple years back telling him I was not voting for him anymore because he kept trying to run for anything BUT what we elected him to do. CT residents are so fed up with him that he does not stand a chance of being reelected. The big worry though is that the Republicans will try to grab his seat. They don't want him, but mark my words, they'll try to get one of theirs in. Maybe they'll try Shays...

[LiberalBuzz]

Tailgunner Joe has got to go.

[texanna]

This is the most troubling aspect of Joe staying in the Dem caucus. Second is the complete lack of oversight that Lieberman has provided with regards the bloated and crony-infested DHS agency. I can understand the conciliatory bent of Pres-elect Obama about keeping him with the Dems, but I hope that they will not allow Joe to keep his current committee chair.

[rixter1965]

If Joe Lieberman truly believed John McCain to be the better candidate, he had the same option as every other American adult -- to vote for John McCain in the privacy of the voting booth.

I am not angry about his supporting McCain as a personal choice. I am angry that he supported McCain by trashing Obama and fellow Democrats. That is what is unforgivable.

[research]

Agreed, but you have to convince Obama.