Lieberman Must Go Once and for All

Democrats are on the verge of heeding our calls to boot Joe Lieberman from the caucus.  Soon after the Democrats' landslide victory, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) confronted the Connecticut Democrat-turned-Independent-turned-McCain cheerleader about his vicious attacks against Obama during the past year.  According to The Huffington Post, Reid sought to strip Lieberman of his rank as chair of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.  It is a move that's long overdue. 

There's no question that Lieberman must be punished for behaving like a right-wing attack dog.  In addition to campaigning with John McCain and speaking at the Republican National Convention, Lieberman has embraced neoconservative views on the Iraq war to the detriment of his former party.  He has also maligned President-elect Obama throughout this election, trumpeting some of the most vile smears the GOP had to offer.  And yet Democrats have been reluctant to kick him to the curb until now out of fears of losing their slim majority in the Senate (which was always something of a dubious concern, considering Lieberman still put the Dems in the minority by voting with Republicans time and time again on national security issues and the Iraq war).

Make no mistake, Lieberman cannot be trusted.  Not only is he a Republican, but he is the kind of Republican who embodies the divisive, hawkish agenda and fear-mongering espoused by George Bush, Dick Cheney, and John McCain.  Perhaps that is why Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has invited Lieberman to join the Republican party once and for all.  Of course, Lieberman is also an opportunist, so if the Democrats offer him another gavel within the party like Chairmanship of Veterans' Affairs (a colossal mistake considering his heinous record of voting against vets), Lieberman is likely to take it.

While the Democrats vacillate about what to do with Lieberman, we have to make our message clear.  As David Sirota points out at Open Left, it is extremely dangerous for Lieberman to remain chair of the Homeland Security Committee, particularly when that position gives him subpoena power to investigate the Obama administration.  But it would be equally harmful to keep Lieberman in the caucus altogether.  Lieberman Must Go -- the sooner, the better. 

Comments

[jmpurser]

If the Democrats actually stand for anything they'll boot Lieberman and never look back. If they're just placeholders until the GOP takes the government of this nation from their limp hands then they'll keep Lieberman around.

[samerbayer]

i don't think Lieberman should be punished for voting his conscious. He is voting based on his perceived i.srael interest. As an arab american I understand his right to vote his interests. I think we want to encourage crossing the party line without fear of punishment. Next time it might be a republican voting with democrats.
Having said that I don't think stripping him from the chairmanship is a punishment. The chairmanship should not be entitlement for him or others. It should be assigned based on results and Lieberman voted for bush's policies on spying on us and he will continue voting in the wrong direction if he stayed as a chairman. I vote to remove him not as revenge but because now is the time to reorganize the committees to strengthen them and he is not suitable for the homeland security chairmanship.

[PT6]

He must be punished in some way!

Simply tell Lieberman "You are going to have to EARN your way back into the party" so for now you can chair the "Ethics Committee" and hopefully learn a lot!

Lieberman can earn his way back by voting for Obama's programs - one by one by one!

[PADDYWHACK]

Failure to remove this traitor will be a disaster,he stabbed his nominal party in the back,expulsion will show that the Dems have spine.Their spine has gone AWOL in reccent years.

[jeanwny]

"Keep your enemies close"

[PT6]

Simply tell Lieberman "You are going to have to EARN your way back into the party" so for now you can chair the "Ethics Committee" and hopefully learn a lot!

Lieberman can earn his way back by voting for Obama's programs - one by one by one!

[radlib1]

Dear Joe,

You brought your ignominious irrelevance upon yourself. You, along with George W. Bush and John McCain sponsored a disastrous, bloody,expensive, and preemptive War on Iraq, a country which had absolutely nothing to do with the terrorist attacks on 9/11.

You, along with Bush, Cheney, and McCain deliberately lied to the
American people. Saddam Hussein may have been a bad man and a dictator, but he had no connection to Osama bin Laden or 9/11. And, if you still maintain that, you are a lying war-monger and a tool of the Republicans. (Which, of course, you have proven to be.)

You are no longer the man of integrity and principles that I knew at
Yale as your roommate of four years. Instead, you have become a craven, obsequious, and slimy cheerleader for war-mongering Republicans.

Instead of becoming "Scoop" Jackson, you have become a "Democratic Joe McCarthy," questioning the patriotism of those who oppose the idiotic policies of George W. Bush.

You have not only disappointed me, you have failed the ideals of the
true America for which your grandparents immigrated here from Russia and Eastern Europe.

I'm sorry, but your present-day, smarmy politics are truly disgusting.
Shame on you. Forever.

Dante should have invented a special circle for people like you, the
ones who once had hearts but then sold them out.

Sincerely,
Your former friend and roommate,
David

[PT6]

Thank you for this assessment!

[CEKChuck]

If you believe this, then write your Senator now, while they are mulling whether to vote on his fate. I wrote a very short e-mail with a clear message: winning at any cost is not tolerable, and the cost of keeping him is not worth it. My Senators, at least, say that every message is read, so numbers matter.

[druidlady42]

To allow Lieberman ANY position of power---God forbid, Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee!---is sheer MADNESS! This man has shown over and over to the Democratic Party and to his OWN state of Connecticut that he CANNOT BE TRUSTED!!!

His views on national security and foreign policy are diametrically opposed to those of President-Elect Obama, and it would be insane to leave him in any position of power---pa­rticularly one with supoena power---after his traitorous attacks against Obama in this campaign!

He burned the bridges himself! There must be NO WAY BACK for Lieberman! You've already sold your soul to the Republicans, Joe;----JUST GO!

[hipocampelofantocame]

druidlady42: Mr. Lieberman is a self-serving, ignorant professional politician, who
should be put out to pasture and have NO SAY in US politics. I, personally, consider
him beneath contempt, and he should not be a player in our rather expensive
government. Sometimes weeds must be pulled, and he is an obnoxious, intrusive
impediment in our government. Get rid of him on all levels. M. MacLeod,MD

[plebeianswillrevolt]

I signed an internet petition last night sponsored by Jane Hampshire, and nothing came of it.... but today I see Deputy Dwag (Harry Reid) kissing up to him again for his votes.

Memo to Deputy:

LIEberman is gonna vote with the Dems on Social issues with out all the gutless loving because my state voters have had enough and will kick him to the curb on his gross fish-faced pasty nose.

DUMP HIM @@@@@@@@@@@@@@!~

[Wonderwheel]

For me the most important reason that Joe must go is that he abused his position, taking advantage of the gift that the voters gave him. He was elected by getting the majority of the Republicans to vote for him but he was too hypocritical just say he was a republican. Now since he won't do it like a mensch on his own, he should be forced to acknowledge that he is a Republican.

[Ramus]

Joe (my daughter used to call him "ass-face") Lieberman might as well just become a Republican. I hope the Republicans in Connecticut are happy that he supported their candidate. He is a loathsome fellow and should retire and move to Israel. The Democrats should kick him out of the party and out of Homeland Security committee. I can't think of enough bad names for this creep.