Booman Tribune ~ A Progressive Community

Memo to Democratic Senators

by BooMan
Tue Oct 13th, 2009 at 11:26:59 PM EST

The Democratic Party of Connecticut decided they did not want to be represented by Joe Lieberman anymore in a 2006 primary. Joe Lieberman decided he didn't want to serve in Congress under a Democratic president in 2008. To my way of thinking, those are two pretty big strikes against Mr. Lieberman. I think it's acceptable for a member the Democratic Senate caucus to be an independent and to go his or her way from time to time on matters of policy. But Lieberman's behavior during the second term of Bush's presidency was often dishonest, dishonorable, and in direct conflict with the Democratic Party's message and agenda. I think the combined effort earned Joe three strikes. He should have been stripped of his committee chair and all his seniority, or kicked out of the caucus altogether. But, okay, the White House and the senators decided to have mercy for strategic reasons. They took away his seat on the Environment & Public Works Committee, which I think he may have been forced to give up soon anyway, and they decided to bury the hatchet. Lieberman kept his chair of Homeland Security and his powerful Armed Services subcommittee chair, too. But, why?

The only reason to forego a just punishment was to get Lieberman's cooperation on procedural votes, like cloture for Obama's biggest priority items. Like health care. You may have seen that the Republicans are threatening to screw Olympia Snowe out of her rightful place as Ranking Member of the Commerce Committee (after Kay Bailey Hutchison retires to run for governor of Texas). Did Snowe lose a Republican primary? Did she campaign for Barack Obama? No. No, she didn't. But they are threatening her anyway because that is how Republicans enforce party discipline.

I don't think the Democrats should emulate the Republicans. But they should make an exception for Lieberman. If he threatens to join a filibuster of the president's health care plan, then there was no point in keeping him around. He should be out on his own petard.

Memo to Democratic Senators | 29 comments (29 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: Memo to Democratic Senators (none / 0)

Jane Hamsher just took you to school. Ouch!! As far as HoJo goes, Obama stuck his neck out for the tool .. so Obama's gonna stink or swim with what HoJo does .. we know what LBJ would have done .. if HoJo had tried to knife him in the back ... will HoJo really spit in his face(figuratively speaking)? And if so, what will Obama's response be?

by Calvin Jones and the 13th Apostle on Wed Oct 14th, 2009 at 12:00:06 AM EST

Re: Memo to Democratic Senators (none / 0)

I guess I touched a nerve.

by BooMan on Wed Oct 14th, 2009 at 12:07:43 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Memo to Democratic Senators (none / 0)

Indeed. I was just wondering what to do with the last 10 minutes of my life. You guys are better than TV. :)

mbr + dv + woyg

by keirdubois (keir@mybandrocks.com) on Wed Oct 14th, 2009 at 12:52:49 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Memo to Democratic Senators (none / 0)

Um, I mean "previous" 10 minutes of my life. There goes that little whiff at witticism. At least I had no cred to begin with.

mbr + dv + woyg

by keirdubois (keir@mybandrocks.com) on Wed Oct 14th, 2009 at 12:53:51 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Memo to Democratic Senators (none / 0)

Can you, or someone else, provide a link to Hamsher's "schooling"? Does she mention our BooMan by name? If so, I'll make some popcorn before reading...

by sjct on Wed Oct 14th, 2009 at 08:56:28 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Memo to Democratic Senators (none / 0)

It's on Twitter.

mbr + dv + woyg

by keirdubois (keir@mybandrocks.com) on Wed Oct 14th, 2009 at 09:52:46 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Sparring on Twitter (none / 0)

@JaneHamsher

Okay I really do have to be on Democracy Now at 8am. Thanks for the sparring @Booman23, you know under it all I truly am fond of you. Nite

"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."

by Oui on Wed Oct 14th, 2009 at 11:15:17 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Memo to Democratic Senators (none / 0)

link? this i wanna see.

John Mccain Called his wife WHAT??

by brendan on Wed Oct 14th, 2009 at 11:18:13 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Memo to Democratic Senators (none / 0)

found it.
that's why i don't do twitter. it makes no sense.

John Mccain Called his wife WHAT??

by brendan on Wed Oct 14th, 2009 at 11:26:03 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Memo to Democratic Senators (none / 1)

She got pissed off that NYU Journalism Professor Jay Rosen linked to my piece and said it was 'political blogging at its best.' Then she called me a frat-boy, suggested that I was bashing 'homos' and, for some reason, compared my criticism to be called a cunt.
Whatever.

At least she is fond of me.

by BooMan on Wed Oct 14th, 2009 at 12:05:56 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Memo to Democratic Senators (none / 1)

ah.

as i mentioned in comments to that piece, i thought you were a bit off base in some of your frustrations myself.
not all of them, but some of them.

but then, my skepticism is legendary. sorry you two are fighting.

John Mccain Called his wife WHAT??

by brendan on Wed Oct 14th, 2009 at 12:33:12 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Memo to Democratic Senators (none / 0)

You nailed it once again. Thanks BooMan.

by QueerReader (dean@queerreader.com) on Wed Oct 14th, 2009 at 12:36:24 AM EST

Lieberman is an incurable backstabber (none / 0)

He'll just keep doing as long as the democrats and moronic Connecticutians give him the chance.

Why do those of us who live in blue states keep doing this to ourselves? I'm here in CA with Feinstein - what's up with that? We've got to get organized and really do something about cleaning up the senate - it's a festering pool of human sewage. There's no excuse for Feinstein, Lieberman, Carper, Wyden, Cantwell, Bingaman, Snowe, or Collins to still be in the Senate. Schumer has been semi-bearable in comparison lately, but he rightfully belongs on that list as well. All of those senators come from pure blue states that should get their acts together and electing principled patriots like Sheldon Whitehouse.

by obsessed on Wed Oct 14th, 2009 at 12:40:40 AM EST

Re: Lieberman is an incurable backstabber (none / 0)

What did Wyden do?

by BooMan on Wed Oct 14th, 2009 at 12:41:32 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Memo to Democratic Senators (none / 0)

the true test of the O mans presidency is about to take place. unless I am totally wrong, the house progressive caucus will not support a bill that does not include a public option. and if that is correct, then the resulting debacle will give the dems and the O man to show their mettle by publically pointing out the gop position but by also calling out those dems that do not support his efforts.
a piece of garbage like lieberman should be immediately stripped of any leadership role. so too should every single dem that fails to support. what the hell does he have to lose? every single poll shows at least a 60% majority of the public crying out for dramatic change in the health care program in this country. it is time to clean house and i think that the administration would be blowing the greatest moment in history by not going for it right now.
it is time but is there the will to go for it?
honestly, i don't this so.

by billjpa (billjpa@aol.com) on Wed Oct 14th, 2009 at 06:59:20 AM EST

Lieberman 'No' a Kamikaze Mission (none / 0)

Lieberman too much to lose, too little to gain

Meanwhile, Snowe's presence on the bill means his defection is unlikely to kill the legislation but certain to make the next few years of his life unpleasant. Ironically, for such a steadfast Middle East hawk, it's a lot like why even a nuclear Iran is deterrable: Lieberman has too much to lose, too little to gain, and hasn't proven himself irrational thus far.

"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."

by Oui on Wed Oct 14th, 2009 at 07:13:50 AM EST

Re: Memo to Democratic Senators (none / 0)

The way it used to work (and especially with LBJ) was that there was no threat, but if you crossed the party unity boundary on a major issue, there were swift consequences and not necessarily directly related.

But then, LBJ forced Strom Thurmond into the Republican Party and look where we've been ever since. And Strom did exactly the same thing Joe did; only Strom didn't go to the Republican National Convention to do it.

And everyone is aware that what a politician says is not what a politician does. And Joe does represent an insurance-company state.

The time for punishment is after the crime has been committed. Threats from Reid are idle. Public furor among Democrats in advance of the vote might not be idle; it might even cause some helpful reflection. Especially if it comes from constituents.

50 states, 210 media market, 435 Congressional Districts, 3080 counties, 192,480 precincts

by TarheelDem on Wed Oct 14th, 2009 at 08:02:38 AM EST

Re: Memo to Democratic Senators (none / 1)

I was going to point this very thing out to you:

"... Republicans are threatening to screw Olympia Snowe out of her rightful place as Ranking Member of the Commerce Committee (after Kay Bailey Hutchison retires to run for governor of Texas). ... because that is how Republicans enforce party discipline."

Obama, on the other, who you consistently tout here, "doesn't do" "holding party members to account. Nor, it seems, does Harry Reid or Nancy Pelosi---who, for my money, ought to be facing war crimes charges with the rest of the Bush administration and, at a minimum should have lost their leadership positions for shit-awful jobs they've done over the past eight years.

When it comes to explaining how Bush and Cheney could so badly screw the nation and the Constitution for so long, the California Democratic delegation to Congress, with Pelosi in first place of shame, should get very high billing.

If you recall, in one of his very first acts --either as the newly-nominated Democratic Party candidate for president, or as the just-inaugurated president, Barack Obama personally weighed in as an advocate for forgiving and forgetting Lieberman's devoted service and support of McCain-Palin.

So, in case you missed it:

Obama doesn't do "holding people responsible". And, as it seems you have also failed to grasp, that is a VERY, VERY big problem. Obama is all about being the loved and admired "conciliator" among two warring factions, one of which, the Republicans, understand that they are at war---it's a class war and they're under no illusions as to which class they serve and which they seek to destroy---and they have no intention of sincerely entering into any reconciliation. In Republican ideology, this would simply be a mistaken gesture which would signal, as they see things, "weakness".

Signaling weakness, by the way, is apparently one of the things which Obama does do--- and does really, really well!

by proximity1 (timesreader@free.fr) on Wed Oct 14th, 2009 at 08:34:58 AM EST

Re: Memo to Democratic Senators (none / 0)

"Obama doesn't do "holding people responsible". . . Obama is all about being the loved and admired 'conciliator' among two warring factions..."
I'm not at all convinced this is true. Your characterization sounds to me more like Bill Clinton than Obama.
I believe Obama's "bipartisanship" is strategic in nature, very much related to current circumstances -- which have been extremely difficult. Sure, he would prefer to be bipartisan, but not on the
Republicans' terms. (And as we know, their only terms are "bow down and obey.") This approach puts the onus on the GOP, shines the spotlight on them, and to me, over the last nine months the GOP has looked a lot like an ultra-slow-motion replay of the Wicked Witch of the West:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfV_ENR5IZE
I believe that Obama, like any smart politician under the vicious dog-eat-dog atmosphere in which the GOP, while hemhorraging popular support, still has a considerable amount of entrenched power, is first trying to build up his "political capital." He's doing this not because he has some kind of psychological need to compromise, but because in the long term he wants to win. Getting the health care passed, aside from its great intrinsic importance, will go a long way in that direction.
And as a general rule, the more difficult the challenge, the less we're going to hear about it, the more "compromising" he is going to look, until the time is ripe.
Now I could be wrong, of course, and you could be right. But I do think it worth noting that selling Obama short seems to have become a cottage industry among a segment of the Left, and your interpretation is not the only possible interpretation. Time will tell.

by priscianus jr on Wed Oct 14th, 2009 at 12:16:43 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Memo to Democratic Senators (none / 0)

Health care reform ? what health care reform - the white house has referred to it as Health Insurance reform.......and quite bluntly the only "reform" is forcing people to buy that junk that OBOMBA's Wall street cronies have the temerity to call Health Insurance.

Oh and BTW in case you missed it - the Dems had 60 seats (before Teddy's death) - opposition to any sort of reform came from the Insurance companies, Big Pharma and their hacks in the Government (mostly GOP but a lot of Dems mention no names Landrieu, the 2 Nelsons, Bayh, Pryor, Lincoln, Baucus, Conrad)........and despite his promises not to hold secret meetings OBOMBA had those secret meetings with Big Pharma and the Insurance companies - I guess thats all part of the "Change" Obomba promised

Blame the GOP all you want but the facts are that this failure is due to the DEMOCRATIC party's inability to get its own house in order

by RobRoy14 on Wed Oct 14th, 2009 at 10:24:38 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Memo to Democratic Senators (none / 1)

I am so weary of Democrats being "civilized" in the middle of a friggin' Class War. Those Who Rule are literally killing us and our supposed representatives mill about with feigned helplessness. Lieberman should have been shunned in '06, stripped of all membership benefits when he ceased being an actual member of the Party. He certainly should have lost all his committee positions when he campaigned for McCain. But, no. There were no consequences then and there will likely be no consequences now if/when he betrays the Party yet again. I despair...

by sjct on Wed Oct 14th, 2009 at 09:23:04 AM EST

Re: Memo to Democratic Senators (none / 0)

But But - he is OBOMBA's BFF......the Dems should have drop kicked that piece of turd Lieberman immediately but were too cowardly to do so.

And that cowardice is apparent even now with OBOMBA abdicating leadership to the whims of of a Republican Senator from some hole in the ground state (Maine) with a poulation of about 10

by RobRoy14 on Wed Oct 14th, 2009 at 10:16:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Memo to Democratic Senators (none / 1)

As to Lieberman. I think he's just blowing hot air. He's not going to do much, if anything. The heady days when he had real leverage are over. At worst, Lieberman can be little more than "a pimple on the ass of progress."

(September 17, 2009:) "Dodd's decision to be a leader on health care reform should work in his favor as a plurality of Connecticut voters like President Obama's health care plan and by a wide margin trust Obama more than the Republicans to handle the issue," [Quinnipiac University Poll Director Doug Schwartz, PhD.] added.
http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1296.xml?ReleaseID=1374

by priscianus jr on Wed Oct 14th, 2009 at 12:29:45 PM EST

Re: Memo to Democratic Senators (none / 0)

And that explains why Dodd is treading water in Connecticut right now - it'll take more than a few speeches on HRC for the people in Connecticut to forget that when push came to shove, Dodd went in to bat for his Wall street buddies rather than the regular people

by RobRoy14 on Wed Oct 14th, 2009 at 10:13:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Memo to Democratic Senators (none / 0)

You're in a foul mood today, Rob.

by priscianus jr on Wed Oct 14th, 2009 at 10:35:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Memo to Democratic Senators (none / 1)

"I'm not a member of an organized political party. I'm a Democrat" - Will Rogers

by The Voice In The Wilderness on Wed Oct 14th, 2009 at 02:47:39 PM EST

Re: Memo to Democratic Senators (none / 0)

Waht - you're suggesting that your Lord God OBOMBA be nasty to his BFF - but wouldn't that be contradictory to his incessant yappings about unity ??

Sorry but OBOMBA made his bed when he decided to support the C for L candidate instead of the DEMOCRATIC candidate - now he can live with his decision......if it's OBOMBA's BFF that helps scupper HRC and dooms OBOMBA to be a 1 term failure, it'll be karmic

by RobRoy14 on Wed Oct 14th, 2009 at 10:11:33 PM EST

Re: Memo to Democratic Senators (none / 0)

Somehow I get the idea that you're not very fond of the President.

by priscianus jr on Wed Oct 14th, 2009 at 10:34:07 PM EST

Re: Memo to Democratic Senators (none / 0)

I agree Lieberman should be punished severely right after he sponsors and we pass DADT. I propose he could be threatened severely in the meantime.

by cat on Wed Oct 14th, 2009 at 10:58:30 PM EST

Memo to Democratic Senators | 29 comments (29 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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