Posted on 10/23/2010 7:25:22 AM PDT by Texas Peartree
I always thought that, for a Democrat, Connecticut's Joe Lieberman was a-ok. Before becoming Al Gore's 2000 running-mate, Joe was known as a relatively conservative Democrat from a deeply blue state. For example, Joe supported school choice and was a big proponent of aggressive military procurement. He supported the wars (which caused the liberal blogosphere to explode with fury and misused big words). More than anything, Joe was/is the one person on the Democrat caucus who understands the iron rule of geo-politics: you must help your allies (e.g. Israel) and punish your enemies (e.g. Syria).
When a liberal loon ran against Joe in the 2006 Democrat Primary, Joe lost 52%-to-48%. Liberals in DC were ecstatic. Like many politicians lately, Joe decided to run as an Independent with the idea that voters across the state would vote for him against the Republican and Democrat nominees for the Senate. He was right and now caucuses with the Democrats, but calls himself an Independent.
Scenario: what happens if the Republicans win nine Senate seats in November and have a 50-50 tie with the Democrats? The Vice President, as President of the Senate, would break the tie. I am counting Socialist Independent Bernie Sanders as a Dem, as that is whom he caucuses with. Furthering this scenario, what if Harry Reid loses in Nevada and thus it is not clear who will become the Majority Leader tasked with locking up Lieberman?
I submit that Joe Lieberman would be wise to remain Independent, but now caucus with the Republicans. After all, he is up for re-election in 2012 and he can honestly say that he is so independent that he has chosen which Party to support depending upon the political situation in Washington. In other words...
(Excerpt) Read more at corybirenbaum.blogspot.com ...
Joe turned out to be a whore who sold his soul to Albore.
Nothing he can say or do is worth spit.
Never gonna happen. Aside from a couple of issues, Lieberman is as liberal as the next rat.
“Joe turned out to be a whore who sold his soul to Albore.”
That is ridiculous. Using your logic we should have been happier if Gore had chosen someone more liberal so that they would at least be consistent?
“Aside from a couple of issues, Lieberman is as liberal as the next rat.”
He caucuses with a party that brooks NO dissent. That means that he is courageous for dissenting. name another Dem who dissents as much as he does.
Liberalman voted for ObamaCare and is co-author to Cap n Tax - no thanks, Dems can keep him. I’d rather get shot in the front than in the back.
The big pick-up was among the far more numerous number of mushy Evangelicals who had been suckered into supporting Carter in 1976 and Clinton in 1992 and 1996 and were beginning to get turned off by slick Willie's inability to control his Willie. Lieberman's very public denunciation gave them the needed cover.
Evangelicals and other Conservative Christians have always been friendly to Judaism. Unfortunately, the reverse hasn't often been the case.
Joe reversed himself on every position he ever held, including school vouchers. He was one of the most conservative members on the dem side.
He thought he had to sell out for votes.
He was sneaking down to Florida to the retirement communities telling them that GW Bush would cut their social security.
8-D
I can't remember using the expression "I don't think that word means what you seem to think it means" more often.
Joe is an ultra-liberal Neocon.
The correct term is Liberal Interventionist, aka national security democrat, aka left wing hawk.
But, as you say, many leftwing pacifists and rightwing isolationists do call the liberal interventionists leftwing neocons.
Hillary and Biden are in this group also.
Lieberman was one of the founders of the DLC and the DLC think tank is called the Progressive Policy Institute.
The DLC took the dem party by storm in the late 80s but after Clinton/New Democrat/ third way compromiser, the DLC became known as the republican wing of the democratic party.
In 2003, the DLC officially cosigned the PNAC/NeoCon letter urging Bush to invade Iraq and that was what led to the attempt to remove Lieberman from office.
The only place where we disagree is that I think Joe is a slightly higher class whore than your average Democrat. And you don’t.
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