Posted on 05/15/2008 9:41:20 AM PDT by Cinnamon Girl
Senator Joseph Lieberman, a stalwart backer of John McCain who calls himself an "independent Democrat", could face punishment from the Democratic party if he is asked to speak at this summer's Republican convention.
Lieberman has said he would appear at McCain's nominating convention if invited by the Republican, fuelling frustration among US liberals already angered by his support for the Iraq war. Democrats revoked his superdelegate status earlier this year.
The onetime vice presidential nominee of Al Gore has played a pivotal role in maintaining Democrats' narrow control of the Senate. But party leader Harry Reid today left the door open to sanctioning Lieberman if he speaks in favour of McCain's nomination.
"I'll consider anything," Reid said at a breakfast with reporters today, adding that the Democratic presidential nominee, likely Barack Obama, would want to weigh in on Lieberman's future role.
Reid noted that Lieberman's reliable alignment with Democrats on domestic issues such as education and taxes - he has proposed a "war on terrorism" tax to fund the US presence in Iraq - makes the case for his continued value in the party.
The Connecticut senator sides with Democrats "90 to 95%" of the time outside of war-related issues, Reid said.
But Iraq has permanently discoloured Lieberman's standing with some US Democrats who believe his praise for George Bush has undercut the party's efforts to end the war. The strong bond between Lieberman and McCain has only exacerbated those doubts.
Democrats nearly faced a similar conundrum in 2004 when their senator from Georgia, Zell Miller, publicly denounced presidential nominee John Kerry at the Republican convention. Miller's previously announced retirement from politics that year spared him sanctions within the party.
(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...
I hope he does, but there will NEVER be a better speech than the Zell Miller speech.
He didn’t ditch the Democrat Party. The DNC schemed to kick him OUT of office but he got back in despite their efforts.
If I were in Lieberman's position, I would be openly defiant. If asked about the matter, I would say something like this: "Sen Reid has needs to do...well, whatever he thinks he needs to do. And so do I. Right now, what I need to do is further consider the party with which I prefer to caucus."
In effect, that would amount to a thinly veiled dare to the Democratic Party: Sanction me, if you wish. In which case, I will simply walk.
It may well be that the Democrats will pick up net seats in the Senate this November. Even if they do so, however--thereby still keeping a majority--this would amount to a huge embarrassment to their party, and act as a momentum stopper.
I’d be fine with Hagel doing that. I hope he gets out and stays out for good.
Have most of you forgotten that your hero Lieberman sold his soul to the Clintons when he accepted Algore’s VP slot —and stayed on—during the presidential run in 2000?
Lieberman never repudiated the Clintons (or their surrogate Algore) during one of this nation’s most critical times in history. He had the chance to do the right thing. His complete inaction did nothing but damage to our great country. This damage will definitely reverberate in wicked Hillary’s nomination and general election process.
It’s one of the reasons the Clintons know that they need not ever surrender or cede in the current election cycle. They witnessed the suspension of reality and the moonbat idiocy embodied by words like “hanging chads”. They will soldier on due in large part to examples like that, examples that could have been repudiated by Lieberman who was right in the thick of it...
If Lieberman had a soul left or even a shred of integrity to which some of you are attributing him, he would have stepped off BEFORE the moonbats attempted to hijack the election with their maneuverings. Not AFTER. After was too late.
I will never give that traitor Lieberman any credibility, though he’d love to get his soul back I’m sure.
So now, all he’d be to GOP-ers is a reason for dem fence-sitters to decide to vote for the evil Hillary and not a RINO like McDole. Just one more gift to Hillary... another one that some conservatives seem to be happy to hand her.
Even if he runs as VP and loses he still would be Senator for four more years.
There will be hell to pay....LOL
Are you haters ever happy about ANYTHING? Yeah, it was all Lieberman’s fault Clintoon wasn’t tossed out. It had nothing to do with the majority of the country polling against the impeachment. It was all riding on Joe’s vote, right? So he puts his career on the line and has to run for re-election without dem party money because he stands with President Bush on the war and clowns like you don’t want to give him credit because he isn’t ideal all the time.
Lieberman is one of my favorite Dems. Of course that’s like calling someone a pretty turd.....
I havent forgotten. The man is a political opportunist.
I dont want Lieberman there, much less making a speech. I also dont want John McCain there.
Medved just said Lieberman for Sec. Def.
I don’t give a flying f**k if he isn’t ideal all the time, Miss Cinnagirl. No one is perfect, certainly no one is ideal.
This man made a conscious choice to sell his soul to the devil (the Clintons). He didn’t even begin to try and redeem himself when he could have made a real difference. That’s the only reason I won’t give him any credit. Ever. And I don’t hate him. I just will never respect him.
True enough, I do hate the Clintons. So I guess that makes me a “hater”.
(And I am not a clown. I am a ringleader. Clowns scare me. But I do have very big feet. If that means anything. Or even if it doesn’t. I still have big feet. That is all....)
You have a nice day there sweetie (to quote Obama).
The Democrats let him keep ins committe chairmanship. If he switches parties then he's back in the minority and they won't let him be a committee chairman no more.
Been there, done that, got the tee-shirt.
What sanctions can they offer? Are they going to throw him under the bus again in CT so they can waste more $$ trying to defeat him, which they won;t be able to do... sheesh .. idiots.
It’s Cinnamon Girl, not Cinnagirl. And I can’t believe how many clowns there are on FR who make these mental ultimatums and decrees, these all or nothing declarations and lines of demarcation to disregard anyone who doesn’t fit their definition of acceptable. That’s how you lose in politics, not how you win. When the war first became unpopular and Joe took a stand in support of Bush, President Bush went up to Joe after a state of the union speech and kissed him and hugged him. He didn’t say “out of my way, Joe, you vote wrong on too many issues.”
Paging Jumpin’ Jim Jeffords...
I’m curious what will happen if Joe does speak at the convention and they do try to punish him.
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