[I'm sure I'm going to get a lot of flack for this post. Feel free to leave your flack in the comments.]
The New York Times ran a story today about Joe Lieberman's uncomfortable situation within the Democratic caucus. That's understandable, because of his outspoken support for the Republican candidate. What are not acceptable are things like Ned Lamont's run against Lieberman in 2006 and this report by Political Wire that some Dems are thinking of kicking Lieberman out of the party.
We cannot and should not expect our Senators to vote on the party line every time. Our Congress is supposed to be a deliberative body, where representatives are allowed to make up their own minds. Joe Lieberman has a different take on national security issues than most Democrats -- so what?? The fact of the matter is, he votes with the Democrats more often than many.
Just take a look at the statistics for voting with the Democratic party:
107th Congress
Lieberman: 92.4%
Dem. average: 88.4%
108th Congress
Lieberman: 93.2%
Dem. average: 84.9%
109th Congress
Lieberman: 89.9%
Dem. average: 87.1%
110th Congress
Lieberman (independent): 85.9%
Dem. average: 87.4%
So, are we willing to cut off our nose to spite our face? Joe Lieberman has been a consistent vote for the Democratic party on countless issues. Are we going to kick him out of the caucus for his positions on one issue? How about for his support for a Senator with whom he has written dozens of laws? We are coming perilously close to taking a man who votes with us over 85 percent of the time and turning him into a Republican.
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3 comments:
Truly Ridiculous article. I mean, wasn't Liebertroll the guy who helped lead the impeachment of Clinton for sex and doesn't bat an eyelast at the machinations of Bush? Is this the guy who consistently goes on the Sean Hannity Show and FoxNews to bash Democrats? Is this the guy who endorsed the Republican nominee? He doesn't just have a different foriegn policy view...he is a radical neocon when it comes to the U.S. using force, he wants to be at war with Iran and anybody else who has a bad word to say about Israel...Good Riddence!!!
Thank you for your flack.
Some of the things you've said here are true. Some are mildly crazy. However, even assuming they are all true, so what?
You are never going to change Lieberman's vote on these things. Why lose his votes on the 85% of the subjects in which he's in agreement with the Dems? He should feel uncomfortable as a member of our caucus, but nobody gains by kicking him out of the party.
See more of this discussion at MN Campaign Report
I think the point is, we could get a Lieberman from Alabama or Mississippi or Nebraska. From Connecticut we deserve a real Democrat, not one that will stab us in the back any time you turn around. Lieberman is always there when you don't need him and if he has so much integrity(he doesn't), he should vote the same no matter what caucus he is in...
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