Democratic Senators to vote on Lieberman's fate

[Lunar]

http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/11/source_dem_caucus_wont_vote_to.php

When Senate Dems caucus tomorrow, the Democratic leadership is likely to propose that he keep his homeland security chairmanship but lose a lesser sub-committee chairmanship instead, according to a source familiar with the situation.

If it happens that way, Senate Dems will be allowing Lieberman to keep his plum spot despite the fact that he has been a disaster at the post, and despite the fact that he endorsed efforts by the GOP to imply that Obama is in league with terrorists, suggested that Obama endangered our troops, and said Obama hasn't always put the country first.

According to the source, the Dem leadership is expected to propose instead that Lieberman be stripped of his chairmanship of the lesser Environment and Public Works subcommittee, a comparatively meaningless punitive action.

The move, which is not un-expected and was reported earlier in Roll Call, comes despite the fact that Lieberman had lost momentum in recent days, with Senators Patrick Leahy, Bernie Sanders and Byron Dorgan all expressing strong opposition to him keeping the chairmanship. Even a Lieberman ally, Senator Tom Carper, said today that Lieberman should face consequences that are not "insignificant."

It remains to be seen whether stripping Lieberman of his environmental committee role will be seen as "significant "by people who think that Lieberman's actions show him to be completely out of sync with the values and ideas of the Democratic Party on some of the most pressing issues facing us.

Many Democrats believe that effort to oust Lieberman from the Homeland Security chairmanship were dealt a death knell last week, when Barack Obama said he held "no grudges" against Lieberman. Though Obama said he wouldn't "referee" the question over the chairmanship, Obama's statement had the practical effect of allowing Lieberman's allies to claim Obama's support and giving cover to those who want to do nothing about Lieberman's transgressions.

[RosettaStoned]

I hope Lieberman gets kicked out. He deserves it.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Excellent

[Stranger in a strange land]

Excellent

unfortunately, Lieberman will probably use his committee chairmanship to launch endless, pointless investigations of the Obama administration, much like what happened to Clinton in the 90s.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Excellent

unfortunately, Lieberman will probably use his committee chairmanship to launch endless, pointless investigations of the Obama administration, much like what happened to Clinton in the 90s.

I disagree.

[Stranger in a strange land]

Excellent

unfortunately, Lieberman will probably use his committee chairmanship to launch endless, pointless investigations of the Obama administration, much like what happened to Clinton in the 90s.

I disagree.

on what grounds?

[??????????]

I hope Lieberman gets kicked out. He deserves it.

Yeah, kick all the moderates out, great strategy.

[Stranger in a strange land]

I hope Lieberman gets kicked out. He deserves it.

Yeah, kick all the moderates out, great strategy.

his views aren't the issue: it's that he endorsed McCain and campaigned with him, and then broke a promise not to attack Obama from the podium at the RNC. Ben Nelson and Mark Pryor are both far more conservative than Lieberman, yet nobody is calling for them to be kicked out of the Caucus.

[Lief 🗽]

I hope Lieberman gets kicked out. He deserves it.

Yeah, kick all the moderates out, great strategy.

lol, supporting the war in Iraq does not make you a moderate. Maybe down in the Confederacy it does, but not in the real world.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Excellent

unfortunately, Lieberman will probably use his committee chairmanship to launch endless, pointless investigations of the Obama administration, much like what happened to Clinton in the 90s.

I disagree.

on what grounds?

Lieberman needs Obama.  If Obama had turned against him, he'd have likely lost his Chairmanship.  If he starts attacking Obama, then he loses his Chairmanship in 2011, and reelection in 2012.  Joe will do what's best for Joe.

[Stranger in a strange land]

Excellent

unfortunately, Lieberman will probably use his committee chairmanship to launch endless, pointless investigations of the Obama administration, much like what happened to Clinton in the 90s.

I disagree.

on what grounds?

Lieberman needs Obama.  If Obama had turned against him, he'd have likely lost his Chairmanship.  If he starts attacking Obama, then he loses his Chairmanship in 2011, and reelection in 2012.  Joe will do what's best for Joe.

no doubt then that his liberal, 60%+ Obama-voting constituents were thrilled that he went campaigning with McCain and lauded Sarah Palin at the RNC! I absolutely fail to see how the latter could possibly be in his best interests.

[??????????]

I hope Lieberman gets kicked out. He deserves it.

Yeah, kick all the moderates out, great strategy.

lol, supporting the war in Iraq does not make you a moderate. Maybe down in the Confederacy it does, but not in the real world.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Excellent

unfortunately, Lieberman will probably use his committee chairmanship to launch endless, pointless investigations of the Obama administration, much like what happened to Clinton in the 90s.

I disagree.

on what grounds?

Lieberman needs Obama.  If Obama had turned against him, he'd have likely lost his Chairmanship.  If he starts attacking Obama, then he loses his Chairmanship in 2011, and reelection in 2012.  Joe will do what's best for Joe.

no doubt then that his liberal, 60%+ Obama-voting constituents were thrilled that he went campaigning with McCain and lauded Sarah Palin at the RNC! I absolutely fail to see how the latter could possibly be in his best interests.

It wasn't; perhaps he was banking on a Cabinet job when McCain won.  Now, though, he needs to support Obama.

[Stranger in a strange land]

Excellent

unfortunately, Lieberman will probably use his committee chairmanship to launch endless, pointless investigations of the Obama administration, much like what happened to Clinton in the 90s.

I disagree.

on what grounds?

Lieberman needs Obama.  If Obama had turned against him, he'd have likely lost his Chairmanship.  If he starts attacking Obama, then he loses his Chairmanship in 2011, and reelection in 2012.  Joe will do what's best for Joe.

no doubt then that his liberal, 60%+ Obama-voting constituents were thrilled that he went campaigning with McCain and lauded Sarah Palin at the RNC! I absolutely fail to see how the latter could possibly be in his best interests.

It wasn't; perhaps he was banking on a Cabinet job when McCain won.  Now, though, he needs to support Obama.

If he doesn't intend to run for reelection (which I doubt he does) then what incentive does he have to support Obama?

[Lief 🗽]

And the cowards decided to keep the traitor.

[Aizen]

And the cowards decided to keep the traitor.

that blows

[Brittain33]

And the cowards decided to keep the traitor.

that blows

I'm going to move on and hope for the best. There's really nothing else to be done until 2011. I hope they have enough leverage such that he won't abuse his position, but I'm hopeful he's smart enough to recognize he's been given a second chance and will take it.

[WillK]

Why give him a chance?

Because establishing a good report with the American people, not losing a critical Cloture vote,  and all-around not appearing vengeful during your first two minutes of power is more important than satisfying the DailyKos?

I detest Lieberman, but strategically it's a stupid move.

Say what?  The Senate just lost its chance to establish a good report with me. 

Who says they wont lose critical cloture votes anyway?  I wouldnt count on Lieberman to back the party when it counts. 

Stripping him of the chairmanship would be the strategically good move in my opinion.  They just made a dumb decision due to their inability to break old habits of political  cronyism.

[WillK]

And the cowards decided to keep the traitor.

that blows

I'm going to move on and hope for the best. There's really nothing else to be done until 2011. I hope they have enough leverage such that he won't abuse his position, but I'm hopeful he's smart enough to recognize he's been given a second chance and will take it.

Oh hes smart enough alright.  He clearly understands that the Democratic leadership just did the equivalent of bending over in front of him and saying 'please sir can I have another?'

[Tender Branson]

Who are the 13 FF Senators that voted to kick him out ?

[Franzl]

Who are the 13 FF Senators that voted to kick him out ?

It was a secret vote.

[WillK]

...  The message of "revenge before national security" isn't going to resonate

Where did you come up with this message?
Since I think Lieberman does a poor job as Chair of the HS committee, I think keeping him there is putting cronyism before national security; it also puts a big X through the slogan of 'change'.
Keeping him, in my opinion, torpedoes what could have been a workable Democratic message. 

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Excellent news.  I couldn't be happier with this decision.

[TheresNoMoney]

Who are the 13 FF Senators that voted to kick him out ?

Russ Feingold, Byron Dorgan and Bernie Sanders are 3 of them (all huge FFs). I couldn't tell you the rest.

[Aizen]

Who are the 13 FF Senators that voted to kick him out ?

Russ Feingold, Byron Dorgan and Bernie Sanders are 3 of them (all huge FFs). I couldn't tell you the rest.

Patrick Leahy was another. He and Sanders together called for Lieberman to be stripped.