Lieberman keeps his chair, gets token slap on wrist
Well, ain’t that interesting: The Democrats have decided to let Joe Lieberman keep his Senate chairmanship.
I have a feeling the nutroots aren’t going to like this lack of Change:
Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, the Democrat-turned-independent from Connecticut, was allowed to keep his chairmanship of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Tuesday despite his support for Senator John McCain in the presidential campaign.
Democratic senators voted instead to strip Mr. Lieberman of a subcommittee chairmanship on the Environment and Public Works Committee, a slap on the wrist compared with the prospect of losing the homeland security leadership post.
“He’s part of this caucus,” the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, said after the Democratic caucus voted behind closed doors. “We are not looking back. We are looking forward.”
Mr. Lieberman, who had angered many Democrats by campaigning for Mr. McCain, his longtime friend, emerged from the private session looking pleased. He called the result “fair and forward-looking” and one of “reconciliation and not retribution.”
He said he was looking forward to working with President-elect Barack Obama — whom he criticized during the campaign — “to keep the American people secure at home” as well as abroad.
Before the meeting, Mr. Lieberman said he was optimistic. “I’m going into a roomful of friends,” he told The Associated Press
Actually, Mr. Lieberman has been a source of consternation to Democrats since 2006, when he lost the Democratic primary to Ned Lamont, a businessman from Greenwich. But instead of retiring quietly, Mr. Lieberman won a fourth term as an independent. Since then, he has sided with Democrats on most issues, with the notable exception of the war in Iraq, which he has supported.
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Categories: Joe Lieberman
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Anyone else think that this is purely window-dressing – and nothing more – to make the incoming socialist administration look “grown-up” and serious about security?
Just because the Democrats are playing nice on some things doesn’t mean they will always play nice. Can’t wait for Obama to appoint McCain to something nice since he did such a bad job of running against him.
Well, ain’t that interesting: The
They have to have something they can use as leverage.
“That’s a pretty nice lookin’ chairmanship ya got there, Joe. Be a pity if something happened to it. Gotta be careful nothin bad happens, Joe.”
This isn’t some anomaly, Democrats always play nice.
McAmnesty, Liberalman, Ghramnisty.. all losers. Humans are amazing….
I am glad for Lieberman’s sake: He seems like a thoughtful man, despite his pro-abortion stance, and he’s tops on American defense!
Indeed they do, but usually just with terrorists, criminals, malcontents, and the chronically entitled.
Senator Lieberman must be the exception that proves the rule.
True, Jamie Gorelick wanted to be nice and not investigate those student pilots…
Janet Reno wanted to be nice to people who had a different religion…
The first words out of Joe Lieberman’s mouth when he met with Harry Reid last week were ‘Mission accomplished Republican turnout suppressed as ordered Sir’.
This whole vote today is a show. Basicly to cover up the dirty trick the dems pulled on John McCain and his clueless staff.
It probably helped that McCain met with Obama yesterday.
I think it is a sign the Democrats won’t have a Senate majority. These people don’t do anything that doesn’t begin with, and end with, their own political capital staying intact.
Lieberman didn’t do as much to suppress Republican votes as McCain did. OTOH, I wonder how all the Republican voters in Connecticut feel, since they’re the ones who re-elected him, at heavy cost to the real Republican in the race.
Democratic bipartisanship in action: cross us and we’ll slap you around. No soup for you!
Nicely done.
I wonder if McCain was offered SecDef. There’s precedent. Clinton’s SecDef was a RINO, too.
A slap on the wrist now…they’ll wait until Joe bends over, THEN they’ll give it to him…reach around or not! Neither the House nor Senate Democrat leadership forgive anything…ever. To turn on your former party is unforgiveable, and they will use him as an example.
If Joe believes these pathological liars, then he deserves anything he gets.
Perhaps the Democrats realized that punishing the Semi-Neocon-Warmongering-Jewish Heretic for a thought crime by secret ballot might not go over well those of Lieberman’s fellow Jews who are still not “kvelling” over the Chosen One.
To his credit, Lieberman spoke to our congregation in Florida on behalf of McCain. There was a good turnout. He did not actually criticize Obama at all…he just argued that McCain was better on national security and on Israel. Also, given the opportunity to be critical of Sarah Palin (whom some present obviously believed to be an Evil Christiantist), he did not do so, but quickly changed the subject back to McCain.
That said, it was apparently a futile effort.
Bwahahaha!! The DUmmies are having a snit fit over this! This is not the “change” they were waiting for! They are clinging to the hope that Homeland Security will be disbanded into separate organizations, making Joe’s chairmanship unimportant.
They’ve even created a new website: Laugh at Lieberman. Good God!
I think I’ll go wade in the muck with the KosKiddies for a while. This is amusing…
Rush’s two cents’ amounted to this being Obama’s attempt at “displaying” his bipartisanship and benevolence and having Lieberman’s vote and undying gratitude till his dying day.
Yup, he’ll wake up sometime with a horse’s head in his bed.
Ummm… the KosKids are demanding that Lieberman hold hearings about Sarah’s wardrobe. WTH? They also want to kick Harry Reid out. Wow… We agree on something?! There’s even a poll on the front page asking if the voter approves of the job Harry Reid is doing. 85% negative right now. heh.
Bascially the same junk being spouted by the DUmmies.
/going to take shower now — ick
This is how they’ll run the GWOT. Lots of blustering rhetoric, but no substantive action.
TRANSLATION: The Democrats did not get their 60 Senate seats so they need him. If they had gotten 60, BANG!
Will this help prevent another McCain-Lieberman?
On November 18th, 2008 at 2:22 pm, Fat Jolly Penguin said:
Stupid question.
The only reason the Dems are doing this is they may need him for the 60 possible majority to prevent filibusters. In other words, if the three outstanding Senate votes are stolen by the Dems to achieve their 60 majority, Joe holds the POWER to switching parties and preventing that from happening. That’s the ONLY reason.
Joe held the power in his hands for the past two years. Nothing is more disappointing than someone who holds the power, but doesn’t actually use it.
Uhhh…actually most people were expecting the opposite. The only realistic chance the Dems had of making 60 was WITH Lieberman (and even then a slim chance). I think most people were expecting that if they didn’t have 59 without him, there was no reason to keep him and would show him the door.
Because really, there isn’t a whole lot of difference if something passes by 55 or 56, is there?
So really, I am surprised that this was done. Obama was by all indications the driving force behind it.
Agreed Chap, but if tomorrow something happened that 60 Democrats were in the Senate, Lieberman by sundown would politically “sleep with the fishes.”
The Democrats hate him. This is a ploy to buy his “loyalty” …..for now.
Lieberman is a good man, unfortunately, he is a liberal, but he has been putting country ahead of party for years, and hence the Ned Lamont challenge.
I think Flyoverman in #28 is close. Dirty Harry Reid doesn’t trust that more than a couple of RINOs will vote with the Dems on cloture for the most obnoxious legislation Obama/Reid and Pelosi will try to pass, and would hate for something like socialized healthcare fail to survive a filibuster by one vote because they stripped Lieberman of his committees and he started caucusing with the GOP.
The problem with this is the assumption that Lieberman, if booted from the caucus or stripped of Homeland Security, wouldn’t vote on cloture on any specific issue simply to spite the Dems. He is still pretty liberal on most domestic issues, and I am assuming wants a chance in hell of being reelected in 2012.
If Lieberman were stripped of Homeland Security, he would probably change for ‘Independent who caucuses with the Dems’ to ‘Independent who caucuses with the Republicans’.
He’d become almost another RINO like McCain, Graham, Specter, Snowe and Collins. He would vote with the Dems on some issues, including some cloture votes, but he would not be an automatic Democrat vote.
Reid et ux would have punished him for his disobedience, but they need his vote right now to have a better chance of breaking the filibuster.
I don’t think he is now. For better or worse, he pretty much votes the issue, not the party.
I don’t know why that would change regardless of whether hes ICD or ICR.
I think the Leftists in the Senate will deal gently with Joe until they find out how solid their majority is. If they do manage to steal the election the seat from Coleman then and win in Georgia then I think Joe can kiss his chair goodbye!
Sen. Leiberman’s 2007 ADA rating is 70, which isn’t Obama-like liberal, but in my book isn’t “conservative,” either. He doesn’t vote with the GOP much. When he was Gore’s VP pick, he pretty easily put aside any semblance of a “moderate Democrat” image and fell in with Gore’s very leftist mantra. Other than being a big supporter for Israel and hardliner against Islamic fanatacism, on what other “conservative” votes is he a sure bet?
that’s a telling photo…cute couple.
the dems don’t need Lieberman’s vote, don’t forget all the rino’s that are still going to be around, like the other guy in the picture.
I wonder if McShame were to change parties, would he be as big a pain to the dems as he has been to the repubs?