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On Lying To Your Constituents To Win An Election

by: tparty

Thu Feb 22, 2007 at 13:33:42 PM EST

(Bumped because the update T.Party put in from The Politico is huge. - promoted by Matt Browner Hamlin)

"Joe Lieberman has repeatedly said that if re-elected to the Senate, he will absolutely caucus with the Democrats," Lieberman spokeswoman Tammy Sun said.

- Andrew Miga, Associated Press, November 5, 2006

"Independent" Sen. Joe Liebeman receives a mini-profile titled "What Joe Wants," a key question since he is "the Senate's one-man tipping point." Republicans, the magazine says, are "courting him" and Lieberman "has been indulging in some fairly immodest poltical footsie."
Lieberman calls jumping to the Republican side, and tilting the Senate, "a remote possibility," which means there's at least a chance of that.

- Editor and Publisher on an article out in the next issue of Time Magazine

Greg Sargent has much more on Joe's repeated lies during the campaign.

Josh Marshall suggests that if Joe were to actually jump, there would be calls for his resignation.

There should be.

Update: The full Time article is now up. Looks like Harry Reid has been treating Joe with kid gloves, going so far as to cut off all discussion of Iraq at weekly caucus lunches so that Joe would come back and attend them.

Also, seems like the full-court press is on from the Lieberman Party today. The Politico has more from Joe threatining to caucus with the GOP if Democrats actually do something to try to end his precious war:

"I have no desire to change parties," Lieberman said in a telephone interview. "If that ever happens, it is because I feel the majority of Democrats have gone in a direction that I don't feel comfortable with."
When asked whether that hasn't already happened with Iraq, Lieberman said: "We will see how that plays out in the coming months," specifically how the party approaches the issue of continued funding for the war.
He suggested, however, that the forthcoming showdown over new funding could be a deciding factor that would lure him to the Republican Party.
"I hope we don't get to that point," Lieberman said. "That's about all I will say on it today. That would hurt."

His threat to switch is the single remaining thing keeping him at all relevant. Democrats need to take it away from him one way or the other if they want to effect any real change on Iraq.

Update 2: Must have been a different Senator that Spazeboy found in that stairwell last year:

tparty :: On Lying To Your Constituents To Win An Election

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On Lying To Your Constituents To Win An Election | 20 comments

I hate to mention it but it depends what you meaning of "will" is (0.00 / 0)

"Joe Lieberman has repeatedly said that if re-elected to the Senate, he will absolutely caucus with the Democrats,"

Now that he has kept his promise and caucused with the Democrats the future could be open to caucus with others...

because Connecticut voters count: http://www.CTVotersCount.org

by: BlastFromGlast @ Thu Feb 22, 2007 at 18:42:32 PM UTC

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He also said he would "die a Democrat" (0.00 / 0)

depends what your meaning of "die" is.

by: tparty @ Thu Feb 22, 2007 at 18:53:36 PM UTC

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Miscommunication (4.00 / 3)

He actually said "dye a Democrat", as in tie dye.

by: Scarce @ Thu Feb 22, 2007 at 19:08:22 PM UTC

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My Letter to Editor in Morning's Courant........ (4.00 / 2)

The New John Olsen !

http://www.courant.c...

by: PamB @ Thu Feb 22, 2007 at 19:07:42 PM UTC

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Great job Pam! n/t (0.00 / 0)

Disclosure: I'm proud to work for the Service Employees International Union

by: Matt Browner Hamlin @ Thu Feb 22, 2007 at 19:53:55 PM UTC

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Excellent LTTE! I feel the same way about Olsen (0.00 / 0)

except that I don't think he regrets supporting Lieberman. Union folks like Olsen think the DLC Dems, like Lieberman, are their friends, but in reality the DLC Dems sell them out. Lieberman has supported every free trade agreement that was sent to the floor for a vote. Free trade is responsible for unions losing power by having their jobs shipped overseas.

To me any union that supports DLC Dems, like Lieberman, deserve to go extinct.

by: Larkspur @ Fri Feb 23, 2007 at 09:21:34 AM UTC

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Politico, too (4.00 / 1)

Politico has a story of their own. Lieberman suggests the upcoming fight over Iraq war funding might cause him to switch.

http://www.politico....

by: kevinbk @ Thu Feb 22, 2007 at 20:09:34 PM UTC

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Hmm... (0.00 / 0)

Either tparty just updated his diary, or I can't read.

by: kevinbk @ Thu Feb 22, 2007 at 20:11:52 PM UTC

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Don't worry (0.00 / 0)

You're literate.

by: tparty @ Thu Feb 22, 2007 at 20:14:48 PM UTC

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Do it Joe! (0.00 / 0)

I septuple-dare you!

You know you want to...

Anyone see any irony in the fact that he would switch over a single issue (war funding) after accusing his opponent of being a one-issue candidate... And if he switches it'll be pretty hard for him to be seen as "independent" or "nonpartisan" - he'll be tying his cart to the Bush horse.

"There's class warfare, all right, but it's my class, the rich class, that's making war, and we're winning." - Warren Buffet

by: joesaho @ Thu Feb 22, 2007 at 21:31:19 PM UTC

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Yeah, I'm hoping he goes, too (0.00 / 0)

Better to purge our Party once and for all of his poisonous influence, than to keep pandering to the whims of his fragile ego. Let the Republicans have him...they deserve to have to deal with his bullshit.

Watch; right after he defects, he'll threaten the Republicans that he'll vote with the Dems the very first time they don't cater to him. It'll be fun to watch them have to beg him.

In two years, Joe will be completely invalidated, and he'll be remembered by history as an ugly little conniving blot in the Senate.

The only legacy he'll have will be "sore loser".

Connecticut Bob

by: Bob Adams @ Thu Feb 22, 2007 at 23:38:01 PM UTC

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It's hard to understand Joey (0.00 / 0)

when he talks while his thumb is in his mouth...

by: notcho @ Thu Feb 22, 2007 at 21:50:05 PM UTC

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Lieberman's Leaving Actually Benefits Senate Democrats (0.00 / 0)

The Democratic Party would actually benefit if Lieberman formally left and caucused with the Publican Party. Right now, the Democrats are buried under an avalanche of BS from the MSM because they are portrayed as having a working majority in forcing legislation. Of course, the Democrats have no such control in the Senate, but the reality of their holding a slim majority is way to nuanced for our MSM to comprehend.

Lieberman's departure lifts that millstone from around the Senate Democrats. Yeah, it would be slightly more difficult to pass some legislation, but not much more. In fact, the Democrats might even be able to hold onto control of the committee chairmanships, even though Darth Cheney will be casting the 51st vote in most cases.

But, look at that as a plus too. If Cheney's ass is welded to the Senate President's seat constantly, that just reduces the chance for this vampire to flutter around in the voids and shadows trying to fly under the radar to influence legislation and avoiding impeachment. I'd much rather find him finally working 12-hour days, five days a week, week in and week out for the rest of this Congress. Let's bring Cheney out of his unidentified location (actually a casket hidden up at Camp David, I am sure) for all of us to see on a regular basis. Does he even go out in the daylight these days?

by: PrahaPartizan @ Thu Feb 22, 2007 at 22:02:11 PM UTC

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Yep. (0.00 / 0)

The 2008 senate election map favors Democrats. Having Joe switch sidesp in 07 to flip Senate control means those Dem challengers will have an even easier time of tying incumbent (R)'s to Bush and the war which will still be going on during the election season.

"There's class warfare, all right, but it's my class, the rich class, that's making war, and we're winning." - Warren Buffet

by: joesaho @ Thu Feb 22, 2007 at 22:35:43 PM UTC

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Sirota says it best (4.00 / 1)

Why we should all hope Joe Lieberman becomes a Republican

"My guess is that Lieberman understands this, that he's not really going to switch, and that he's just going to periodically tell people he "might" switch whenever he feels he hasn't been given enough love by Beltway reporters. The man is, at his core, the biggest narcissist in contemporary congressional history. What motivates him more than anything is seeing himself on television. If that means backing out of his own promises and threatening to overturn a national election in order to send more troops to die in a war, then he's willing to do that. However, he knows that once he turns the threat into reality and switches, he immediately will be perceived as politically irrelevant and, because he will have switched in defense of the Iraq War, he will also likely remembered as the most hated and infamous U.S. Senator since Joe McCarthy.

http://www.smirkingc...

by: PamB @ Fri Feb 23, 2007 at 00:12:54 AM UTC

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P.S. (0.00 / 0)

No more cushy committee seats for Joe either (unless Wimpy Reid decides to let him keep them)

by: PamB @ Fri Feb 23, 2007 at 00:14:23 AM UTC

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Reid is a loser on this one. (0.00 / 0)

Imagine sacrificing party unity talks on Iraq solely because Lieberman won't come. So the party has to work that much harder getting in shape to mollify Joe whenever he declares his party switch level is above orange.

by: drowsy @ Fri Feb 23, 2007 at 00:32:00 AM UTC

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It's just one issue (0.00 / 0)

How many times did Traitor Joe protest that the Iraq War was just one issue and you could disagree with him on that one issue and still vote for him? Why now has that one LITTLE issue suddenly become big enough to cause him to threaten to bolt parties? Can't he simply disagree on that one LITTLE issue, or has he become a single-issue senator like that irresponsible senate candidate Ned Lamont?

I can't agree with others here that losing the Senate majority would be beneficial until Jan. 09. Far too much at stake. The Democratic-controlled House can prevent GOP-Senate legislation, but the Senate still has Judicial confirmation, which is huge. I wouldn't pander to Joe, but I wouldn't celebrate his departure from the Democratic caucus.

If he jumps, we should encourage Blumenthal to quickly open a thorough investigation into Lieberman's election slush fund. Five and a half more years of a Republican Lieberman -- HELL NO!

by: nero @ Fri Feb 23, 2007 at 02:52:23 AM UTC

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senate won't change hands (0.00 / 0)

The deal that they had last time wasn't there this time.

Joe jumps, the Dems still own all the chairmanships except homeland security, which we be in GOP control (Lieberman), but the GOP will have to drop 2 members from the committee and the Dems will get 2 new votes.

So, the GOP will be able to control what the comittee will address (don't they already, where was Joe on Katrina after getting elected as CFL?) but the odds are that nothing will come out of it (sort of like the last time it was in GOP control).

The question is not what you are, we already determined that, we are now negotiating price.
electrealdemocrats.com Online since 3/07 -- TimetogoJoe.com Online s

by: Met00 @ Fri Feb 23, 2007 at 03:57:26 AM UTC

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Our Junior Senator (0.00 / 0)

We just need to let Joe go....... His power only exists if we put him in the conversation. He has already become nothing. If a man is not "a man of his word" he is nothing. As time passes he will become insignificant in history except for his roll in inspiring the Lamont campaign..... which in turn inspired a great spirit of disent and pro active activism across the country.

The best ally we can have as democrats is Joe as a republican.

by: PoliticNow @ Sat Feb 24, 2007 at 00:21:00 AM UTC

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On Lying To Your Constituents To Win An Election | 20 comments

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