Barack Obama on Joe Lieberman

[DemKR]

“I am absolutely certain that Connecticut’s going to have the good sense to send Joe Lieberman back to the United States Senate.” - Barack Obama, April 2, 2006

We just need to ask ourselves does that represent our party at the top of the ticket?

[babylonsister]

1. I wonder if Obama ever wishes he could eat his words. nt

[Laurab]

2. I'm sure he does - didn't Hillary give Lieberman

some support, as well?

[Connie_Corleone]

6. Yes. See my comment below with her quote.

[blm]

3. Strike Bill and Hillary, too - they helped Lieberman the most.

.

[Laurab]

4. Thanks, blm - I thought so! n/t

[DemKR]

7. Hillary did not go to a Democratic party meeting and chide Lamont supporters

Barack Obama said something along the lines of "I know some see him as the elephant in the room." Hillary never criticized netroots support for Lamont.

[Connie_Corleone]

10. After the primary, Obama's Hopefund sent the Lamont campaign

$5,000 in PAC money.

What's your point?

[Pushed To The Left]

58. Obama seems like a very loyal Democrat. I'm liking him more and more!

He supported the Democratic incumbent during the primaries and supported the Democratic primary winner in the general election. I was rooting for Lamont both times, but I don't think there is anything scandalous about a Democrat supporting a Democratic incumbent.

[blm]

11. Barack didn't go on NATIONAL TV and say that Joe running was an 'unmitigated blessing' for Dems.

Right before the election.

[Laurab]

13. I don't see that as "chiding" anyone

I see it as acknowledging a fact.

[Donnachaidh]

17. No -- but Hillary is just as much of a WEATHERVANE as Lieberman

She'll say or do ANYTHING to grab votes. She still hasn't admitted she was WRONG in voting for this war.

[blm]

18. Barack also didn't stay closer to Bush on Iraq throughout the 2004 campaign

as Bill and Hillary did, and neither of the Clintons would support Kerry's military positioning even on Tora Bora or Rumsfeld's firing.

[blm]

36. Barack also didn't protect Poppy Bush on CIA drugrunning that targeted black communities

for the dumping of cheap cocaine gained from their IranContra dealings.

Who was in the WH and protecting Poppy Bush's secrecy and privilege in 1996 when THAT part of IranContra story was revealed?

[rinsd]

50. That's chiding?

I also notice you make no mention of his tangible support for Lamont vs. a throwaway line for Lieberman at a Democratic dinner.

[Connie_Corleone]

5. And Hillary said...

"I've known Joe Lieberman for more than 30 years. I have been pleased to support him in his campaign for reelection, and hope that he is our party's nominee," the former first lady said in a statement issued by aides. - July 4th 2006

[zulchzulu]

29. Game. Set. Match.

WTF did this dork post Obama's quote out of context?

Hmmm... I wonder why....

[John Q. Citizen]

8. That was before the primary, right? Most Dem. Senators supported Joe

in the primary.

[ISUGRADIA]

9. And Hillary was against him when?

[DemKR]

15. After Lieberman camp chided Hillary

and his spokesman said that he was skeptical of Hillary Clinton, calling it typical of the “partisan playbook."

Hillary was proud to claim alignment on the issues with Ned Lamont. Hillary's own political strategist agreed. He, according to the NYT, said Hillary wanted to throw her considerable political weight behind Mr. Lamont because the national Republican Party “is clearly invested in Ned Lamont’s defeat."

One thing's for sure: the "Joementum" crowd didn't like Hillary.

[Colobo]

12. Lame attempt to make Obama look bad

Too bad it didn't work. :)

[ISUGRADIA]

14. Thank You--- You hit the nail on the head

[SaveElmer]

16. Yeah this was before the primary...so see no problem with it...

Lots of Democrats worked for Lieberman including the Clintons and Barbara Boxer...

[Bronyraurus]

59. Exactly

This sort of post betrays a very childish view of politics.

[Ninja Jordan]

19. BWHAHAHAHAHAH LAME

OMG that was LAME.

Obama's judgement was bad re: Lieberman, huh?

HILLARY'S JUDGMENT WAS BAD RE: SENDING AMERICAN SOLDIERS TO AN UNWINNABLE WAR. --Do we want THAT at the top of the ticket. THAT is the question--not some lame crap about Lieberman.


LOLOLOLOL

[against all enemies]

20. No one dislikes Lieberman more than me but your's is a cheap shot.

[Morgana LaFey]

52. Why is that?

Inquiring minds want to know.

[Hav]

21. .

Hm strange, that somehow didn't went well, right? ;)

[Clarkie1]

22. Was that before or after the primary.

If it was before the primary it's a non-issue. No elected Democrat supported Lamont in the primary, to the best of my knowledge.

[rep the dems]

25. April 2nd. Months before the primary. nt

[Clarkie1]

35. Absolutely meaningless then. This thread is a waste of server space. nt

[Crunchy Frog]

23. So I take it you won't be supporting Gore if he decides to run?

[DemKR]

24. Gore did not endorse Lieberman in the primary

Via Political Wire:

Gore Refuses to Back Lieberman
Interviewed on Bloomberg TV, Al Gore refused to endorse his former vice presidential running mate, Sen. Joe Lieberman (C-CT), in his re-election race.

Said Gore: "I am not involved. I typically do not get involved in Democratic primaries. Joe is my close friend, Joe and Hadassah are close to Tipper and me and it would be very difficult for me to ever oppose him. But I don't get involved in primaries typically. He's a great guy and he's right on a lot of other issues."

This was June of 2006.

[Crunchy Frog]

26. No, but he did see fit to choose him as his running mate in 2000.

On the scale of Lieberman related crimes, that seems just a little bit more egregious than backing Joe in the CT Senate primary. Frankly, I'm willing to forgive and forget both Gore and Obama. If my guy Wes Clark (who actively campaigned for Ned Lamont) doesn't run, my next choices will be Gore (should he run) and Obama.

There's no such thing as a perfect candidate, so I'll just have to settle for pretty good. :shrug:

[Larkspur]

28. This CT Dem would enthusiastically support a Gore Prez bid

Gore has spent the last 6 years rehabilitating his image among Dems and Progressives. It's not Gore's fault that Lieberman squandered a golden opportunity that Gore gave him. Bill Clinton's sex scandal put a dark cloud over Gore's 2000 Prez bid right from the start and Gore needed Lieberman at the time as a PR antidote to Bill's folly.

[Alexander]

47. Lieberman in 2000 was nothing like Lieberman today.

We know all there is to know about Lieberman now. Back then he was still an unknown commodity.

[Crunchy Frog]

51. Um, not exactly. I had an inkling of what he was

back when he was running against Senator Lowell Weicker. I think his endorsement by Jerry Falwell was a bit of a hint.

[Alexander]

53. You know what I mean - he was a loyal (D) and hadn't thought of jumping ship.

Plus, there was no Iraq War for him to support, and no Bush Administration to ass-kiss.

If someone had asked you if you thought Lieberman would switch parties back then, I doubt you would have answered in the affirmative.

[mtnsnake]

32. Bingo.

What's good for the goose ought to be good for the gander.

As always, though, selective criticism takes precedence here.

[Larkspur]

27. This is why this CT Dem is luke warm to Obama's Prez bid

I don't like the Clintons either and I'm not inspired by the rest of the field. I'm undecided at this point.

[w4rma]

44. Edwards Calls On Lieberman To Drop Out (video)

I do not think Lieberman should be running. I do not believe he should be running as an Independent. I mean, if he ran as a Democrat, he asked Democratic voters to vote for him, they chose someone else, you know, we have to show respect for the people who voted in the primary. So, I would go further than just being for Lamont. I do not think that Lieberman should be running.
http://lamontblog.blogspot.com/2006/08/edwards-calls-on-lieberman-to-drop-out.html

[Larkspur]

61. This is why if Al Gore doesn't get into the Prez race, I would lean towards Edwards

There is a hollowness to Obama's rhetoric. His words sound nice, but when he backs war criminal Lieberman more enthusiastically than Lamont, Obama is basically saying that Democratic primary voters don't count.

I was excited about Obama when he ran for US Senate, but I'ved cooled towards him as he's morphing into another "good old boy" in the US Senate.

[zulchzulu]

30. Wow..wouldja look at this photo...hmmm....

Two can play this game...

[PresidentObama]

31. You found one fault in the man. I dare you to find another.

;) Impossible.

[Bake]

37. According to Al Sharpton, Obama supports tort reform

Does he? I sure don't.

Bake

[flpoljunkie]

39. Sharpton should have said Obama supported the Class Action Fairness Act. See his statement below.

Speaker: Senator Barack H. Obama (IL)
Title: Passage of the Class Action Fairness Act
Location: Washington, DC
Date: 02/14/2005

PASSAGE OF THE CLASS ACTION FAIRNESS ACT -- (Senate - February 14, 2005)

Mr. OBAMA. Mr. President, I rise today to discuss the Class Action Fairness Act of 2005. As both a lawyer and a citizen, I am a strong believer in class actions as a way for ordinary people who have been wronged by a corporation to band together and seek justice. Some of our great advances in civil rights and consumer protections have come from these actions.

But there is overwhelming evidence that there are abuses in the class action system that should be addressed. When multimillion dollar settlements are handed down and all the victims get are coupons for a free product, justice is not being served. And when cases are tried in counties only because it's known that those judges will award big payoffs, you get quick settlements without ever finding out who's right and who's wrong.

Every American deserves their day in court. This bill, while not perfect, gives people that day while still providing the reasonable reforms necessary to safeguard against the most blatant abuses of the system. I also hope that the Federal judiciary takes seriously their expanded role in class action litigation, and upholds their responsibility to fairly certify class actions so that they may protect our civil and consumer rights. Senator SPECTER has pledged to work on these issues and address these serious concerns in the future, and I look forward to joining him so we can improve this law.

http://www.vote-smart.org/speech_detail.php?speech_id=79547&keyword=&phrase=&contain=

[Bake]

40. "This bill, while not perfect ..."

That's the understatement of the decade. CAFA is almost as monstrously pro-business/anti-consumer as the bankruptcy "reform." It would take too long to tell you all the problems with CAFA, but as a former class-action lawyer, I could write a book.

To learn that Obama supported it is, to say the least, disconcerting.

Bake

[Superman Returns]

33. hey, DemKR

you've been bringing this up repeatedly in several threads on DU. We get it, you're trying to hurt Obama. But can you at least make it no so obvious with your avatar?

[TwilightGardener]

34. Oh, c'mon--who knew Joe would become so odious in such a short time!

[Tom Joad]

42. Joe was odious when he came into the senate...

Joe was odious when he supported the Iraq war... yes, he was odious in 2006... still supporting the war...

[Arugula Latte]

57. Joe has long been odious, and he keeps getting odious-er and odious-er.

x(

[Norquist Nemesis]

38. April 2, 2006? The CT primary was AUGUST 2006.

'nuff said.

:eyes:

[Tom Joad]

43. Joe was a warmonger in April, just as much as August... nuff said.

[ripple]

46. He was also the dem incumbent

and it's customary to support members of one's own party when they are up for reelection. Once Lamont won the primary, Obama, Clinton, and the other Senate dems got behind him- as they should have.

While I thoroughly despise Lieberman, this thread is pretty silly, considering the OP's candidate did the very same thing Obama and most other Senate dems did.

[Tom Joad]

48. Yeah, Hillary is a bum, got it right there. I would take Obama any day

over Hillary.

[Learn2Swim]

41. lmao

what a silly post coming from an HRC supporter.

[Dr Fate]

45. But after the primaries, Obama campaigned for Lamont (Links included)

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=obama+campaigns+for+lamont&spell=1

His early support for Lieberman is duly noted- but is not the whole picture.

[rinsd]

49. I need to ask you why you told only half the story.

While Obama gave Lieberman a nod pre-primary (to my knowledge he did no campaigning or fundraising for Lieberman), he supported Lamont in the general.

Gee he supported the incumbent Democrat in the primary and the Democrtic nominee in the general election.

What a traitor to the party!

:sarcasm:

[Nutmegger]

54. No effing excuse!

Most of them sold Lamont down the river just to stay buddy-buddy with the LIARman. No effing excuse. Lamont was the Democratic nominee and should have been given face time. Obama went to every other state yet he couldn't come out here and given Lamont some face time? Nothing? Bill/Hill didn't even come out either. Thanks Hill for the "adviser" but Lamont needed more than that.

Kudos to Clark, Edwards, Kerry and Kennedy. They understood what this election was all about.

I want answers from Obama.

[AJH032]

55. Disturbing that Hillary's name has been brought up many times in this thread

The original post had only to do with Obama and Lieberman, yet certain posters, presumably in an attempted defense of Obama, bring up what Hillary said ("yeah...but, but, but...Hillary!!"). As I said, disturbing yet telling.

[blm]

56. Simple deduction - the poster is Hill supporter attacking Obama for something Hill did, too...

And Hillary and Bill were WAY more influential in Connecticut than Obama could be at that point.

It's the hypocrisy. No one was going to let it slip past.

[CTLawGuy]

60. Sorry

even though his support of Lieberman was annoying, he's still the best we got.

At least he doesn't think outsourcing to India is good for America, and he opposed the war from the beginning - unlike Hillary.

[Rhiannon12866]

62. I like Barak Obama, too, but he wasn't there to vote for or against the war,

the same as Howard Dean, who also said that he was against the war, and he is great as DNC chair, but he also didn't have a vote on this. Hillary is my senator, and I voted for her, but she is too centrist to get my support for president, unless she gets the nomination. I'd vote for any Democrat who's nominated, period.

But the way that I explain it to my friends who don't follow politics is that John Kerry did not vote for the war, though he did a poor job of explaining it. What John Kerry and Edwards and Gephardt, and even Hillary, voted for was to give the president the authority to use force, so they could take it to the U.N., and keep the peace. That's the way that Bush* explained it to Congress, but he lied, and too many of our senators were taken in.:-(

[CTLawGuy]

63. Obama made a speech in 2002

condemning the IWR and the idea of war in Iraq.

Also, the Congress has the constitutional repsonsibility to declare war. If they vote to delegate that decision to someone else, they should expect that the decision may be made to go to war and that Congress takes vicarious responsibility for that decision.

If Kerry didn't want war he shouldn't have voted for IWR.