Interesting article about Lieberman's "principles"

[monarch]

http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewWeb&articleId=11673

Thanks to spazeboy for leading me to this article. His blog is starting to be my first read in the morning http://www.spazeboy.net/

The Case Against Principles
As Joe Lieberman demonstrates, principles are only good if you’ve got the right ones. By Matthew Yglesias

"What’s more, one sort of doubts Lieberman is really the man of sterling principle that his friends like to portray him as. As Chait pointed out, Lieberman doesn’t only have relatively right-wing views on national security policy -- he’s also a longtime defender of cuts in capital gains taxes, an opponent of financial regulations, and generally speaking a defender of the prerogatives of insurance companies many of whom happen (coincidentally?) to be based in Connecticut. All this at least looks more like a quest for campaign contributions than something he pulled out of the Talmud. But, really, what difference does it make? Taxing capital gains income at a lower level than wage income is a bad idea -- it exacerbates inequality and has no beneficial impact on the economy -- and pinning down exactly why someone defends it has nothing to do with anything.

"Indeed, at times putting principles into play makes things worse. Lieberman, like a certain segment of the political class is want to do, occasionally engages in a demagogic rant or two against musicians, actors, directors, and producers who make songs, movies, or TV shows he doesn’t like. Usually, I think politicians who do this are acting cynically -- pandering to the confused views and general ignorance of America’s parents while espousing a crass philistinism they don’t really believe in. Lieberman at least plausibly really does think the role of a United States senator ought to be complaining about Friends’ time slot. If so, that’s all to the worse. Politicians who pander to misguided public concerns are problematic; politicians who genuinely share those misguided concerns and help to feed and create them are worse.

"But maybe he’s just posturing. On foreign policy, there’s really no doubt that Lieberman is acting from a position of genuine conviction. Unlike most Democrats who seem to have shaded their views right out of political calculation, Lieberman has repeatedly positioned himself as more hawkish on Iraq than political self-interest would dictate. I don’t think he’s dumb, I think he means it. Some of his best friends are neoconservatives, and when he says he’s ready to support a war with Iran, I believe him.

"And good for him for standing up for his beliefs. Except, on this front, his beliefs are incredibly wrong and could lead to untold levels of death and destruction. Under the circumstances, I’d be happier with a cynic who recognized that his warmongering was imperiling his political career. That’s the trouble with principles -- they’re only good if you’re principles are the right ones. If Lieberman’s allies want to help him stay in office, they’re going to have to start convincing people that his are -- just pointing out that he has some isn’t good enough.