Let's trade Republicans Hagel for Lieberman.

[BurtWorm]

Here's a good example of why, from salon.com:


http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2007/01/17/lieberman/


Lieberman: A surge of buyer's remorse?

Antiwar Connecticut voters find themselves with a pro-escalation senator -- and other Senate Democrats are scared to offend him.

By Colin McEnroe
Pages 1 2



Jan. 17, 2007 | HARTFORD, Conn. -- One day last week a grumpy citizen of Connecticut called my talk radio show and asked, half-seriously, if we could trade our senator, Joseph I. Lieberman, straight up to Nebraska for Chuck Hagel.

...

Tempers are little frayed here in Connecticut because our junior senator spent last summer fighting for his political survival by insisting, among other things, that the policies he supported would result in troop withdrawals. Lieberman said some American troops would be able to leave Iraq by the end of 2006, and more than half would be out by the end of 2007. According to exit polls on Nov. 7, more than 60 percent of Connecticut voters opposed the war in Iraq and/or favored withdrawal of some or all troops, and nearly four out of 10 of those antiwar voters supported Lieberman. Lieberman had barely digested the food from his victory party before he spun 180 degrees and added his voice to the "surge" chorus.

Hagel, meanwhile, has been firm about insisting that adding troops merely piles disaster on top of disaster.

On Sunday, the two men squared off on "Meet the Press" for an exchange in which Hagel gave Lieberman the kind of chewing out you'd direct at a kid with bad grades, a busted curfew and a serious dent on the family car.

Lieberman had just insisted that all alternatives to Bush's escalation amount to an advocacy of defeat. The enemy we're fighting, he said, is the same enemy who attacked us on 9/11. If we are defeated, he said, "the consequences for us -- and I want to be personal -- for my children and grandchildren will be disastrous."

"That's ridiculous," Hagel shot back.

"I'm offended that any responsible member of Congress or anyone else would even suggest such a thing," he growled. "Senator Lieberman talks about his children and grandchildren. We all have children and grandchildren. He doesn't have a market on that."


...

[me b zola]

1. I like this idea

I don't trust Hagel, however I trust Lieberman less.

[BurtWorm]

3. My feelings exactly.

If you're going to not trust someone, at least let them be sane about the war.

[cynatnite]

2. Maybe you'll change your mind when you see this...

http://www.ontheissues.org/Senate/Chuck_Hagel_SenateMatch.htm

Based on his voting record...



on edit:

Here's Lieberman's from the same site. Not that I'm a fan, but if I have to choose from the lesser of two evils I'll go with the one who's got a 'D' next to his name. Keep in mind Hagel's looking at 2008.

[BurtWorm]

5. After the war, we can trade them back.

Until the war is over, Lieberman is the enemy.

[cynatnite]

11. I'd prefer to keep Lieberman over Hagel...

no matter the dick he is when it comes to other issues Lieberman's record is still a little better than Hagel. Hagel's votiing record is why I won't give him the time of day at all. After all, it's popular to be against the war now and he's got his eye on 2008.

[EdwardM]

12. I didn't realise Chuck Hagel was pro life.

This whole time, I thought he was a reasonable pro choice republican. Ohwell, maybe trading him for lieberman isn't such a good deal then. But watching Lieberman move the party to the right by threating to switch is getting old quick. We need some elbow room.

[cynatnite]

17. Christian coalitioin and the NRA love him...

He wants 'family values' taught in the classroom, he's against gay marriage, supports privatizing social security and supports tax breaks for the rich. The guy is as repuke as they come no matter what he's saying about the war at this time.

[EdwardM]

20. I recall my call for the recall of Lieberman for Hagel

:crazy: I didn't realise this guy was on the fringe. Maybe I should have investigated. But comeon, there has to be a least one reasonable Republican. John McCain was one 8 years ago, then something happened. Any other ones?

[cynatnite]

21. Lincoln Chaffee...

but he got voted out. He was more of a dem than he was ever a repuke. Made a lot of sense. He lost because he's got an 'R' next to his name. If he had switched parties he probably would have kept his job.

[BurtWorm]

23. Anyone who even flirts with calling himself a Republican has something wrong in the brain.

(Lieberman is included in that sick bunch, by the way.)

[illinoisprogressive]

4. I think it is only fitting that Conn. gets a decent honest senator and not liebermann

[laststeamtrain]

6. Yeah! Hagel & his crooked voting machines...

<snip>

The respected Washington, DC publication The Hill (www.thehill.com/news/012903/hagel.aspx) has confirmed that former conservative radio talk-show host and now Republican U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel was the head of, and continues to own part interest in, the company that owns the company that installed, programmed, and largely ran the voting machines that were used by most of the citizens of Nebraska.

Back when Hagel first ran there for the U.S. Senate in 1996, his company's computer-controlled voting machines showed he'd won stunning upsets in both the primaries and the general election. The Washington Post (1/13/1997) said Hagel's "Senate victory against an incumbent Democratic governor was the major Republican upset in the November election." According to Bev Harris of www.blackboxvoting.org, Hagel won virtually every demographic group, including many largely Black communities that had never before voted Republican. Hagel was the first Republican in 24 years to win a Senate seat in Nebraska.

Six years later Hagel ran again, this time against Democrat Charlie Matulka in 2002, and won in a landslide. As his hagel.senate.gov website says, Hagel "was re-elected to his second term in the United States Senate on November 5, 2002 with 83% of the vote. That represents the biggest political victory in the history of Nebraska."

What Hagel's website fails to disclose is that about 80 percent of those votes were counted by computer-controlled voting machines put in place by the company affiliated with Hagel. Built by that company. Programmed by that company.

<more>

http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0131-01.htm

[BurtWorm]

7. Let's put them to use for the Democratic Party for a change.

;)

[laststeamtrain]

15. Right. But Dems will use them only IF they have to...

:)

[EdwardM]

13. It doesn't make much since to rig a landslide election.

I will look into it though.

[Hippo_Tron]

27. Sorry, I don't find it hard to believe that a Republican won in Nebraska

Hagel won at precisely the time when red states were very frequently starting to vote Republican down the ballot, something they had not always done in the past. Furthermore Hagel's opponent Ben Nelson ran for the US Senate again four years later and was elected. Why didn't Hagel's machines just rig it so that Nebraska would have another Republican senator?

[wtmusic]

8. Hagel is about as anti-choice as they come

Too bad.

[BurtWorm]

9. Maybe they can keep him away from the Senate when pro-choice legislation is up for a vote?

:shrug:

PS: Maybe we can throw them Lieberman for both Hagel and Specter or Snowe, to counter the choice votes. Might as well beef up the majority anyway while we're at it. :patriot:

[BlueManDude]

10. I'll throw in a DINO to be named later.

[The Traveler]

14. Uh, look I have a certain amount of respect for Hagel

And I appreciate his candor about the war and all, but that doesn't mean he stands with us on all important matters.

He is one of those guys you can debate/reason/compromise with, and more of that sort of thing is needed.

[BurtWorm]

16. How much respect do you have for Lieberman by comparison?

I have next to no respect for Lieberman. I respect this much about Hagel: He's against the war, and he kicked Lieberman's ass over it.

[The Traveler]

19. I hear ya

Loud and clear. I never had much enthusiasm for Lieberman. I have no respect for him now.

[Orsino]

35. We might therefore have to make it Lieberman...

...plus three Congressional seats to be named later.

[ConsAreLiars]

18. If you prefer a 100% right-winger to Lieberman you are being gamed by Corporate Media.

He voted as desired by Grover Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform 100% of the time. He is anti-labor, anti-environment, and a typical Con. Don't be played for a fool.

Do some basic research: http://www.vote-smart.org/issue_rating_category.php?can_id=BC031069

[BurtWorm]

22. On the war, yes, I prefer Hagel to Lieberman.

As I say, after the war we can talk about trading them back. ;)

[ConsAreLiars]

24. You might want to look a bit more deeply into who he represents

100% rating by American Security Council http://www.ascusa.org/

See http://www.vote-smart.org/issue_rating_detail.php?sig_id=003752M

Lieberman only managed 60% from the fascists. If you prefer 100%, that's your option.

[BurtWorm]

30. I repeat: On the war, I respect Hagel more than Lieberman .

[Nutmegger]

25. LIEberMe is a lying sack of crap.

There's nothing he can do to redeem himself in my book.

Hagel may be right on the illegal American occupation but he is still a Reupke.

Both are :puke:'s.

[Nite Owl]

26. Hagel called Ben Nelson a

liberal. Don't think we want him! Bad as Lieberman is he's a liberal compared to Hagel. We just need another dem to take the pressure off of his threatening us with losing the chairmanships. Wish there were some prospects but there doesn't seem to be right now.

[Hippo_Tron]

28. Oh please, Hagel is just as much of a warmonger as Lieberman

Hagel doesn't support Bush's surge because he thinks it will get him elected President. You certainly don't see him calling for pulling the troops out completely and he was just as much of a cheerleader when the war was still popular.

I don't want scum like Chuck Hagel or Joe Lieberman in our party.

[Behind the Aegis]

29. Simplistic thinking.

As much as Lieberman is pro-war, I will take him over Hagel. Sometimes, the bigger picture is what needs to be seen. For his support of the Iraq war, Lieberman needs to be shouted down and shown that we are not in favor of this travesty. However, this bullshit I have seen here (the "throw him under the bus" mentality) is nothing but short-sightedness and ignorance, as well as single-issue rhetoric.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

31. Let's trade them both for one Susan Sarandon or Noam Chomsky.

Hell, we could trade them for a sack of shit and be better off.

[wtmusic]

36. I'll give you a Hagel, a Lieberman, and a Zell Miller

for a Feingold...my final offer!

[Norquist Nemesis]

32. If CT voters are serious about their disappointment in Lieberman

perhaps they should seriously look into some sort of recall procedure. :shrug: Tricky though in the specifics of the replacement and whether that would be a special election or appointment by their (R) Governor.

Just throwing the idea out there...

[npincus]

33. re: CT voter's "Buyer's remore": Lieberman was bought by 70% of repubs

Had they stuck w/their candidate, there's be a Senator Lamont.

And the last I've heard, Chimpy still has a majority of GOP support, however diminished.

[Bobbie Jo]

34. Keep him where he is.....

He makes the rest of the pukes look as bad as they really are....