Great Read on Lieberman at Firedog Lake

[TheCoxwain]

Full article
http://news.firedoglake.com/2009/12/14/liebermans-folly-reconciliation-seen-as-only-way-to-pass-a-health-care-bill/

(This nails Lieberman's vindictive attitude)

.....Joe Lieberman does not have a problem with the public option or Medicare buy-in or the CLASS Act or whatever other provision he says is a deal-breaker so much as he has a problem with liberals. Any victory for them is a defeat for him. And since they wouldn’t elect him President, and since they mobilized to try and take his Senate seat, he will spend the rest of his days denying them a victory. That’s the psychodrama behind these health care talks, with a little protection of the lucrative Connecticut insurance industry thrown in for good measure.....

[beachmom]

1. And yet Jane Hamsher and nyceve have foolishly decided to go after

Joe Lieberman's wife. They really don't get that they can't hurt Joe Lieberman. Everything they try now will only backfire in their face.

I say Harry Reid takes a look at reconciliation or some other option, and takes Lieberman out of the picture.

[Beetwasher]

2. Yup. At This Point It's Clear Joe Is Firmly On A Personal Mission

And I really don't see how you can blame Reid or Dems for this. It's just the weakness of the institution that one mutherfucker (or a handful) can do this and hold up progress.

Unless you're willing to go full Cheney on Lieberman.

Reconciliation.

[Skidmore]

10. Lieberman is getting even with Democratic voters who put up and voted for Lamont.

He's getting even. Plain and simple. Evil, vindictive, self-serving bastard, isn't he?

[Beetwasher]

12. Yup, And Really, There's Not Much Anyone Can Do About It

And all the people blaming Obama and Reid are out of line. Lieberman is just not dealing in good faith. At all. He's actively and malignantly undermining the Dems.


Unfortunately because of the way the Senate is structured, he's got the cards and unless someone is willing to go all Cheney on him, there's not much anyone can do except try to go around him somehow.

There's no leverage other than "extreme measures" when you're dealing w/ someone who's motive is a vindictive personal vendetta.

[KakistocracyHater]

17. if it's "extreme" to have a robust public option-so be it

all by himself......where are the good people? why is it that one will do so much harm & many do nothing to stop it?

[Beetwasher]

19. Uh what?

:shrug:

[KakistocracyHater]

21. Lieberman.....all by himself....doing this.........what about it?

Where are the good people standing together, determined & headstrong, never letting up until 'Medicare for all' or robust public option is fact in America.
:smoke: too hard for you?

[TheCoxwain]

4. and get a really STRONG public option ,,that is open to all and effective immediately ..

its our turn to piss them off.

[roguevalley]

20. I don't consider it foolish. They should always feel uncomfortable and

unwanted wherever they go. That is the least that can happen to them. I know a mack truck and a cross walk will never happen.

[mmonk]

22. My cousin was one of those that helped run the Lamont campaign

defeat him in the DEMOCRATIC Party primary. The fault lies with Connecticut voters in reelecting him as an independent and defeating the Democratic candidate.

[tularetom]

3. They didn't let him play so he's taking his ball and going home

Yep, it's nothing but a childish temper tantrum on the part of Senator Droopy Dog.

I think his little hissy fit is responsible for 90% of his attitude, whoring for the insurance companies only 10%.

He must've got a lot of wedgies in high school.

[TwilightGardener]

5. That's interesting--what does "budget reconciliation" mean, in this context?

Does that mean the health care bill will be able to pass with 51 votes instead of 60?

[TheCoxwain]

6. What it means is .. the bill that will come out of reconciliation would be to the left of what

Lieberman says is unacceptable now.

[Vinnie From Indy]

8. Yes you can blame the Dems

It has been reported that regardless of what comes out as the final bill, it will be Lieberman's committee that oversees the implementation and workings of the final legislation. In short, Joe will still get to piss all over America as chairman of the committee. That, you can squarely blame on Democrats.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

7. I wonder would have happened if Gore/Lieberman had won in 2000?

how different were his healthcare policies then

[Demoiselle]

9. If the Gore/Lieberman victory of 2000 had been allowed...(It did happen, after all)l

Toad Face might be president now. Given his now clearly demonstrated capacity for vicious small-minded ego trips and vengeance, I must say that scenario leaves me
...troubled. (I know, I know, Gore would have been a brazillion times better than the Bush Cheney Rumsfeld cabal. Still...)

[Rosa Luxemburg]

11. do you think Lieberman would have support health care reform

[Demoiselle]

14. I really don't know. I can't take the theory all that far because I loathe him so much.

But this sob was FOR the public option before he was against it, even FOR the medicare buy-in for 55 and up before he was against it (and that was very recently.)
And the conventional wisdom is that he is acting out of resentment and vengeance? Good grief. I don't like to think about how he would have responded to criticism as president. And of course, it's guaranteed that all presidents are attacked one way or another.
Yccccch. I am really muddled with anger against this guy.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

16. not that many knew that he was for it but now he's against it

[FarCenter]

13. He's bargaining to get the adminstration to bomb Iran

It's not about health care at all.

[closeupready]

15. Yes. An ironclad promise to do that would change his mind.

n/t

[Blackhatjack]

18. Have a little talk with Joe that goes something like this...

Joe, you have taken all the benefits of being associated with the Democratic Caucus and in turn obstructed the goals and actions of the Democratic Caucus, constantly changing the goal line, thinking you are untouchable. Well, you are not.

Either commit to support the HCR bill in its present form, or there are going to be consequences.

For example, you will be ejected from the Democratic Caucus. This means you not only lose your seniority and committee chairmanships, but also all committee assignments except for one assignment to the most obscure committee as the member with the lowest status. All your office funding will be reviewed, and all complaints against you will be reviewed.

And when it comes to running for reelection, we will not skimp on finding and funding the best candidate possible to run against you --and this time there won't be any Senate Democrats stumping for you, raising money for you, and telliing people to vote for you instead of the Democratic candidate.

The Democratic Caucus worked hard to establish a HCR bill that is not just another giveaway to insurance companies, and we won't go down without making life a heck of a lot more difficult for those who pretended to be Democrats but in reality worked hand in glove with obstructionist Republicans to gut the HCR bill.

It's you choice Joe, but you better decide and quick.