Lieberman is a Republican
POSTED BY: kaneman
UPDATED: Monday, November 20, 2006 07:08
VIEWED: 3311
PAGE 2 of 3
Quote:
Originally posted by cartoon:
What have you determined from following the race that seems to contradict anything I've surmised about him? Please, clarify. Thank you.
That the leadership of both the Republican and Democratic parties threw their constituents under the bus. This race was really eye-opening to me. I've heard all my life, and thought many times, that there isn't any difference between the the two parties. And, at certain levels and on certain topics that is definitely true (The Democratic Senators who supported the bankruptcy give-away to credit card companies legislation - Lieberman included). But I'd never seen such a brazen display of contempt for the actual voters.
The Democratic leadership told Ned Lamont to not continue the attack after the primary, that they would get Lieberman out of the race. Consequently, all the momentum that Lamont had coming out of the primary victory was throttled back down. There was only tepid support from the vast majority of the Senators. Harry Reid could have destroyed Lieberman's election campaign by simply stating that he lost his seniority the second he lost the primary and ran as an independent. It's amazing that the Democratic leadership, who had a choice between someone who would absolutely support the party and Lieberman (who has a history of knifing the party in the face, back, sides, and all sorts of spitting and anklebiting) chose Lieberman.
Which brings us to the Republican party. It does not surprise me at all that the party threw all it's resources and support behind Lieberman (we're talking GOTV and millions of dollars of fundraising support). Lieberman as a Democratic Senator was one of the best things to happen to the Republican party over the past many years. And the full support of the Republican party worked. The reason Lieberman was elected was because he took the vast majority of the Republican vote. The Republican party turned its back on their own candidate and actively campaigned against him. No way around that assessment.
I realize that Lieberman represents the greatest hope for the Republican party and the die hard supporters and faithful who are desperate for good news. So I understand why you all are fawning over him. But be careful what you wish for. One of the main things I've learned about Lieberman, through watching him in this campaign, is that he has a huge ego. Monstrous. Now I realize you could say that about any politician on the national level, but this is beyond the call of duty. He genuinely associates his Senate seat with himself. It was incomprehensible to him that people would vote against him. And so he was at times petulant and irritated and hurt and pissed off. It was personal. It took him a while to understand that his positions were out of step with Connecticut (at which point, he started changing his positions - which is part of the point of a primary challenge... if it sticks, a la Harmon in California). This seemed to come as a shock. It looked to me like he believed this Senate seat was his birthright and how dare any Democrat challenge him.
If all of this is news to you, then you haven't been paying attention.
* edited to add: One very concrete way in which Lieberman helped the Republican party this election was in saving Rep. Shays seat. Lieberman actively campaigned with Republicans and lots of Republican voters turned out for Lieberman. This had to have helped Shays stave off defeat. If Shays goes down, then the Republicans have zero members of the house from New England (this is pending the recount in CT-02 where the Democratic challenger is ahead).
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Thank you for the reply. 
I was already aware of some of it, and not aware of other parts. Nothing in it contradicts my opinion of Lieberman, though, from anything I've said above. Lieberman is a liberal on every issue (as far as I've heard from his own mouth), except on the war.
You pointed out how some persons in both parties assisted him -- I knew that. But, there were also many in his own party which endorsed his opponent and said some very nasty things about him, which "as a human being", he's going to find hard to overlook (according to Lieberman, himself).
I am not (by any means) gushing over him. As I stated above, I disagree with the vast majority of his idiology. My only hope would be that he would accept Republican offers and vote with them as a caucus (something which, just today, he said he would not do).
Thanks again for the detailed response. I appreciate it.
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Quote:
cartoon wrote:
I disagree with the vast majority of his idiology. My only hope would be that he would accept Republican offers and vote with them as a caucus
I'm confused, so help me out here. You say you respect him, yet you would like to see him go against his own beliefs and the beliefs of his constituency in order to get "revenge" on the people who followed the rules of the primary system and ended up electing him anyway (as well as guaranteeing his seniority).
You're a class act, Cartoon. Why try and have leaders that want to help the country when we can just have partisan bickering and treat running things like a game? Get elected and get even, the Cartoon way. I guess you wont be able to argue then if the Dems decide to "get even" for all the Clinton investigations by investigating Bush, right?
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"A revolution without dancing is no revolution at all." - V
Anyone wanting to continue a discussion off board is welcome to email me - check bio for details.
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Quote:
Originally posted by SevenPercent:Quote:
cartoon wrote:
I disagree with the vast majority of his idiology. My only hope would be that he would accept Republican offers and vote with them as a caucus
I'm confused, so help me out here. You say you respect him, yet you would like to see him go against his own beliefs and the beliefs of his constituency in order to get "revenge" on the people who followed the rules of the primary system and ended up electing him anyway (as well as guaranteeing his seniority).
Hi.
No. I thought I clarified myself in a previous post (Nov. 9, 21:00 -- see above). Perhaps you missed it.
I never suggested he should go against his beliefs (I've pasted a portion of my previous post below). As is clear from my original post (or should have been clear), is that I was surmising that Lieberman (as a man of principle) would do what he believes to be the best for his constituents.
When I said "My only hope would be that he would accept Republican offers and vote with them as a caucus...", it should've also been obvious (given my previous post), that I was hoping that the second alternative (below) would be what he chose to be in the best interest of his constituents.
And finding the second option to be in the best interest of his constituents would not be so far-fetched, particularly given that more Republicans voted for him on Tuesday than Democrats (Soupcatcher stated as much in his previous post, as well).
However, Lieberman has already said today that he would continue to caucus with the Democrats. Apparently, he believes the first option to be in the best interest of his constituents.
From my Nov. 9, 21:00 post...
I disagree with Lieberman on most of his positions, but I respect him because he follows his idiology, and not his party or the direction of the wind.
He has to decide where he thinks he could be of more use. As he's in a position to call the shots, either way, he has a lot of latitude, and can pretty much name his price.
If he feels he will help his constituents more by staying with the Democrats (with whom he is more idiologically alligned), he will likely do that. If he feels he can do more for his constituents through various positions of power (likely offered by the Republicans), he will likely choose that.
I shouldn't have to explain previous posts a second time, as they are in plain English. I can only assume that some posters must respond off-the-cuff, without reading whole posts -- otherwise, it would've been clear that I never even hinted at anything close to what is suggested above -- as the paragraphs I've quoted from yesterday's post clearly illustrates.
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Lieberman in a democrat. I'm glad he's not on my side. He's the senator from zion. He supports israel, and that's why he supports the war, he thinks it's good for israel. But he's really a democrat. He's also got a gay marriage to bush.
But seriously, he's a democrat, and he'll side with the democrats.
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Bah, the man's a political whore.
Follow the money, folks - and view his actions and voting record accordingly while matching the money with the voting records and rhetoric.
He's for sale, it's that simple, only more blatantly than the rest of em are.
-Frem
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I'm 1/4 Jewish , so I can say this without being anti-Semetic- Lieberman is a Jew first, and a Democrat second. He believes that the war in Iraq is a good thing for Israel, and good for his Jewish constituency. Not sure I agree with his conclusion, because it looks like it's bad for America, but I understand him and I'm OK with his position. He ain't MY Senator...
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Why do people who hate the war come to this site? I don't get it? I guess its ok to fight and kill in make believe but when its worth fighting for can't do it. If its worth haven its worth fighting for whether its your freedom or your lady. Personally I am tired of democracy and little pansies of the USA, get rid of it, lets go Pax Romano baby, I am sure GB, Japan, and Germany would join just leave Canada and France out.
Pain is scary
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Multiplying the sock puppets doesn't fool anyone.
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