Matt Yglesias

34 Responses to “Don’t Count on Joe”

1. El Cid Says:
   November 4th, 2008 at 5:20 pm

   Lieberman would be like having a then-Democrat like Phil Gramm on your budget committee before he was thrown off for spying for the Reaganites. If the Democratic establishment cannot see him for the untrustworthy, backstabbing weasel he is, I can’t help ‘em.

2. mpowell Says:
   November 4th, 2008 at 5:22 pm

   Lieberman has a pretty liberal voting record on non foreign policy related matters. He should lose his committee privileges but remain in the caucus. I’m pretty sure that he’d take that deal at this point b/c if he goes full republican, he’s not keeping his seat in 2012.

3. america mubarack Says:
   November 4th, 2008 at 5:23 pm

   mpowell: We shouldn’t give Lieberman any such deal precisely because we don’t want him to keep his seat in 2012.

4. elle loco Says:
   November 4th, 2008 at 5:26 pm

   What a complete wuss and gasbag…but he’s still pro-choice, ain’t he?

5. John McCain: Worse than Bush Says:
   November 4th, 2008 at 5:33 pm

   Fuck that asswipe.

6. eric k Says:
   November 4th, 2008 at 5:35 pm

   mpowell,

   I used to think that way too, but that was before Joe kept standing behind McCain smiling and clapping while McCain called mainstream Democratic tax policy socialism.

7. danceswithgoats Says:
   November 4th, 2008 at 5:50 pm

   Here’s a thought; perhaps Joe wants to be able to vote for what he thinks is right and not be beholden to party politics. What a concept!

8. mpowell Says:
   November 4th, 2008 at 5:55 pm

   I don’t think the balance of political goals is such that it’s a good idea to drive Lieberman over to the Republicans right now. That’s a losing cause right now, and you could extract quite a few concessions out of him in exchange for being able to keep the D next to his name. And losing committee privileges would do a decent job of making an example out of him.

9. Pooh Says:
   November 4th, 2008 at 5:57 pm

   DWG,

   That’s fine, so far as it goes. But that doesn’t mean he gets to crap all over the party he ostensibly caucuses with any time the FNC cameras are on.

10. Joe Strummer Says:
    November 4th, 2008 at 6:01 pm

    Exit Polls from a reliable source:

    Obama/McCain

    FL 51-47

    OH 53-45

    VA 54-45

    PA 57-42

    NC 52-47

    CO 52 45

    AZ 47-51

    IN 52-47

    GA 48-50

    National 54-44

11. Jinchi Says:
    November 4th, 2008 at 6:05 pm

    Dems need to stop obsessing about a filibuster-proof majority and start thinking about how to wield the powers of Congress such that moderate Republicans (and Lieberman) will balk at obstructing legislation for it’s own sake.

    Personally I’d rather the Dems got 58 votes (including Sanders) rather than the 59 that would tempt them to come hat in hand to the Connecticut Independent.

    Lieberman needs to be sidelined.

12. Tom Says:
    November 4th, 2008 at 6:11 pm

    not only do the democrats not want to loose lieberman, but now they are also claiming jesus on their side. this band everclear made a statement with this video and song that once again proves how desperate they really are to claim jesus as their own. check out this video. funny.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GygsckRj5ao

13. brooklynmatt Says:
    November 4th, 2008 at 6:12 pm

    We need to kick his sorry ass to the curb. Its the right thing to do, plain and simple, and he is no longer a partner in the new Democratic movement that is being born today. And he really, REALLY crossed the line in this election. He could have supported McCain while still being a gentleman politician about it, but he stooped to every low and threw every hunk of manure that McCain/Palin asked him to.

14. Jim Says:
    November 4th, 2008 at 6:22 pm

    Lieberman is the opposite of Obi Wan, if they strike him down, he becomes less powerful than they, or he, can imagine. His only influence comes from being mis-identified as a Dem by Fox and CNN as he concern-trolls merrily along.

    Boot. His. Ass. Out.

15. jg Says:
    November 4th, 2008 at 6:38 pm

    in many ways America will not survive?

    Liberal media my ass.

    I thought filibustering was a bad thing? Ony when dems do it?

16. Chris Says:
    November 4th, 2008 at 7:20 pm

    It’s a bald-faced fucking lie that Democrats need to “have” sixty seats in the Senate, to assure sixty “votes” for anything on their agenda.

    Plus, it’s a moving target. Remember 2003? “We can’t do that, we don’t have the votes.” Remember 2007? “We have to send the president a bill he can sign.” Even a few days ago, John Kerry was saying that Democrats were going to get 85 votes for their stuff.

    Hell, no, they won’t; for all their flaws, Senate Republicans are not suicidally stupid when it comes to appreciating political power, in the same way too many Democrats are.

    What Democrats *need* to have in the Senate is a combination of *actual* Democratic votes for things *PLUS* a number of Republicans who are *scared* to vote *against* things, which reach at least sixty.

    *THEN*, you can start to get shit done. (Yes, this plan has two key flaws: 1) it requires Dems to threaten Republicans in elections, and 2) it requires Dems to stand up to their own capitulation caucus; neither is assured under any scenario, but it’d be nice to spend some time fighting from positions other than our knees.)

    Otherwise, you have to go around and beg the Liebermans, the Nelsons, the Feinsteins, the Landrieus, and the Baucuses not to sabotage your agenda because they like sucking up money from corporate interests.

17. joejoejoe Says:
    November 4th, 2008 at 8:34 pm

    The guy poisons the Democratic brand. I don’t care if he’s allowed to caucus with the Dems or not but he absolutely cannot be out saying he’s an ‘Independent Democrat’.

    Harry Reid only needs to do two things. Never let Lieberman have a gavel and extract a promise from Lieberman that he NEVER call himself any form of ‘Democrat’ again. If Lieberman can’t follow that simple rule then there is no choice but to boot his ass.

    You can’t lose the Democratic primary, lose Democratic voters, and then go on Fox News and Glenn Beck and cloud the Democratic identity with your horseshit. You just can’t.

    If Lieberman continues it’s on Harry Reid, not Lieberman. Brats behave the way they do because of their parents.

18. RogerOThornhill Says:
    November 5th, 2008 at 2:20 am

    This is actually good news.
    Now there’s NO excuse to keep “Mr Joe-mentum” as a member of the Democratic caucus.

    He may have had some non-wing-nut credentials a loooong time ago, but much as today’s John McCain isn’t the John McCain some Dems knew and respected….Joe just ain’t the man he used to be.
    In life you can lead, follow or get out of the way. Joe has given us fair warning that all he wants to do is get in the way.
    He has declined to be part of the solution — thus he is part of the problem.

    It’s time for the Democratic party to say goodbye to Joe. If he becomes a Republican — So What??? — at least everybody will know where Joe stands; he is a disloyal, backstabber and can’t be trusted.
    Time for him to be with his own kind…there are good, decent, honest young people coming up in the Democratic Party that are eager to move Joe to the dustbin of history.

19. TH Says:
    November 5th, 2008 at 1:09 pm

    Fuck Lieberman. There are Republicans who are more reasonable than him, so why do they need him in the caucus?

    Obama should just take him off the approved list of White House visitors for good measure.

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