What the HELL happened to Lieberman?

[TechBear_Seattle]

For many years, he had fairly solid liberal credentials in the Senate. Then came the 2006 election when he was ousted in the primary by Ned Lamont, largely on the basis of Lamont's anti-war positions. Within hours of the primary results being published, Lieberman announced he was running as an independent. As an independent, he won the election and remained in the Senate.

Since then, he has turned more and more to the right and the Republican Party. Now I read this crap about Lieberman advising a group that intends to conduct a smear campaign against Obama once he becomes the Democratic nominee.

What happened to Lieberman? What changed?

(Yes, the possibility layed out in choice 4, about a stroke, can and does happen for real.)

(Edited for clarity.)

[Catherina]

1. We were focusing on the wrong things

He threw us a few social breadcrumbs and we fell for it.

[Leopolds Ghost]

32. He was always a Zell Miller type. Don't forget he tried to undermine the Fla recount

He even gave a press conference to say he thought Al Gore was asking for too much.

This was at a time when Bush was strategically offering a full recount ONLY if ALL counties were recounted.

A scenario under which Gore (despite LIES in the news media headlines when they did the full recount)
would've won, as PROVEN by the verified news media recount (does the movie mention that? I bet not.)

This set Gore up for an equal protection violation when he elected only to recount blue areas

(when in fact the undercounted suppressed black vote was all in red areas.)

Lieberman did not even go as far as Bush.

[Tesha]

33. When he was first elected, he *RAN TO THE RIGHT* of Lowell Weiker, the Republican.

He's always been an asshole.

He's just made the calculation that he now has enough
"incumbency" in Connecticut that he can be completely
open about it, Even to the point of torpedo'ing our
2000 Presidential campaign and its aftermath.

Tesha

[opiate69]

2. Having met him, and remembering when he was AG for Conn.,

I say he was always a right-leaning prick.

[JerseygirlCT]

16. I've never liked him

Always a sanctimonious jerk looking for any opportunity to put himself forward.

[BlooInBloo]

3. Fortunate son.

[DJ13]

4. I voted neocon only because Likud wasnt an option

[DesertFlower]

13. i'm not a lieberman fan,

but i think it's unfair to bring israel into it. he was born here and i believe his parents were too.

[AllentownJake]

5. If it wasn't for the Lamont thing

He wouldn't be standing next to McCain. This is his FU to the party for endorsing the democratic candidate after he lost the party nomination.

Too bad CT didn't have a sore loser law.

[musicblind]

27. I personally do not think that "sore loser" laws are a good thing

http://plaintalker.blogspot.com/2005/09/judge-sore-loser-law-unconstitutional.html


I also don't hate good ole Joe because ran against the person who beat him for the democratic nomination for the Senate and won. I think some people had this whole "omgsh the audacity" reaction and I think his bid as an independent was justified when he won. I feel that the people spoke in the end and said... despite everything... they still wanted him in that seat. Had he not run as an indie then they wouldn't have gotten the option they most desired in the end.

I do however, think he is making very poor decisions recently. Especially this crap about Iraq. I am very disappointed and amazed by some of the things he has been saying. I kicked this thread good'n'hard though, because honestly, wtf? Who took over this guys body? :shrug:

[DeeDeeNY]

30. He was voted in mostly by Republicans

Along with some clueless Democrats who now very much regret their vote.

[musicblind]

36. That's probably true, but it's still what the people wanted

so I don't blame him for running. Everyone has that right. I just blame him for his incorrect stance on the war in iraq. I actually used to really think he was interesting. Very very early on (before I went with Dean and Edwards) I considered him in the 2004 primary. Glad he did not win if these were his feelings regarding the war and other issues.

[NJSecularist]

6. He still votes with the liberals on social issues.

But he has made a disturbing turn to the right with the war.

[JerseygirlCT]

18. Not so much there, either

That last campaign he supported the state's Catholic hospitals when they wanted to refuse morning-after contraception to rape victims. Some holy Joe statement about protecting freedom of religion. Which would be dandy, so long as they didn't take gov't money... small detail there, Joey.

[lurky]

7. #1, #3, and Other.

#1: He was always a something of a neocon, but had to play it down for party politics.

#3: He is definitely pissed about the Lamont thing, and is acting out a bit.

Other: As the swing vote, he has his hand on the jugular of the Dem caucus. He is relishing the power and enjoying the fact that they have to kiss his ass, no matter what he does.

[Cassandra]

11. As a long time member of the Committee on the...

Present Danger, take a look at his buddies:
http://www.committeeonthepresentdanger.org/OurMembers/tabid/364/Default.aspx

I wonder which of them schemed to get Lieberman on Gore's ticket. It was like having an enabler of the right running for Dem VP.

[lurky]

12. He was working pretty hard to undermine Gore during FL.

I remember being so pissed when he publicly conceded (over the heads of the Gore campaign) a whole bunch of ballots that had actually been faxed in a week after the election day. :mad:

[ObamaKerryDem]

26. You know, I used to think it happened after he lost the primary..

in '06, but after seeing 'Recount', which covered what you just pointed out, I think he may well have been a Trojan Horse for the other side all along. :/ Love Gore, but Lieberman was a TERRIBLE choice for VP, at least in hindsight..

Lieberman sucks! :grr:

[MikeNearMcChord]

8. He is a dirtbag who should be stripped and outfitted

with a uniform and rifle and thrown into Iraq since he likes war so much.
I was just over at Daily Kos where they run a continuing series called IGTNT
(I Got The News Today) that honors soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who died in either Iraq and Afghanistan. This dirtbag ought go read it sometime, I wonder what is his sacrifice, for this war? God did I tell how much I hate this guy?!!?:mad: :grr: :nuke:

[Cha]

15. You speak for a lot of us...

Thanks.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

9. How about the smear that his site had been hacked before the primary by LaMont supporters?

http://mediamatters.org/items/200804290009

I'm angry that the FBI report exonerating LaMont and his campaign was not released/reported before the actual election.

More false victimization as an election strategy.

[FlyingSquirrel]

10. I've always thought he looked like Senator Palpatine.

:shrug:

[DesertFlower]

14. i voted "other" because i don't know

WTF happened to him.

[Elidor]

17. With Zell Miller, it was easy to imagine a brain tumor

Such was his anger toward the party. But Joe has no physical illness: he's just a shameless whore.

[Swamp Rat]

19. DLC-PNAC Trojan Horse from the very beginning.

[L0oniX]

20. He is a rat !

[Ysabel]

40. great pic...!!!

:D

[rebel with a cause]

21. Haven't read all the post but......

He is going for VP or other position under McCain. I don't know if it is true, but heard this is perhaps in the works.

[Born_A_Truman]

22. I watched "Recount" tonight

And, according to the movie (with actual clips of him speaking) he sided against Gore's people about the mail-in ballots, even after it was explained to him that they weren't trying to void the votes from the military. Gore's team was saying to allow their votes (military) without postmarks if they were signed, dated and witnessed--even without a postmark. Yet, he came on and said all of the military mail in ballots should be counted.

[Beregond2]

23. I don't think he gives a fuck

about anything but Israel. The irony is, the policies he supports are making Israel much less secure.

[GoesTo11]

24. Was always self-righteous and sanctimonious

From there, it was just a small step to become a Republican.

[cliffordu]

25. He got fucked by Satan.

[musicblind]

28. Kick

[KSinTX]

29. You're watching the REAL Bittergate in action

He felt betrayed by his party, not the other way around and is being vindictive and bitter. It tells me that he's been "playing politics" for personal gain and is now free to show his true colors. That is really quite a shame. OTOH, could you imagine what would have happened if he'd gotten either the VP or Prez slot?

[Eurobabe]

31. I don't know but that scene in Recount when he

opened his yap about the time stamp on the military ballots, etc. the true NEO-CON colors came out. I think he was a spoiler for Gore.

[closeupready]

34. Other - he's running scared because if Dems win in November, he stands to lose just about everything

n/t

[LeftishBrit]

35. He's always been a hawk, hasn't he?

He was elected in 1988 with the support of William Buckley's 'National Review', running to the right of his Republican opponent!

I should think that the RW Republicans have just become more aware of how they can use him.

[VolcanoJen]

37. "Recount" showed that Lieberman was a rat-fucker from the get-go.

}(

[paulk]

38. I think Lieberman's turn to the right is simply because

more Republicans voted for him than Democrats in his last Senate race. He's supporting the constituency that put him in office.

He knows that the Dems are going to pick up enough seats this November to make him irrelevent. He's going to lose his committee chairs, he's going to lose power in the Democratic Party. He's hoping for a seat in McCain's cabinet - that's all that's left to him.

I suspect that if he runs again for the Senate, it will be as a member of the Republican Party.
'

[harun]

39. I think you are right on all counts (n/t)