Even thought it would cost us the Senate, Joe Lieberman should be

[maxrandb]

kicked out of the Democratic Party the next time he appears on air with his "good friend" Sean Hannity. Especially now that we know that Freepers, Rush fans and Hannity fans are TERRORIST!

Hey Joe, next time your "schmoozing" with your "good friend" Hannity, ask him about his wing-nut friends sending death threats to Democrats.

Hey Joe, next time your "schmoozing" with your "good friend" Hannity, ask him to come tell me (a 23 year Navy veteran) to my face that I hate America and am on the side of the terrorist.

Hey Joe, next time your "schmoozing" with your "good friend" Hannity, why don't you do what a real Democrat would do if he had that chance...PUNCH THAT LOUDMOUTHED HATE-MONGER RIGHT IN THE TEETH!

[ddbaj]

1. I disagree.

We can do a lot more good by having 10-8 majorities in all Senate committes. It sucks that the Senate is so close, but Majority Leader Reid sounds a helluva a lot better than Majority Leader McConnell.

[maxrandb]

5. I know

I was just venting. But, why any self-respecting Democrat would appear on F&#ks News, or the Hannity hate-fest, is beyond my ability to comprehend.

[tblue]

Yeah, we need him right now. Crossing my fingers he stays.

We can boot him out later, but we have to be practical. When you're in the majority you get something like twice the number of Congressional aides, plus all the other perks. Not something to toy around with.

[progdonkey]

8. yeah, holding on to the Senate is the most important thing...

While it would be great if we had that one extra Dem senator so we could very easily kick that egotistical little putz to the curb, we don't, so that's what we have to live with. If that means letting him maintain his position on the various committees he's on, then so be it (especially since the Republicans would probably be willing to allow him to maintain those same positions if he switched: anything to get control of the Senate back).

[BOSSHOG]

2. And Joe when MAXRANDB is done with sean

send him my way. I'm a veteran and would like to "debate" with sean about what it takes to be a patriot.

[n2doc]

3. No. We gotta suck it up.

First, Committee chairs are GOLD. WE set the agenda. WE decide which bills to bring up. WE decide if judges and other appointees will be brought up for a vote. So no, much as I loathe Joe Liebertrout, I just can't advocate tossing him. Besides, tossing him will just give him even more of a soapbox to shout from.

[cali]

4. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. And then some.

Fuck no, he shouldn't be kicked out. Do you give a shit about things like healthcare, minimum wage, stopping the war mongers, the goddamn SC, or are you so consumed by hate that its eaten away at your brain?

[maxrandb]

10. Maybe

I was just venting, but there are so many other "real" news shows that Joe could appear on. Why pick a show where the host calls your party traitor for three hours a day, 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year?

And yes, I am consumed by my hatred of evil, and there is nothing more evil than right-wing hate radio. Look at what Limpballs, Hannity, and the thousands of other local cookie-cutter wing-nut hate radio talker have done to the political discourse in this country. They've made it next to impossible to be "civil" anymore. And YES! I despise that!

[cali]

14. Hate is evil

How do you get around that?

[Igel]

17. I take a rather different view.

Since the '80s various subgroups in American politics have stopped talking. It's to the point that not only do they not share assumptions, they don't share facts. That's even a workable situation; but the ill-will's to the point that many on each side assume that if the "enemy" states something, it must be wrong.

Moreover, some on both sides want to avoid good things, or vaguely prefer bad things, as long as the other side looks bad.

It's a situation that's destructive, corrosive, and ultimately will do more harm to this country than * could given 8 years of a repub majority.

Having repubs and dems appear on their enemies media outlets--and be treated half-way decently--is probably a good thing in the long run. In the short run, however, remember that one doesn't always have to appeal only to one's base; in fact, to increase one's base it's precisely to those *not* currently in your base you need to appeal to.

[maxrandb]

30. I disagree

When prominent Democrats appear on shows like Hannity and Colmes, Faux News, and especially Hannity's Radio Show, they give legitimacy to the illegitimate.

I personally feel that the rise of hate radio has done more to alienate people and FUBAR this country than anything else I can imagine. What's Joe's point for appearing? He surely can't think he's going to sway any Hannity listeners.

The other thing I find particularly disgusting is that the folks that appear on Hannity's Radio Show must never listen to the other 2 hours and 50 minutes. That prick Hannity accuses Democrats and liberals of being on the side of the terrorist, calls us traitors, and smears honorable and decent men and women for 2 hours and 50 minutes, but then there's Old Joe willing to come on and play "kissie-face" with him. We might as well make Zell Miller our fucking spokesman.

Maybe we ought to be reaching out to Snowe, Collins, Spectre, or Hagel. Let Joe turn "R". I'd take one of those 4, who would actually want to be with the Dems, before I would take a Senator who has been "hannitized".

I'm all for having a "big tent", but I draw the line at someone who kisses up to radio hosts, whose listeners are driven by so much hatred that they send white powder letters to Democratic politicians, or blow up federal buildings.

Makes me wonder what Joe's Freeper screen name is.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

6. This is just mind-numbingly wrong.

Do you know anything about politics? Anything at all?

[movonne]

11. What makes any of you think he will vote with the dems??he

was backed by the repug party and maybe the DLC...he is blackmailing the dem party to get just what he wants...he is no friend..

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

28. What makes you think that's the issue?

The issue isn't how Joe will vote. It's who controls the Senate. Joe leaves, we lose all our shiny new chairmanships. We lose the ability to control the agenda.

[Pirate Smile]

7. Nope. Control is too important. Try just ignoring him. Don't focus on it.

[maxrandb]

12. So it's all about power now?

[Pirate Smile]

18. Are you just venting or are you serious? Lieberman drives me nuts too.

I'm just trying to not focus on him or listen to him.

It actually is very important that we have control of the Senate, Chair the Committees (and their investigations), determine the agenda, etc.

I'm not willing to just throw that away because Lieberman pisses me off.

[Kelly Rupert]

9. No. This is a bad idea.

Except for the war and the sickening public displays of "bipartisanship," Joe Lieberman is a solid Democrat. And even if he were Newt Gingrich, as long as he caucuses with the good guys, I'd rather have him with a D than an R.

[Larkspur]

13. Lieberman is not longer a Democrat. He's a CT for Lieberman member

and founder.

[Kelly Rupert]

16. That's beside the point.

He caucuses with us, and except for the war, votes with us. He schmoozes with Republicans, he talks like an Independent, and he votes like a Democrat.

In any meaningful sense of the word, he's a Democrat.
http://ontheissues.org/Joseph_Lieberman.htm

[BlooInBloo]

34. LOL! The truth is "beside the point". Absolute genius....

And I thought the OLD crop of DUers was bad...

[Larkspur]

36. Is Bernie Sanders a Democrat or an Independent?

He caucuses with Democrats but calls himself Independent.

[Lurking Dem]

15. The politics of necessity.

I wish people would stop looking at this as a bad thing.

There was, in all actuality, very little hope of us regaining the Senate. It wasn't really THAT huge a deal because for the next two years of lame duckedness the House was going to set the agenda. And we had every reasonable expectation of winning the House.

The fact of the matter is, we are getting the last laugh from those right wingers who voted for Joe. His ONLY right wing issue was the war in Iraq. His agreeing to caucus with the Dems gives us more then we could have hoped for.

At some point, one needs to recognize the politics of necessity. None of you are going to get everything you want/desire from a Dem majority Congress. ALL of us are going to get some of what we want.

It doesn't matter whether you like Joe or think he's the frickin' anti-Christ. He is who the voters (and, yes, Independents and Republicans DO actually have a right to pick who they want too) chose. One can argue 'til the cows come home whether Joe running as an Independent was right or wrong. The fact is he did. And he won. And he is who we have to deal with.

[davidwparker]

19. I agree. And, it won't cost the senate. It will be a tie with co-leaders

of the committees. Yes, Darth can break the tie.

However, the Dems control the House outright. That's the crown jewel.

Let Joe make noise and threaten. Then, should he go Repug -- he already is -- if the co-owned Senate gets out of control, put impeachment back on the table. You can control the repugs and Joe and the break the tie Darth with that.

I WOULD NOT LET JOEMENTUM GET AWAY WITH THIS. Take away his seniority; take away choice chairmanships. Jesus had Judas; we've got Joe.

[Kelly Rupert]

20. No, he is not a Republican.

Look at his record.
http://ontheissues.org/Joseph_Lieberman.htm

[davidwparker]

21. I'll look at his actions, thank-you. I listen to him threaten the Dem

total control of the Senate by throwing out that he'll switch. He's a moderate Republican.

[Kelly Rupert]

22. The only actions that matter are his votes.

He's maximizing his personal power, which makes sense for him. There's no reason for him to switch; he'd lose seniority and have to caucus with the Republicans, who he disagrees with over 70% of the time. But there's no reason for him to play nice with the Democrats; no reason to show party loyalty to the guys who tried to take away your seat.

He's a self-serving jackass, yes.

But when you count the only actions that matter--his votes--he's a Democrat through and through.

[B Calm]

23. Time to play hardball! Threaten Joe with a subpoena!

[elocs]

24. It's not good to bite off your nose to spite your face.

Being politically naive is not a good idea either. Reality is a harsh mistress. We need to deal with it.

[Lurking Dem]

25. Some people

would apparently rather stamp their feet and bitch. Righteous indignation can be addictive.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

29. This is more like...

...burning down your own house to lower your neighbor's property value.

[WilliamPitt]

26. *groan*

[catmandu57]

27. We should be courting Snowe and Collins

Instead of worrying about this douche, there are other ways. If some of these moderate republicans smell the sea change they might want to jump on the band wagon.
You catch more flus with honey than vinegar.

[steve2470]

31. um wrong

Ends justify the means in this case, sorry.

[kentuck]

32. Ignore him...

Don't give him the attention.

[BlooInBloo]

33. Fucking batshit jackass CT voters.....

In my weak moments, I agree with you.

[Freddie Stubbs]

35. It's a good thing that people who think like you are not in charge

With that type of attitude we would never get a majority in either house. Thank God the grown-ups are in charge.

[maxrandb]

37. Where do you draw the line?

Should Joe appear on the radio with Rush Limbaugh?

Should Joe try to "understand and relate" to the Freeper White Powder mailer, who you know damn well has Limbaugh and Hannity's call-in numbers on speed dial?

Should Joe show up at the hate radio talk-fest on the White House lawn so he can schmooze with Savage, Boortz, Inghraham, et al?

Should we still call Zell Miller a Democrat?

Should we have pleaded with Strom Thurmond, Jesse Helms, George Wallace and the other segregationist Dems of the Civil Rights era to "stay in the party", because "hey, at least we get to name chairmen and hold hearings".

I think a lot of folks here are missing my point. I don't mind that Joe supports the war, or has a different opinion on troop withdrawal, etc. My problem with Joe is he is an enabler of hate-radio. Joe goes on the Hannity show, calls Sean a "great American", and performs fellatio on national radio. I've never once heard Joe slam Hannity for his smears on John Kerry, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Jack Murtha, Ted Kennedy, Jim Webb, Dick Durbin, or any of the thousands of other Democrats that Hannity drags through the mud on a daily basis.

[Freddie Stubbs]

39. I am more concerned with substance over style

Actions rather than words.

Is the Senator still caucusing with the party, which gives the party control of committee assignments?

Is the Senator voting with the party more than with the other party?

If you can answer both of those questions yes, there isn't much reason to boot him out of the caucus?

[grizmaster]

38. They shouldn't kick out the scum

but the dem Senators shouldn't sell out dem principles to appease him either.