Could someone please explain to me why Leiberman is felt to be a Democrat?

[baby_mouse]

Is it because he runs as one? Has it anything to do with anything he says or votes for or his ideology or any of his actions or beliefs or is it because has a big "democrat" sticker stuck to his forehead?

cos, if it's just the big sticker, why haven't some more enterprising dems started running as pukes with big "puke" stickers on their foreheads so as to infiltrate the party of madness and dilute their amazing nastiness?

[marmar]

1. He still takes reasonable positions on a lot of social issues...

But he's so hawkish on the war - witness his recent blathering about Iran - that he's become a neocon.

[baby_mouse]

4. He's so ANNOYING!

Why can't he just bugger off and form his own party like the other loonies?

[Dogmudgeon]

2. He's actually fairly liberal

It's just that the issues he's big on -- Defense, Israel, the War, Israel, Homeland Security, Israel, and Israel -- he consistently takes the right-wing side on.

The ADA (Americans for Democratic Action) generally give him marks in the 80s, which ain't bad. But the bad stuff he does is very bad, indeed.

--p!

[baby_mouse]

3. Well, he should stop it. He divides the ranks. nt.

[Tesha]

8. You forgot: Support for Bush. His hardest-right issue.

That issue alone should be a deal-breaker between Joe and
the Democrats.

Tesha

[Dogmudgeon]

16. Oops. My mistake.

But I've never been a Joementum fan. His lecture to Clinton about sexual propriety was as smarmy as it is possible to be in public without being feted by the local Legion of Decency.

But on most issues -- the ones that get much less coverage -- Lieberman has been "one of us". (He said, cringing as he wrote the words he loathed.)

It's kind of like when a large, dirty, noisy rat decides to "adopt" a family and moves in under the porch. And then dies.

--p!

[baby_mouse]

22. WHAT? THIS I did not know.

DISGUSTING!

WORMTONGUE!!! I call GRIMA on this SOB.

[Name removed]

30. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[acmejack]

5. I give up, why?

[baby_mouse]

19. It's because he's a GIANT POO-HOLE.

I figgered it.

[Ecumenist]

6. CRACK??

[Hekate]

7. Because the Dems are the "big tent" party? eom

[baby_mouse]

21. Exactly how bit is this tent supposed to be? Is George allowed in?

Cos, it's looking like.

[endarkenment]

36. Only their party is allowed to have any discipline. eom.

[Crunchy Frog]

9. I don't feel him to be.

If he won't commit to supporting the Democratic Senate nominee for Connecticut, he can't really be considered one. If you go threatening to run as an independent if you lose your party's primary, you really can no longer be considered a loyal member of that party. He's showing his true colors with a primary challenger.

[cali]

11. Agree.

Threatening to run as an independent belies his attempts to paint himself as a loyal dem.

[Bassic]

10. I never understood why he keeps running as a Dem

in the first place. It's obvious he's better suited for the GOP, so why doesn't just cross the friggin floor already?

[onenote]

15. maybe because the repubs don't want a pro-choice, pro-environment,

anti-gun candidate?

onenote

[Bassic]

17. Then why do they have Rudy Giulianni?

Isn't he pro-choice and anti-gun?

[onenote]

20. yep, and if you think he has a future outside NY with those positions

I have a bridge to sell you.

onenote

[Bassic]

25. Well, I didn't think so either,

but still a republican. Lieberman as a republican would probably do better un NY than whoever they,ve got running against Hillary.

[mmonk]

12. Because not all democrats are good.

That is where the "big tent" idea ceases to be relevant. I will never accept wrong because of the party. That is how one loses their soul.

[bowens43]

13. Because he IS a Democrat.

Not all Democrats are liberals.

[depakid]

14. True- some have become corporatists

who think NOTHING of selling out their constituents to the financial and insurance industry at every change they get through "deregualtion" and through gutting consumer laws.

[onenote]

18. and if their constituents keep re-electing them....

what then? Ex-communicate any Democrat in CT that supports him?

Anyone is a Democrat who claims to be a Democrat. The voters who identify themselves as Democrats decide if they support that particular Democrat or not. As for the silly notion of Democrats running as repubs, there's no reason one couldn't try, but would the repubs vote for a pro-choice, pro-environment, anti-gun candidate? Don't think so.

onenote

[Name removed]

23. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[onenote]

35. Sorry, but you've got to be kidding

if you think that defeating a Democratic Senatorial candidate in the general election would be good for the Democratic party. Recapturing control of the Senate is in the best interest of the Democratic Party (and the country, imho), and if a couple of the Democrats that give us back that control aren't as progressive as others...well, its always been that way, so get used to it.

onenote

[depakid]

37. If the guy had run for VP with Gore

and not tried to run for his Senate seat at the same time (boy, that move sure exuded confidence in the ticket) we wouldn't even be having this conversation.

And yes- YOU BET it would be good for the party to rid themselves of this right wing enabler. His single seat isn't worth the damage he does to the party's image and to candidates everywhere else- including other Seate races.

Think this guy's a friend of the middle class- or ordinary Americans? Think again:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2572822&mesg_id=2575607

[endarkenment]

33. Give the constituents a choice.

Fund progressive alternatives in the primaries.

[shenmue]

24. 'Cuz

He said so. :P

[baby_mouse]

26. Yes, that really seems to be it, doesn't it?

:crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy:

[DemonFighterLives]

27. i'd like to see Gore and this clown in a cage match

I'm sure Gore thinks this little weasel helped to upend his campaign for the Grand Ole Party.
:evilgrin:

[Ian David]

28. Because only 16% of Jews are Republicans and Republicans hate Jews

LIEberman knows that he'd never get elected as a Republican.

The Jews wouldn't vote for him as a Republican, and the Republicans wouldn't support him as a Jew.

On the other hand, we Democrats don't harbor the anti-semitic bigotries that the Republicans do.

So, he's glad to take money from the Democratic party while working against Democratic ideals.

[Notoverit]

29. Is felt? By whom? There's no mechanism in the Dem party of kicking out

any rogues. Remember Zell?

[endarkenment]

32. Sure there is.

What you do is you run strong candidates against them in their primary and cut them out of leadership roles in congress. There is no official purge, but the Republicans have no problem disciplining their members, why do we think this is impossible?

[baby_mouse]

38. Because it's not NICE.

.... :grr:

So, basically, as far as I can see, someone can pay lip service to dem local issues and then completely sabotage the party by siding with the pukes whenever they like.

[endarkenment]

39. I'm all finished with NICE.

I agree. We nice and reasonable ourselves to defeat every november. my worst nightmare is that we overthrow the Republican's in congress and end up with so many War Party Democrats that NOTHING MUCH CHANGES.

[endarkenment]

31. The broader issue is what to do with War Party Democrats.

Lieberman does vote on the progressive side of many issues. However I cannot put that in front of his, and other War Party Democrat's position on the PNAC agenda. As we approach the third war on their plate, other issues pale. This is the defining issue of our times, and we are at a watershed moment in the history of our republic. We cannot afford to have the War Party exerting its influence over the opposition party.

[Bill McBlueState]

34. because

he'll vote for Reid to be majority leader instead of Frist. There's not much *more* you can say about Lieberman, but that alone is a nice touch.