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News & ArtsTuesday, October 27, 2009
Politics Let's Not Dwell On The Past...
Posted by Dan Savage on Tue, Oct 27, 2009 at 12:11 PM
...but maybe if Democrats had united behind Ned Lamont after he won the Democratic primary in Connecticut in 2006, we wouldn't have this problem today:
Lieberman: I'll Filibuster Public Option With GOP
No one could've predicted that the "Democrat" who endorsed and campaigned for John McCain, the same asshole who gave a speech at the Republican National Convention, the same dirty little shitbag who accused Obama of putting the safety of the country at risk, was capable of betraying that Democrats who welcomed him back into their caucus and handed him a committee chairmanship. Wow.
5
Mike in MO, that's right. There are a lot of Democrats who are reaping what they have sown with Joe Lieberman.
The scam to me is that Lieberman claims to be opposing the public option because he's a fiscal hawk. That's a bit like saying you don't like wind because you prefer day to night.
The public option has almost nothing to do with the budget or what the federal government costs taxpayers. It's a non-profit insurance program that is paid for from its members' premiums. No taxpayer subsidies. The insurance companies are scared to death precisely because they know a robust public option doesn't need subsidies.
At this point, let's stop pretending Joe Lieberman is our ally. It's time for Harry Reid to lay down the law and tell Lieberman if you filibuster your own caucus, you're out of the caucus. And you know what, let 'em filibuster. Let's see Lieberman and Snowe and their buddies hold up the Senate's business as long as they want to just like in "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington."
The scam to me is that Lieberman claims to be opposing the public option because he's a fiscal hawk. That's a bit like saying you don't like wind because you prefer day to night.
The public option has almost nothing to do with the budget or what the federal government costs taxpayers. It's a non-profit insurance program that is paid for from its members' premiums. No taxpayer subsidies. The insurance companies are scared to death precisely because they know a robust public option doesn't need subsidies.
At this point, let's stop pretending Joe Lieberman is our ally. It's time for Harry Reid to lay down the law and tell Lieberman if you filibuster your own caucus, you're out of the caucus. And you know what, let 'em filibuster. Let's see Lieberman and Snowe and their buddies hold up the Senate's business as long as they want to just like in "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington."
6
@1 Anyone familiar with Lieberman's career and the capacity to understand the use of quotation marks would not be surprised here. He's your average blue dog/conservadem who realized he had no chance of running as a plain D.
7
If the Democrat Party could handle including anyone with ideas different from the stale old party line, they wouldn't have this problem either.
8
Lieberman can do and say what he wants but I really don't know why the DNC continues to let him call himself a Democrat.
10
@7, oh if only you were right. If Democrats just took orders this wouldn't be an issue. Hell, we'd have socialized medicine like the rest of the sensible developed countries in the world. No, it's R's that follow the leader. They march lock stepped like good little robots. The Democratic party is full of diverse opinions, which is part of it's downfall. They can't even agree among themselves so they can't make anything happen.
11
The problem is a lot of the voters in that district wanted the power that comes with incumbency, and didn't care what they had to do to get it.
12
(state, whatever, it's a small place, we could stick it in Eastern Washington and let bunnies poop radioactive poop on it and never notice)
13
The problem is in reality there is no "Democratic PArty" in the sense that:
there was no "Democratic Party" that went into Connecticut and kept fucking Joe L. off the ballot after he entered and lost the democratic primary.
there's no Democratic Party that has actually mobilized the grass roots in Connecticut to be for the public option. As BEEN SAYIN' Obama shoulda coulda been doin' for last 6 months!!
There's no "Democratic Party" that has Lamont or whoever sitting there, ready, bulding, organizing and waiting.
Shit, there wasn't even any "Democratic Party" that came out for the public option six months ago...because you know, Obama didn't, and hasn't, and Obama isn't going to Connecticut THIS WEEKEND to fill U Conn stadium with tens of thousands of screaming Democrats for the public option which he EASILY could do if he made more of an effort.
but hey thanks for noticing the news on Lieberman.
It's just the same problem we have with Landrieu Conrad etc.
there was no "Democratic Party" that went into Connecticut and kept fucking Joe L. off the ballot after he entered and lost the democratic primary.
there's no Democratic Party that has actually mobilized the grass roots in Connecticut to be for the public option. As BEEN SAYIN' Obama shoulda coulda been doin' for last 6 months!!
There's no "Democratic Party" that has Lamont or whoever sitting there, ready, bulding, organizing and waiting.
Shit, there wasn't even any "Democratic Party" that came out for the public option six months ago...because you know, Obama didn't, and hasn't, and Obama isn't going to Connecticut THIS WEEKEND to fill U Conn stadium with tens of thousands of screaming Democrats for the public option which he EASILY could do if he made more of an effort.
but hey thanks for noticing the news on Lieberman.
It's just the same problem we have with Landrieu Conrad etc.
14
Glad I'm not the only one who had this thought upon reading the story. Lieberman is a fucking cockmonkey, but we get what we deserve when we let pieces of shit like him caucus with the dems.
Say, what's Arlen Specter up to these days? Hasn't the Democratic Party agreed to back him in the next election, rather than the actual Democrat who's running against him? It'll be Connecticut all over again.
Say, what's Arlen Specter up to these days? Hasn't the Democratic Party agreed to back him in the next election, rather than the actual Democrat who's running against him? It'll be Connecticut all over again.
15
@10: Perfect Democrat Party Line there.
"We're so individual we're discombobulated!" The democrats all say in glassy eyed unison.
"We're so individual we're discombobulated!" The democrats all say in glassy eyed unison.
17
#3: Exactly. Call their bluff and let the whole country see them reading from phone books and cookbooks for hours and hours instead of agreeing to vote (one way or the other) on the damn legislation.
18
By the way, there's no need for 60 votes, that's a myth.
Force them to actually stand up and talk. They're old white guys, it won't last long.
Force them to actually stand up and talk. They're old white guys, it won't last long.
20
didn't dick cheney backchannel funding for lieberman in the 2006 race? obama cuda cut his balls off in january, made him a lame ineffectual senator, but no, obama has to "keep his friends close, and his enemies closer"... that's how you get assfucked obama!
21
Danny has it all bassackwards,
The Democrats are lucky Joe will caucus with them after the crappy way they treated him in the Primary.
But Go Ahead-
Throw Joe out!
and kiss your precious SuperMajority goodbye...
The Democrats are lucky Joe will caucus with them after the crappy way they treated him in the Primary.
But Go Ahead-
Throw Joe out!
and kiss your precious SuperMajority goodbye...
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