According to an article in today's (online) New York Times,
"Sen. Joe Lieberman will keep his chairmanship of the Senate Homeland Security Committee despite hard feelings over his support for GOP nominee John McCain during the presidential campaign.
The Connecticut independent will lose a minor panel post as punishment for criticizing Obama this fall.
Lieberman's colleagues in the Democratic caucus voted 42-13 Tuesday on a resolution condemning statements made by Lieberman during the campaign but allowing him to keep the Homeland Security Committee gavel. He loses an Environment and Public Works panel subcommittee chairmanship, however."
The article concludes with a statement made Friday by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who opposed the move.
"To reward Senator Lieberman with a major committee chairmanship would be a slap in the face of millions of Americans who worked tirelessly for Barack Obama and who want to see real change in our country. Appointing someone to a major post who led the opposition to everything we are fighting for is not 'change we can believe in."'
Sanders is a self-described Socialist who caucuses with the Democrats, as does Lieberman. My response to Bernie's statement is this:
As usual, you oversimplified things. Lieberman did not "[lead] the opposition to everything we are fighting for." And Lieberman was not "appointed" as chairman, rather he was allowed to retain a position which he already held.
So this blog has now achieved its purpose. Their actions show that there’s hope for the Senate Democrats yet!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Democrazies
Here is the petition you are urged to sign at http://liebermanmustgo.com/
"We CANNOT tolerate a leader of the Senate Democratic Caucus who supports George Bush and McCain's War in Iraq. We CANNOT tolerate a Democratic chairman of the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee who endorses and stumps for McCain. We call on the Senate Democratic Steering Committee to strip Joe Lieberman of his chairmanship and his leadership role."
This is preceded by the statement:
"Demand the Steering Committee remove Joe Lieberman's position within the Democratic Caucus in 2009."
These people are so busy foaming at the mouth that they can't even write plain English. Do they want Lieberman removed from the Caucus entirely or just as chairman of Homeland Security. What is his "leadership role", other than his chairmanship." He is not on the Steering Committee, according to them.
As for the petition itself, it is laughable. These people are clearly living in the past. The election campaign is over. Obama is President-Elect. He says he will be president of all the people, which include Lieberman and McCain. The latter even referred to him as “My president” in his concession speech.
So this group who “cannot tolerate…” is indeed intolerant. And hypocritical as well. They refer to “George Bush and McCain’s War.” Let’s see. Those voting for it included Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, and John Edwards, among others. (But not my Senator, Carl Levin, to his everlasting credit.)
This group also wants to disenfranchise the people of Connecticut, who re-elected Lieberman (running as an "Independent Democrat") in 2006. They seem indifferent to the following facts.
1) Lieberman has always been a hawk. When first elected in 1988, he was endorsed by none other than William F. Buckley. He defeated incumbent Republican Lowell Weicker, who was the dove in the race.
2) On most matters, Lieberman votes as a liberal Democrat, much as Senator Henry (Scoop) Jackson did in days of yore.
3) If Lieberman hadn’t caucused with the Democrats, they wouldn’t have had a majority in the Senate the past two years, and they may still need him in the future to prevent filibusters.
Joe Lieberman is an honorable person, and he doesn’t need to be dishonored in this way.
The members of the Democratic Steering Committee are
Sen. Debbie Stabenow (MI) Chair, Sen. Harry Reid (NV), Sen. John Kerry (MA), Sen. Daniel Inouye (HI), Sen. Robert Byrd (WV), Sen. Edward Kennedy (MA), Sen. Joe Biden (DE), Sen. Patrick Leahy (VT), Sen. Christopher Dodd (CT), Sen. Tom Harkin (IA), Sen. Max Baucus (MT), Sen. Richard Durbin (IL), Sen. Kent Conrad (ND), Sen. Carl Levin (MI), Sen. Herbert Kohl (WI), Sen. Barbara Boxer (CA), Sen. Hillary Clinton (NY), Sen. Jeff Bingaman (NM), and Sen. Mark Pryor (AR).
If one of your senators is on the list, I suggest that you contact them and urge them to
“Keep Joe Lieberman right where he is!”
P.S. One “solution “ would be for Obama to appoint Lieberman to the Cabinet as Secretary of Homeland Security. Now that would be an act of bipartisanship!
"We CANNOT tolerate a leader of the Senate Democratic Caucus who supports George Bush and McCain's War in Iraq. We CANNOT tolerate a Democratic chairman of the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee who endorses and stumps for McCain. We call on the Senate Democratic Steering Committee to strip Joe Lieberman of his chairmanship and his leadership role."
This is preceded by the statement:
"Demand the Steering Committee remove Joe Lieberman's position within the Democratic Caucus in 2009."
These people are so busy foaming at the mouth that they can't even write plain English. Do they want Lieberman removed from the Caucus entirely or just as chairman of Homeland Security. What is his "leadership role", other than his chairmanship." He is not on the Steering Committee, according to them.
As for the petition itself, it is laughable. These people are clearly living in the past. The election campaign is over. Obama is President-Elect. He says he will be president of all the people, which include Lieberman and McCain. The latter even referred to him as “My president” in his concession speech.
So this group who “cannot tolerate…” is indeed intolerant. And hypocritical as well. They refer to “George Bush and McCain’s War.” Let’s see. Those voting for it included Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, and John Edwards, among others. (But not my Senator, Carl Levin, to his everlasting credit.)
This group also wants to disenfranchise the people of Connecticut, who re-elected Lieberman (running as an "Independent Democrat") in 2006. They seem indifferent to the following facts.
1) Lieberman has always been a hawk. When first elected in 1988, he was endorsed by none other than William F. Buckley. He defeated incumbent Republican Lowell Weicker, who was the dove in the race.
2) On most matters, Lieberman votes as a liberal Democrat, much as Senator Henry (Scoop) Jackson did in days of yore.
3) If Lieberman hadn’t caucused with the Democrats, they wouldn’t have had a majority in the Senate the past two years, and they may still need him in the future to prevent filibusters.
Joe Lieberman is an honorable person, and he doesn’t need to be dishonored in this way.
The members of the Democratic Steering Committee are
Sen. Debbie Stabenow (MI) Chair, Sen. Harry Reid (NV), Sen. John Kerry (MA), Sen. Daniel Inouye (HI), Sen. Robert Byrd (WV), Sen. Edward Kennedy (MA), Sen. Joe Biden (DE), Sen. Patrick Leahy (VT), Sen. Christopher Dodd (CT), Sen. Tom Harkin (IA), Sen. Max Baucus (MT), Sen. Richard Durbin (IL), Sen. Kent Conrad (ND), Sen. Carl Levin (MI), Sen. Herbert Kohl (WI), Sen. Barbara Boxer (CA), Sen. Hillary Clinton (NY), Sen. Jeff Bingaman (NM), and Sen. Mark Pryor (AR).
If one of your senators is on the list, I suggest that you contact them and urge them to
“Keep Joe Lieberman right where he is!”
P.S. One “solution “ would be for Obama to appoint Lieberman to the Cabinet as Secretary of Homeland Security. Now that would be an act of bipartisanship!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
