by Frank James
Senate Democrats may be angry but they're not stupid.
Many of them would've liked nothing more than to punish Sen. Joe Lieberman, the Independent Democrat as he styles himself, for supporting Republican Sen. John McCain's presidential bid over President-elect Barack Obama's campaign.
There was real sentiment to yank Lieberman's Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs chairmanship from him and give him a lesser subcommittee chairmanship.
But Democrats are within striking distance of reaching the 60 votes they need to be able to move controversial legislation through the Senate. With the two independents who caucus with them, and three Senate elections still undecided, they could get there but barely.
So they allowed the senator from Connecticut to keep his chairmanship. The vote was 42 to 13. It was really important to Lieberman to stay in the Homeland committee post since he authored the authorizing legislation for the Homeland Security Department.
"Joe Lieberman is a Democrat. He's part of this caucus," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid who said no Democrat was angrier than he was but that he wanted to let bygones be bygones.
An Obama spokeswoman had also publicly indicated that the president-elect was all right with Lieberman keeping his chairmanship. Coming from a former senator who just won a fairly sweeping victory for the White House, certainly made a difference.
Comments
Yet again the Democrats remind me why I'm an independent. The reason they seldom accomplish anything in the house and senate is because they allow too much dissension in their ranks, pretending like it's for reconciliation when it's really not. Idiots.
Posted by: Joe | November 18, 2008 12:59 PM
I agree with Joe on this one. This is why I too will be joining the Independents. We've had 8 years of zero accountability, and what does that absolute wuss Reid do with his first decision in the new era? He keeps Benedict Arnold, er, Lieberman, in a leadership position. We may have "change" in the White House, but its back to the same old spineless Democratic crap in the Senate.
Posted by: Neal | November 18, 2008 1:04 PM
No, of course they are not stupid. They are pragmatic.
But they need to realize, that despite the fawning reporting about our new kings, queens, princes, princesses through millenium---
WE ARE ANGRY.
We want health care.
We want this unholy killing of civilians in other countries to stop.
We want our corporations to stop acting like we don't know they want us to work like the slaves they 'pay' or kill in other countries.
We want an energy policy.
Free energy.
We want the patents the oil, auto, chemical and war industries have swallowed up which could:
Save the Planet
Give a GREAT life to all its residents
FREED.
Posted by: Meet the New Boss--SAME AS THE OLD BOSS? | November 18, 2008 1:07 PM
I too will become an Independent....I just don't know if I'll vote republican or democrat. The republicans motto is never dis another republican.....and the democrats allow dissension.
Posted by: bill r. | November 18, 2008 1:50 PM
Joe Lieberman on CNN: Obama wrong!
watch here
Not so bad! What does this mean?
Posted by: dend | November 18, 2008 1:57 PM
Why does Lieberman, a member of the Lieberman for Lieberman Party and a Republican backer get an important Democratic committee chair? Senate Democrats are idiots.
Posted by: Tom O | November 18, 2008 2:08 PM
Save your anger for bigger things (like Obama backing away from his campaign promises), folks. Lieberman is small fry, and the Dems decided keeping him on their side for close votes was more important than making an example of him. If they'd stripped him of his chairmanship, he might have gone over to the Republican side for real. Obama's going to need all of the support he can get in the Senate if he's to accomplish everything he's set out to do.
Posted by: Heron | November 18, 2008 2:21 PM
The Democratic caucus in the Senate decided that the serious concerns of loyal Democrats around the country simply do not matter. Allowing Senator Lieberman to retain his chairmanship of Homeland Security and Government Affairs is a slap in the face to millions of Americans who worked very hard and gave so much to achieve a victory this year.
The day after Inauguration is not too soon to begin the process of recruiting good candidates to run in the primaries against Senate Democrats up for re-election in 2010.
Posted by: Walters | November 18, 2008 2:47 PM
I feel like this makes the Democrats look like wimps.
Posted by: BaxterJ | November 18, 2008 4:55 PM
Sorry for Joe, one of the very few with a mind of his own in Congress-
Posted by: Inky | November 18, 2008 7:44 PM
This is terrible news for people trying to get their lives back together after the government's appalling response to Katrina.
Posted by: libhomo | November 19, 2008 12:45 AM
First, Lieberman is not a Democrat, but an independent. That happened when the DNC backed his opponent in the last primary. So knock off the "disloyal" whining because he is loyal to neither party, and that may be the one thing I like about him. Anyone who talks about "punishing" Lieberman, be it a Senator or a blogger, sounds like an idiot. Second, Democrats need his vote. Like it or not, Lieberman is in a good bargaining position at the moment, and Democrats can't risk him defecting.
Posted by: Herbie H. | November 19, 2008 3:17 PM