Sirota's take on the Dems' response to Ned's victory

[CarolNYC]

David Sirota takes Dems to task for praising Lieberman even as they are endorsing Lamont...but he likes General Clark's letter. :)

"One of two things is going on here. One possibility is that Washington, D.C. Democrats are so afraid of their own shadow, so insulated in the Senate club, so comfortable in the minority, so pathetically weak that their default reflex is to praise their cocktail party circuit friend Joe, even as he presents a very clear and present danger to the Democratic Party's electoral prospects. This is part of the larger scarred-because-we've-been-bullied psychology of weakness that has plagued the Washington, D.C. Democratic Establishment for too long - a psychology that has justified Democrats embracing right-wing Republicans and that has resulted in repeated election losses for Democrats.

(snip)

Thankfully, at least some Democratic politicians understand the truism that praising Joe Lieberman, a guy who is abandoning Democrats and publicly attacking the party, is not good for the Democratic Party. For instance, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi's statement endorsing Lamont didn't even refer to Lieberman - a good strategy. Similarly, Sen. Evan Bayh's (D) statement endorsing Lamont simply says he was friends with Lieberman, but said nothing about Lieberman supposedly being The Greatest Democratic Party Standard Bearer and Senator Who Ever Lived. And perhaps the best of all, Wes Clark issued a scathing statement denouncing Lieberman's effort to "have his cake and eat it too." Clark is leading a letter-writing drive to pressure Lieberman to stand down. Here are some excerpts:

"Despite what Joe Lieberman believes, invading Iraq and diverting our attention away from Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden is not being strong on national security. Blind allegiance to George W. Bush and his failed 'stay the course' strategy is not being strong on national security. And no, Senator Lieberman, no matter how you demonize your opponents, there is no 'antisecurity wing' of the Democratic Party...Joe Lieberman is risking our party's claim on his Senate seat by running as a third party candidate. Recent news reports detail the GOP's interest in supporting such an effort. It's time to draw a line...As a party we cannot let Joe Lieberman be this year's Ralph Nader."

These courageous Democrats are showing that at least some are able to get by the outbreak of Potomac Fever and understand that Lieberman represents a very serious Zell-Miller-like threat to the Democratic Party. The reaction to Joe Lieberman from Democrats should not be "wow, what a great guy he is" - it should be "we must crush this craven, selfish anti-democratic opportunist because he is trying to destroy the Democratic Party and ignore the will of voters."

But many clearly do not. And that begs questions to all Democratic Party officeholders: Will you unequivocally endorse Democratic nominee Ned Lamont and not package that endorsement with salivating praise for Joe Lieberman - a man who is aggressively moving to undermine the Democratic Party? Will you sign General Clark's letter demanding Lieberman back down? Contact your Democratic Senator today and ask them this very simple question."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-sirota/take-action-ask-your-dem_b_26873.html

[TayTay]

1. Ahm, this is just vindictive

I think the Democratic Senators have a right to say that they enjoyed working with a colleague for how ever many years they worked with him.

This seems to be a petty grievance. Ah, yeah, Lamont won and he needs to be promoted as the Democratic nominee for the Senate from Connecticut. But Sirota's latest sounds like a witch-hunt to me.

Gawd, aren't Dems ever happy? Does everything have to devolve into a politically correct pissing contest. Geez, we can't even get 24 hours of good feeling before we start attacking each other over who is most enthusiastic of all.

This is just a bad post by Sirota.

[Cosmocat]

4. Dude ...

He is right on a number of levels ...

First off, the "cocktail club" mentality thing is RIGHT ON ... It is that unstated truth that lies at the feet of so much of the Ds going along for the ride, not speaking out as loud as they could/should have the last 6 years ... It is a "good old boys club" mentality ... Don't rock the boat for YOUR sake ... You have it good, so you do what you can to let your comrades have it good, too ...

Second ... Lieberman has been a SERIOUS embarrasment to the party the last couple of years ... As Al Sharpton said, all the great stuff he did 10 years ago got him elected the last time ... His "record" the last 6 years includes voting for and unabashedly supporting the Iraq mess, being a backroom advocate for their attempt to destroy SS, and acting like a fool with Bush ...

You know that guy that everyone knows his wife is sleeping with another man ??? Well, Lieberman is to the democratic party what that wife is to that man ... The only way the democratic party was going to regain it's "manhood" in relation to this guy was to kick him to the curb ...

But, beyond that ... Lieberman IS at this point running as an independent ... That is a DIRECT threat to the party ... Coddling him allows him to remain in the race ... They need to send him the message loud and clear, IF YOU ARE A DEMOCRAT, STAND DOWN ...

You think it is OK for Dems to be kissing this clowns butt when he is pulling this shit ??? And, you wonder why the Ds don't get respect ...

[acmejack]

6. He is directly threatening our chance to obtain this seat!

Democratic control of this seat is critically important. Lieberman is an impediment to our control of this Senate seat. He needs to accept the results, be have as a good Democrat, which he ostensibly was until that concession speech this morning and drop the independent bid.

Sirota is right on. There is absolutely nothing vindictive about it, it is cold hard truth.

[TayTay]

7. No, I think Sirota is completely off on this one

The Dems are saying goodbye to Joe and putting him in the rear view mirror. I think Sirota's post here comes off as small-minded and vindictive. There is nothing wrong with saying, "I'm sorry Joe, it's been fun, but's it's over now."

This is not the way to get more voters to vote for the Democrats. It comes off all wrong and looks like a vindictive little 'kick him when he's down' thing that we should be above.

I want the Dem Senators to support Lamont. I don't want them to draw out any goodbyes to Lieberman. But I don't begrudge them saying goodbye. That's just ridiculous.

[cascadiance]

19. Had Lieberman just stepped down and stayed a Democrat...

... and not run as an independent, I don't think anyone would have advocated "kicking him while he's down". I think everyone would have been polite and politely wished Lieberman well, no matter how much they might have disagreed with him. The fact is, he's turning against all of us by continuing to run as an independent, and deserves a most serious rebuke for that. It's a slap in the face to all of his senate colleagues and all members of the Democratic Party. We should not let the Dems forget that either in saying that we all have to unite behind Ned now in November.

If and when Lieberman withdraws from the race, that's when we can and should be conciliatory and polite. Until then, he's the enemy!



Muadib! Muadib!

[acmejack]

21. I would like to keep Joe as a respected elder statesman as is his right.

Kind of an emeritus position. But he must abandon this divisive quest, which is basically rejecting the will of the voters in the party and saying he is more than his constituents and in fact it isn't about them, it is about HIM. If he would step down graciously, as is the accepted protocol, then by all means, we should all follow the established polite doctrinaire behavior.

But as long as he feels compelled to to reject the will of the majority of the people whom he claimed to represent until this morning, I have difficulty in seeing why he should be treated as anything other than the enemy, especially when he now intends to caucus that seat with whom? Do you know? I don't. The Republicans must think he will continue to support them when it counts, look who has endorsed him, it is tough for me to get real friendly with anyone who those folks can be enthusiastic about.

The New Joe is not the same as the Old Joe, not by any stretch of the imagination. The New Joe would never march with the people for equal rights. The New Joe is a patrician, he is one of them, his votes of late prove it.

[mhatrw]

17. Sure, but they need to EMPHASIZE that Joe needs to hang it up NOW

for the good of the Democratic party.

Lamont clearly won the Democratic primary against all odds.

Lamont will be CT's next senator if Lieberman simply does the right thing.

It doesn't matter how much these guys like and admire Joe. By decalring as an independent, he's become a cancer on the Democratic party.

[Bretttido]

22. Had Liberman conceeded, the praise for years of work would be understood

But according to Joe, the democratic primary meant nothing... and the will of CT voters meant nothing... it was simply a poll of how each of them were doing in his twisted mind where he thinks he is entitled to power. So since this was just a "poll" to Joe, why in the world would there be any need to praise his work like a eulogy. The democrats that praise Joe like a eulogy understand that he has lost, and should be mighty pissed that he is continuing on anyways. Circumveting the will of democrats for his own gain. Politics is no longer an issue to Joe, it is all about the power. So dems should stop treating him like a politician. They should treat him like the power-hungry monster he's become and throw him to the curb with no appologies.

[ProSense]

2. This is very divisive and selective.

Senator Lautenberg, before the vote, had urged Lieberman not to run as an Independent. The party has pulled its support and called for unity behind Lamont. Sirota is taking issue with a tiny snip of the Senators' message acknowledging Lieberman's service when Clark's letter does the same:

We should thank him for his service and invite him to stay active, or even run again someday...

[primative1]

3. 51-50 Rule. Lighten up people

Lieberman's threatening days are behind us. He has done his worst and ya know what? It doesnt mean a thing, it didnt hurt at all.
Look at the numbers.
Say Connecticut Dems had just rolled over and played recrown the incumbant.
Connecticuts safe dem senate seat plus 50 more seats would give dems control of the senate (cheney kills any 50-50 tie).
Now with Lieberman gone from the dems, if we assume the worst and give Connecticuts seat to the Lieberman parties new candidate ... we need 50 seats to control the senate .... its the same number, get it.
What we have now is an opportunity to gain an extra seat from this side show (by evicting a DINO) and have to take on no risk of being weaker from the effort.
50 seats is 50 seats. I'm pulling for Ned to get one of them. He deserves it for dethroning the fraud Joe

[shireen]

5. http://securingamerica.com/

please sign Wes Clark's petition! He's got it set up really well, it will take just a minute of your time.

[depakid]

8. Sirota gets it

He understands why the Dems have lost stright Congressional elections- and from all of their asctions this year- were trying hard to lose a 7th this November.

It's high time to unceremonously oust both the irresponsible turncoats like Lieberman- AND the attitude of defeatism and far right enabling that goes with them.

Do that- contrast the differences on real issues that matter to people- and the Dem will take back Congress. Continue legitimizing the far right and their polices- and the Dems will lose again.

And they will deserve to.

[sendero]

9. Exactly...

.. Americans LIKE that show of toughness. It has served the Republicans very well thank you, but when a Dem is asked to stand up and say "wait just a second here..." suddenly we're being vindictive, etc, etc, etc.

Everything Sirota said here is NOTHING compared to the bullshit Lieberman has been spouting the last few days. Attacking the party itself. FUCK THAT STUPID KERMIT FROG BASTARD. We don't owe him JACK SHIT at this point.

Some of you folks are just astoundingly lame, period. And you wonder why we can't get poll decent numbers ever though the country is totally fed up with Republicans. Well, look in the mirror. Nobody likes a patsy with a permanent KY drip attached to his backside.

[SaveElmer]

10. The problem with Sirota...

Is he needs an enemy, and for him that enemy is invariably another Democrat...

Always another litmus test with people like him...

First it's you have to show support for the Democratic nominee, so when those he criticize does precisely that, which contrary to the tone of his smarmy prose, is hardly unexpected, he raises the bar by saying that these Democrats are not sufficiently vindictive in their opposition to Lieberman...

He will never be happy unless he has an enemy. No enemy, no motivation. I wish he would turn his vitriol on Republicans more and Democrats less..

This is just sour, vindictive, and immature....

[Texas_Kat]

13. Lieberman is no longer a Democrat

or did you miss the whole point of the Connecticut primary?

Joe Nomentum is convinced that Democrats are too stupid to vote for him and he deserves a second bite at the apple because, well, he's Joe.

I don't always agree with Sirota, but he nailed this one.

[SaveElmer]

14. I am tallking about his criticism of Democrats...

Not being sufficiently boorish in their denunciation of Lieberman, not his critcism of Lieberman himself.

I agree Lieberman is no longer a Democrat.

[Texas_Kat]

18. What goes around, comes around

You call it "boorish", I'd refer to is as "vehement".

The semantics (I suppose) depends a lot on whose personal political ambitions (other than Joe Nomentum's) this stunning (but not unexpected) loss affects the most.

Dare I guess?

[SaveElmer]

20. Nope...its just vindictive and petty...

And shows Sirota will not stop applying new and unique litmus tests to those he dislikes...

[tulip]

11. Sirota is an idiot

and his posts are the same.

[Jack Rabbit]

12. Lieberman is a Zell-ot

[Gregorian]

15. I don't see many comments on Gore.

But I continue to wonder what their relationship is. And or was.

What was Gore thinking? Who is Gore? Is he really that different from his old running mate? They are personal friends. I just have to wonder who Gore really is.

[burythehatchet]

16. Right on Mr. Sirota

Joe Lieberman needs to be crushed under the boot of history