Tread Lightly In Your Vengeance, Lieberman May Hold the Balance of Power

[tritsofme]

Frankly I think all this talk of stripping Lieberman of his commitee positions and giving him a public flogging is madness.

First off, IIRC you need to be voted off a committee by majority vote, but I could be wrong there.

Second and most importantly, if we wake up on November 8 and the new 110th Senate has 50 Democrats 49 Republicans and Joe Lieberman, who is he going to caucus with if his Democratic colleagues in the Senate had just spent the last three months publically humiliating him?

I know many people are angry at him for his obvious betrayal of our party, but we need to be careful, he could hold the keys of the Senate come January. And you might want to keep that in mind when our Democratic leaders in the Senate don't take harsh measures against him in the coming months.

[Jacobin]

1. I kinda think we already know the answer to your riddle

If dems have 50 senators and repukes have 49, and Joe is 'undecided', I have no doubt which way he will go. (btw isn't Jeffords an independent and stil in office? I forget)

He's proven that in the last six years.

I say we tar and feather him. But that would probably be too mild considering the carnage he has helped to cause.

[WI_DEM]

6. Jeffords is leaving office this year

[AndyA]

2. If that scenario happens, I would say Joe is more likely to side with

the Republicans, given his voting record recently. I would be surprised to see him side with the Dems, especially since he's decided to run as an Independent. I think he's pretty much already washed his hands of the Dems.

But I get what you're saying. Probably shouldn't close all the doors just yet.

Edit: Clarity.

[ClintonTyree]

4. Joe's the one who's closing the doors...........

by running as an Independent. He's as much as said that the (D) after his name means nothing to him. All that matters to him is the retention of power, HIS power, and there's no room for that in our Party. None. He closed the doors, now let him stand outside. Alone.

[LSparkle]

5. You are correct!

He CAN'T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS! Either he's a Democrat (in which case, he lives with the results of the Democratic primary) or he's an Independent (in which case, as of the moment he's filed his papers for the General Election, he has ceased to be a Democrat and should not be ENTITLED to those committee positions unless the remaining Democrats are willing to let him have them -- and I'd hope that at least a few of them might be withheld).

[KaptBunnyPants]

8. Spot on nt

[AndyA]

11. Absolutely - but he does still have to finish his term as a Democrat.

So, I think the Dems need to monitor him until that time, which means they can't shut him completely out. I just want to make sure everyone knows he's NOT RUNNING as a Dem. Which could be confusing to people who aren't really paying attention. Joe does have name recognition, and a lot of people may not even think twice about voting for him if his name is on the ballot.

Even with great voter turnout for the primary in Connecticut, half the state didn't bother to vote.

The Dems need to watch him closely for the next few months, and take steps to make sure people understand he is no longer a Democrat.

[Cronus Protagonist]

3. He'll caucus with the Republicans on every major issue, as usual

No surprises expected there. Which is why he needs to be given his head in his hands.

[tritsofme]

13. I'm not even talking about an issue, I'm talking about the leadership

elections and whether he caucuses with the Dems or the GOP.

Besides which, with the exception of foreign policy he has quite a liberal voting record, so I doubt he would be joining the GOP on "every major issue"

[LeftCoast]

7. Joe left the party, not the other way around

If you leave the party, there should be consequences, imo.

[flyarm]

9. who would he caucus with anyway?? your kidding aren't you??

he has been nothing but a * ass suck ..and you are worrying about him caucusing with the rethugs now????????????

he is a rethug..only worse ..he is a neo con!

he is no longer a dem..he declared himself today as an independent..

there is no such thing as an independent democrat...there is no party called independent democrat...so do you honestly think... now.. he will not tip his votes (till he is sent packing) to the rethuglicans..you are kidding right??

the man who all but stuck his tongue in *hes mouth with his kisses?????????

pleaseeeeeeeeeeeee....get this independant off our committee's now!!

he is no longer a democrat!

he signed away those rights today!
he declared himself an independant..
get him off dem committees now!

his campaign mgr called those that supported Lamont jihadists this morning

fly

[MadHound]

10. If that scenario comes to pass it won't matter what we've said or done

Lieberman will be Lieberman, and will continue to kiss both corporate and Bush ass. We could fucking strew flowers before the man, sacrifice our first born children, and Liberman would still kiss both corporate and Bush ass. That is why Lieberman got his ass kicked in the primary, because he kissed too much corporate and Bush ass.

[NNN0LHI]

12. Joe is a snake. Get over it

I don't want the Dems hanging around with a snake.

Don