So you want to get Lieberman's committee assignments stripped?
Me too. And here's what we should ask for. His fellow committee members are in each section, with those who have promised to support the nominee in the upcoming race in italics. If any of your Senators are on these lists, you may want to call their offices and ask for their support in asking the party leadership to appoint a new Senator to each position.
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Lieberman is the ranking member of this committee, and is his most plum position in the Senate. The next ranking member is Carl Levin (MI), who is currently the ranking member on the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. It'd be a damn fine thing to have Senator Levin (who is a voice for, you know, investigating the Bush administration's legal overreach in the name of "homeland security") going into the 2006 elections, and going into the next session of Congress as Homeland Security committee chair.
As far as new appointments go, it would provide the Democrats with a stronger platform going into the fall elections to criticize the Bush administration's conduct in this area if we promote one of the other vocal, security-minded, ambitious members of the Democratic caucus from the Northeast to this committee. If Lieberman won't call out the Bush priorities on homeland security, then surely a Senator from New York could make the case -- and would quite likely be thrilled to do so.
Other Democrats currently on this committee are: Levin (MI), Akaka (HI), Carper (DE), Dayton (MN), Lautenberg (NJ), Pryor (AR)
Committee on Armed Services
Lieberman is the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Airland, with Jack Reed (D-RI) next in seniority. Mark Dayton is fifth in seniority, but unlike Reed, is not the ranking member on any other subcommittee.
This is one of two platforms from which Lieberman spouts his nonsense GOP talking points on national defense, and should be one of the first to be called for should he go ahead with an independent bid.
Other members include: Levin (MI), Kennedy (MA), Byrd (WV), Reed (RI), Akaka (HI), Nelson (FL), Nelson (NE), Dayton (MN), Bayh (IN), Clinton (NY).
Committee on Environment and Public Works
Lieberman is not the ranking member on this committee, or any of its subcommittees.
Other members include: Jeffords, James (VT), Ranking Member
Baucus (MT), Boxer (CA), Carper (DE), Clinton (NY), Lautenberg (NJ), Obama (IL)
Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
This is almost certain to the committee that Ned will sit on in January 2007, and with no subcommittees, Lieberman is a mid-level committee appointee with Senator Kerry as Ranking Member.
Do you remember Lieberman going after Kerry's amendment for a phased withdrawal, calling it "retreat and defeat" on the Senate floor? Or the headlines Lieberman generated in the 2004 campaign, saying that George W. Bush is good for Israel? Well if I remember it, John Kerry certainly remembers it.
Other Democratic commmittee members are:
Kerry (MA) Levin (MI), Harkin (IA), Landrieu (LA), Cantwell (WA), Bayh (IN), Pryor (AR)
Tactics?
However, while if a four-for-four stripping would boot Lieberman off of Small Business committee, it's clearly the place where he has the least impact already, and it might be wiser to leave him in place so there will be a guaranteed seat for Lamont this January. Likewise, Lieberman is not such a big fish on the Environment/Public Works Committee, and this is one of the few areas where Joe applies the basic hippocratic oath in performing his Senate duties.
Better to ask for a removal from Homeland Security and Armed Services (where Lieberman is higher-ranked, and does far broader damage to the nation generally and the Democratic message specifically), and get a rising Democratic star to take his place.
And when? My first instinct is to call into Harry Reid tomorrow, but I'd like to first see a greater number of Democrats on each committee as a Lamont endorser, and I'd like to see consensus positions develop from this community about who would make for a better appointee from the Democratic caucus.
Plus, if we are going to ask for Lieberman to be removed from positions of authority from within the caucus generally, it would probably be wait for one or two big-name Republican endorsers of Lieberman's (Lieberman-CT) November run.
Update (from an old National Journal piece):
Jane Hamsher at firedoglake reports on her questioning of Sen. Min. Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) from YearlyKos last weekend: "So I asked him -- if Joe Lieberman leaves the party, what will happen with regard to his committee appointments? Reid was very careful with his words, and very specific. He said that his letter written to delegates on behalf of Lieberman had made it crystal clear that he was endorsing Joe specifically because Joe was committing to stay in the party. But, I pointed out - Lieberman has since that time given several interviews where he has refused to run out the possibility of an independent run. ...Reid said it to me twice, and he chose his words very carefully: It's important for people to know that their actions have consequences."