Joe Liebermans War - Hubris Unleashed -Joe's right & everyone else is wrong

Facinating article. Joe comes off as a self-serving schmuck.  Joe has a messianic quality.  He's convinced that what's good for Joe is good not only for CT but for the Democratic Party, the country and the whole darn world.

I've included a couple of excerpts for your reading pleasure. Joe Lieberman's War

Lieberman is quick to turn that accusation around. "Look, talk about who is a good Democrat or who is a bad Democrat. By running his campaign on this single issue, he has taken the safest Democratic Senate seat and put it somewhat in jeopardy," he says disingenuously. "And he has taken three Democratic House challengers, each of whom has a chance to get elected, and by putting me in a position that I may not be on the Democratic line, has made it harder for them to get elected."

This idea of good and bad Democrats resonates with Lieberman. In his mind, he is not just fighting for reelection but for the soul and the future of the party--and therefore the fight must be won at any cost. "What kind of Democratic Party are we going to have?" he asks. "You've got to agree 100 percent, or you're not a good Democrat?" In his view, Lamont is not suitable for office not just because he has no experience on the Hill, but also because he's a polarizing figure who will push the Democrats further into the margins. "Unless the party has room for people like me," continues Lieberman, "unless the party begins to redeem some public confidence on issues of national security, we're not going to elect a Democratic president or Congress ahead."

Lieberman thinks of going independent as a pragmatic ploy, not an abandonment of his party. "I've been a Democrat for 40 years, I'll die a Democrat, I'll probably be a Democrat after my death, I may still be voting Democrat in some cities in Connecticut postmortem," he jokes. But his action was widely viewed as an astonishing act of hubris, an egotistic declaration that he, Joe Lieberman, was more important than his own party. "Joe bolting the party is a stark admission that things have gone terribly awry in Lieberman land," says George Jepsen, a former Connecticut Democratic Party chairman who backs Lamont. A Democratic senator from another state said disapprovingly, "Look, you're part of the Democratic Party or you're not. Once you move away, you're making yourself more important than what you're supposedly doing. Is it more important for the individual to be in the Senate or the ideals and principles you represent?"

•  Joe

  The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

  Not too proud to beg

  Tips please

  by Kitty on Mon Jul 24, 2006 at 06:32:49 AM PDT

•  Please link to your source.

  by grayslady on Mon Jul 24, 2006 at 06:33:23 AM PDT

  •  Done

    I noticed as soon as I posted the story and updated it to include the link.  Without the link it's just a tease

    by Kitty on Mon Jul 24, 2006 at 06:36:25 AM PDT

•  he'll be a democrat until he loses the primary in

  2 weeks

  then he'll be a "Connecticut for Liberman"-ite

  I deeply resent my current senator telling me that he will only respect my vote in the primary if enough people vote for him to win the primary

  I deeply resent it.

  it has nothing to do with being a "good" or "bad" democrat

  this election is about whether incumbents are entitled to their seats or whether they are accountable to their constituents.

  and i'll tell you something else

  the only reason that's what this election about is because joe lieberman made it that way

  by Tamifah on Mon Jul 24, 2006 at 06:38:38 AM PDT

  •  p.s. this election is no longer about the war

    why? because of joe lieberman. he's made it about him (and other elected officials)

    by Tamifah on Mon Jul 24, 2006 at 06:40:26 AM PDT

  •  I keep wondering

    whether, if by some chance Nomentum wins the primary, he'll continue to say how the vote wasn't representative.  Doesn't he realize that by bringing the turnout up, he merely diminishes his own candidacy if he happens to win?

    by the OTHER rasmussen on Mon Jul 24, 2006 at 06:48:53 AM PDT

•  how dare anyone challenge

  an incumbent in the primaries.

  I don't have a strong opinion on this (not living in CT), but CT doesn't seem like it would be very conservative. Maybe, just maybe, Liebermann is a little out of step with his home state, in much the same way (although not to the degree, that would not be possible) that Santorum is out of step with his home state of PA.  

  by libertyisliberal on Mon Jul 24, 2006 at 06:39:34 AM PDT

  •  Pennsyltucky is it's very own mess.

    Parallels twixt Joe and Ricky are (imho) faint.

    There is no question that Joe is out-of-touch with Connecticut voters.

    by Yellow Canary on Mon Jul 24, 2006 at 06:52:30 AM PDT

•  The times they are a changin'

  Joe's hurt because he has played such a good game for so long -- and I mean that with respect.  What he is now constitutionally unable to realize, is that HE is now getting played -- that the subtle calculus that brought him so far and earned him so much power is not only no longer useful but is political poison.  Bush/Cheney, in their extremeness, have created the need for an opposition party that is in open and passionate revolt against the radicals in power.  Joe's methods -- his whole political philosophy -- are no longer useful.

  There are no real winners here.  I think eventually Joe will see OUR position (and perhaps jump back onto the cumbersome donkey).  Right now -- and effectively since Bush/Cheney 2004 -- Joe is superannuated.  The voters know this.

  by Yellow Canary on Mon Jul 24, 2006 at 06:46:51 AM PDT

•  We want two parties..

  No Joe, in case you havent noticed...What you are doing is not working...We need and demand a new direction..You are really really bad or we would not endanger losing a dem. seat..Got that...You say you are a dem. we say you are not...Simple we want a dem. in your spot..When cons. want you there, that tells me, you want what they want..We want a two party system..

  by bayside on Mon Jul 24, 2006 at 07:52:23 AM PDT

•  lieberman is wack

  it's been obvious for some time now.

  by essexgreen on Mon Jul 24, 2006 at 08:09:52 AM PDT