A popular diary today suggested that it would be good if Lieberman changed parties. Among the hundreds of comments that rallied around this bizarre diary, one was rather amusing. It asked innocently, "if he becomes a Republican does this mean we should hate him more, or hate him less?" Actually, as we are getting into the primary season, Lieberman serves a real function as an apostate Democrat of being the designated hatee of the group, something fans of Obama, Edwards and Hillary can all agree on. He is the great uniter. When talking about Lieberman there are no constraints against the most vile epithets that would get you troll rated if it were about anyone else. And better yet, you don't even have to make sense, as long as you demonstrate the requisite contempt.
The behavior of the majority on this site towards Lieberman is nothing less than classic scapegoating. What goes on here has less to do with the objective reality of the man's political life and everything to do with the dynamics of this group. The more you read about Lieberman in this site, the more distortion that you get. Joseph Lieberman has been a Senator for 18 years. It is his performance in this body that should define him, not the vitriolic over-the-top crap that issues forth regularly from a few diarists and commentors.
His record is described in ProgressivePunch.com, which evaluates every member on Congress on the criteria of supporting Progressive causes gong back sixteen years. While far from a perfect index it is not far off the mark. Lieberman is ranked 46th in the Senate, That leaves four democrats who are less Progressive than he. As far as he being a Republican at heart, this is pure horse shit. On the index of Progressive votes he rates 76, slightly to the right of our leader Harry Reid at 81. The three moderate republicans, Specter, Snow and Collins average 31. While the rest of the Republicans average around 9. From the viewpoint of the Republican caucus, Joe Lieberman is Fidel Castro.
So, those whose fervid imagination visualizes Lieberman as remaining a Democrat because he loves to subvert our goals, are peddling nothing but schlock propaganda. And just to seal the case against him, he is treated like a war criminal for his support of the war in Iraq. It will be a crowded docket since the vast majority of congress also voted for this war, including a few heroes of this site. And if he's still sticking with the Decider on this, big fucking deal. He has one lousy vote in the Senate, that's all. And if you don't like to see his puss on TV, change the channel, that's what remotes are for.
One thing is accurate; he was not loyal to the Democratic party. But he is loyal to Democratic principles. No, he is not a Kennedy or Boxer, but while he is steps away from the most liberal members, he is miles from the Republicans. And if you think he has crafted all of his votes over the last eighteen years just to fool democrats, then you really need a reality check. This blog supported Lamont, but according to the laws of the state of Connecticut, Lieberman had a right to run as an independent. It was not up to Dailykos to decide who represents that State, it was up to their voters. They decided that they wanted Senator Lieberman. He won, You lost. And so the vicious shit never stops.
Joe Lieberman as an independent is far more progressive than every single Republican. He is alone among Democrats in his support of the war, However the effect of this has two sides, one hurting and the other helping the Democratic party. Yes, he does provide bi partisan cover for the Republican hawks. But to the degree that this is so, to the degree that voters think he is a real Democrat, it also has another effect. It allows the pro-war voter who is sick of the Republican administration a rationale to bolt his traditional party. That single "Democrat" who is for the war shows this voter there are Democrats who are "tough" like he is. Perhaps, you don't want such votes. You only want votes from people who think all the right thoughts. But that kind of crap only sells among the ideologues. It has zero credence among those who really want the Democrats to win elections.
If this diary is hostile, then so be it. Someone needs to push back against the rethug-like vilification that leaves reason in the dust. I'm going to post this and turn off the computer and go to sleep. If by chance anyone agrees with me, just say so in a comment, and I'm sure you will have an interesting thread to deal with.