This will probably be the least popular diary I will ever write and I feel a bit like I need a shower, but I am going through with it: Please support the turncoat Joseph Lieberman. Okay, I've said it. I don't like it. I know you don't like it, but it is for the good of the country. I know, I know, he said those awful things...
“Barack Obama is not ready for prime time... he’s not ready to be president of the United States’’
Obama is "naive," "not ready," etc.
“The Democratic Party of today is not the Democratic Party that I joined in the '60s under my hero President Kennedy, and it’s not the Democratic Party of my dear friend Bill Clinton”
And then he said:
"[Obama] has not reached across party lines to get anything significant done, nor has he been willing to take on powerful interest groups in the Democratic Party."
"Senator Obama is a gifted and eloquent young man who can do great things for our country in the years ahead. But eloquence is no substitute for a record"
and of course, the following:
"that it is a good question to ask" whether or not Obama is a Marxist.
On the surface, all these question deserve repudiation and Joe the Senator deserves ex-communication from the party. He is a turncoat, I question his morals, and I would not trust him farther than I can see him. I would like to throw him out of the Senate, bring back Ned Lamont and pretend like Lieberman never happened. Don't get me wrong, it is not his support of McCain that makes me feel this way - it is how he did it. He stood behind Palin as she repeated awful lies and smears. He not only endorsed and supported McCain, but he continuously tried to tear down Obama. While Hagel supported Obama, he never attacked McCain, and while part of me wished he would, I would have respected him less.
So, while it makes me queasy and makes me feel like I need a shower, I support Joe Lieberman and am asking you to as well. Why? A few simple reasons:
- Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. We need to prevent him from being an obstructionist for as long as possible. If we kick him off his committee, he may become an obstructionist, he may become a Republican, or he may just resign. While I do not see the third option occurring, if it were to happen, the republican Governor of Connecticut would appoint a full red-blooded Republican, which would be much worse to deal with.
- While he has said and done some awful things, his record is pretty impressive overall and we definitely need this record more than one of a Republican. Here is the main reason to support him:
Low Income, Housing, and Energy Funding (Voted Yes on all of the Following):
07/26/2008 Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Funding (Multiple Votes on this)
07/26/2008 Housing Bill with Energy Tax Credit Extensions (Multiple votes on this)
06/25/2008 Housing Foreclosure Assistance Program (Multiple Votes on this)
11/07/2007 Appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Multiple votes on this)
Childrens' Health Care (Voted Yes on all the Following):
11/01/2007 Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007 (CHIP) (Multiple Votes on this)
Minimum Wage and Equal Pay (Voted Yes on the Following):
08/02/1996 Minimum Wage Increase bill (Voted on this Multiple Times)
04/23/2008 Equal Pay Bill
GI Bill and Millitary Aid (Voted Yes on the Following):
05/22/2008 GI Bill and Other Domestic Provisions (Multiple Votes on this)
Environment (Voted Yes on the Following):
03/19/2003 ANWR Oil Drilling Amendment to prevent drilling (Multiple votes on this)
06/17/2008 Alternative Energy Tax Incentives (Multiple votes on this)
06/06/2008 Carbon Emissions Cap and Trade Plan
06/21/2007 Alternative Energy Subsidies (Multiple votes on this)
06/14/2007 Offshore Drilling in Virginia (Voted No on similar bills multiple times)
06/14/2007 Clean Energy Achievement Criteria
09/13/2005 EPA's Clean Air Mercury Rule
06/10/2003 Hydrogen Fuel Cell Amendment
Gay Rights (Voted yes on the following):
07/14/2004 Federal Marriage Amendment (Voted No)
06/11/2002 Hate Crimes Bill
09/10/1996 Employment Nondiscrimination Act of 1996
Firearms (Vote Yes on the Following):
07/29/2005 Firearms Manufacturers Protection bill (Voted No)
07/28/2005 Child Safety Lock Amendment
05/20/1999 Gun Show Sale Regulation Amendment
11/17/1993 Prohibiting the Possession of Semi-Automatic Assault Weapons
06/28/1991 Handgun Waiting Period - Amendment
Unions (Voted Yes on the Following):
06/26/2007 Union Organization Bill
Stem Cells (Voted Yes on the Following):
04/11/2007 Stem Cell Research Act of 2007
07/18/2006 Stem Cell Research Bill of 2005
Confirmations (Voting No on all the Following):
01/31/2006 Samuel Alito, Associate Justice
02/01/2001 John Ashcroft for Attorney General
10/15/1991 Clarence Thomas Confirmation
- Also, Lieberman has donated to the following:
Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.), Obama's running mate, accepted a $5,000 donation from Lieberman's political action committee in July as part of Biden's effort to retire debt from his unsuccessful presidential campaign this year.
Lieberman has donated more than $145,000 to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, and in July he cut $5,000 checks from his PAC to such key Democratic candidates as Rep. Mark Udall of Colorado and former governor Mark Warner of Virginia, both of whom are trying to win seats vacated by Republicans.
- Finally, Obama has asked us to support Lieberman. While we should not do everything Obama asks without question, over the last two years I have learned on thing: Obama and his team are much smarter than us. I know it is hard, but I say we swallow hard and trust Obama once again and support Joe Lieberman to remain in the Democratic caucus.
Update: Please Digg if you feel so inclined.
Update 2: Well, I guess I was right about this being the least popular diary I will ever write. I would call it my "sister souljah" moment, but I am not famous enough to have one of those. The only thing that I would like to comment on in general is there have been a lot of comments about reaching out to Lieberman sending the wrong message, making us weaker, not being change, etc. I know if there was a way to get kicked off the site this would be the way to do it - but I think that my message here is exactly what Obama has been talking about for two years:
- Try to end the partisanship
- Reach out to people you normally would not reach out to
- Find common ground even with those that you vehemently disagree with
- If Obama is willing to sit down and talk to dictators, then holding Lieberman of account should not be a problem.
- Finally, the senate can vote him out of his chairmanship at any time, so if he turns on us, we can get rid of him.
But, again, I did not expect this to be popular, just something that needed to be said.
Update 3: Wow, people have a lot of aggression pent up this morning :) I guess eight years of Bush will do that to us. I think I counted about 12 people that would like to push Lieberman off a cliff, a bunch of people that want to tar and feather, put a kick me sign on his back, and many other things... If i get this kind of response, I cannot imagine what he gets.
Well, as I said, i expected this, but I stand firm. I think Lieberman's voting record is strong and wish he would apologize about the things he said, yet either way, i think that we need to get behind him. I know it is easy to attack those that have attacked us, but it is time to let go. McCain said many more awful things, yet I think we should reach out to him as well, for the betterment of this nation... Maybe it is just too early, or maybe I am wrong, but I felt that this was important to say. I do not want to become like Fox News or the Bush administration who throw people out for disloyalty.
Anyways, you have made my morning entertaining, that is for sure! By the way, this is officially the most comments I have received without being on the rec list, so I guess I hit a nerve :)