I get it, I get it, he's one of 40+ senators putting a stake through the heart of meaningful health care reform, he's a roadblock to tens of thousands of people receiving potentially life-saving medical treatment, he doesn't care what's in the bill, he'll fillibuster regardless, and he's doing it out of the worst kind of childish spite. Because liberals on the internets beat him in a primary in '06, he'll allow thousands to die of easily treatable injuries and diseases to get back at them. I completely understand that. There is, however, one question I can't for the life of me understand...
...why on earth are we, all of a sudden, talking about these things? Why are we so angry out of the blue? And, perhaps most importantly, why are we pretending to be surprised about any of this?
In 2000, as the VP candidate, Lieberman was irritatingly pro-corperate and pro-war. As early as the '90's he was speaking out against a sitting Dem president receiving a consentual blowjob from an adult female. He's likely still in favor of escalating Iraq, if anybody were to ask. He used his chairmanship to run interferance against investigation of Katrina responce, he's changed the reason he opposes health care every few weeks. George Bush kissed him on the mouth, for gods sake!
Yet half the rec list is made up of diaries that appear shocked and angry that Lieberman screwed us?
Of course he screwed us, why on earth wouldn't he? He hates us! He hates progressives because he feels they cost him the '06 primary. He probably hates us because he feels we cost him the presidency in '04. He resents us and he hates whatever policy we like, and given the opportunity he'll gladly use his power as a senator to twist whatever knife he can find into our side. And he'll do it because he knows that when he does, again and again and again, there will be no consequences.
When Lieberman threatened to join a Republican fillibuster of the public option health care bill, the senate stripped the public option from the health care bill. Lieberman didn't strip the public option, a group of ten senators did. When Lieberman threatened to join a Republican fillibuster of the medicare buy-in health care bill, the white house pressured the Democratic senate caucus to cut a deal with him. Lieberman didn't pressure the Democratic senate caucus, the white house did. When Lieberman threatens to join a Republican fillibuster of whatever health care bill comes next, the senate Dems will cave on that too. Because the only way to stop a bully is to stand up to him, and Senate Dems are either unable or unwilling to do so in Joe's case.
When Lieberman fillibusters the eventual bill, and he will, i've no doubt there will be a round of righteous outrage and faux shock on daily kos, and i've no doubt we'll all feel much better about it. I'm only halfway through this rambling diatribe and i'm already less angry. What it will not do is get a health care bill passed. Jon Kyl will also fillibuster the bill. So will David Vitter. We don't talk about this to any extent because it's a totally un-noteworthy piece of information. They are conservative republicans who want to kill this bill so they can run against the "do-nothing" democratic senate who didn't even pass a health care bill. When Vitter fillibusters health care reform, there will not be thirty "F#$* David Vitter" diaries on daily kos. Because there is nothing shocking about the fact that he will.
So why are we feigning surprise that Lieberman is fillibustering? He campaigned against the democratic candidate for president and he viscerally hates two thirds of the party! And before you talk about how he owes us something for his chairmanships, no, he doesn't. Senate leadership offered to let him keep them, he accepted them. If Harry Ried offered the homeland security chairmanship to John Ensign, he'd have accepted it to. Especially if it was offered no strings attatched the way it apperantly has been to Lieberman.
Has Lieberman behaved abhorrently with regard to teh HCR debate? Without a doubt. But, as the scorpion said to the duck, he can't help it, it's his nature. The question is what the hell we're doing continually putting that scorpion on the back of our legislative goals. So stop pretending he's a democrat, stop being shocked when he stabs the progressive movement in the back, and focus on things we can change.
Pressure Ried to strip him of his Chairmanships? Sure
Pressure the white house to be less visibly on his side? Absolutely
Support whoever runs against him in '12? I insist on it
But pretend shock that he's betrayed us again? Absolutely not. That's just Joe being Joe, and if we didn't see it coming months ago then maybe we areren't doing our job as activists. He's betrayed progressive policy in the past, and he will in the future. He will never stop. Now let's talk about something else.
...oh, and when daily kos collectively freaks out about how Lieberman's joining a republican fillibuster to block climate change legislation in April, i'll cut and paste this article verbatum.