Lieberman Lies Again

(8 pm. – promoted by ek hornbeck)

Apparently, Sen, Joseph Lieberman can’t keep his lies straight. Once again reneging on not just campaign promises he made in 2000 and when he ran as an Independent for his Senate seat. Just 3 short months ago he discussed the Medicare buy in with the “Connecticut Post”, a complete contradiction of his now adamant opposition to the latest “compromise” in the Senate version of HCR bill.

   My proposals were to basically expand the existing successful public health insurance programs Medicare and Medicaid. In the case of Medicaid, to allow people who were above the eligibility level to buy into the Medicaid system, under the theory that it would be up to a certain income level, under the theory that they would buy into it at less than the market rate of health insurance.

   When it came to Medicare I was very focused on a group – post 50, maybe more like post 55. People who have retired early, or unfortunately have been laid off early, who lose their health insurance and they’re too young to qualify for Medicare.

   What I was proposing was that they have an option to buy into Medicare early and again on the premise that that would be less expensive than the enormous cost. If you’re 55 or 60 and you’re without health insurance and you go in to try to buy it, because you’re older, although to me still young and vital, you’re rated as a risk so you pay a lot of money.

Lieberman has opposed every compromise from the start, has lied and contradicted himself repeatedly.

On Sunday’s “Face the Nation”. Lieberman told Reid flat out that he would vote against the current health care bill. The response was that the “leadership was surprised”.

“Leadership was definitely a bit surprised with the lines being drawn in the sand the way they were,” said the source. “We expected that he would say critical things about [the bill]. But he is not even giving us a chance to get it scored.”

Really? They seem to be the only ones who were.

In the same interview, Lieberman said he didn’t think that the Democrats ahd given up enough on Health Care:

he thought the chamber could pass legislation this week if it just took “a few things out” first. Those things: a public option for insurance coverage (which is already gone), a provision that would expand Medicare to those as young as 55, and a new national insurance program that would help finance long-term care (known as the CLASS Act.)

“We’ve got to stop adding to the bill,” said Lieberman. “We have to start subtracting some controversial things. I think the only way to get this done before Christmas is to bring in some Republicans who are open minded on this like [Sen.] Olympia Snowe…”

The man can’t make up his mind. How can when he doesn’t even show up for the meetings about the bill to which he has been invited.

Wonk Room’s Igor Volsky notes that “if Lieberman was truly interested in voting for health care reform he would offer substitute policies that could achieve the goals of the public option,” but that “it’s unlikely that Lieberman will offer Democrats a real compromise.” Volsky writes that Lieberman’s “initial uncertainty about the Medicare buy-in may be the result of his absence from the original negotiations.” Though Lieberman was invited to the talks, he chose not to attend and Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE) sat in for him.

It is now being reported that he will also filibuster the bill. This from Ezra Klein:

The Huffington Post and Roll Call are both reporting that Joe Lieberman notified Harry Reid that he will filibuster health-care reform if the final bill includes an expansion of Medicare. Previously, Lieberman had been cool to the idea, saying he wanted to make sure it wouldn’t increase the deficit or harm Medicare’s solvency (and previously to that, he supported it as part of the Gore/Lieberman health-care plan). That comforted some observers, as the CBO is expected to say it will do neither. Someone must have given Lieberman a heads-up on that, as he’s decided to make his move in advance of the CBO score, the better to ensure the facts of the policy couldn’t impede his opposition to it.

Meanwhile the White House continues to insist Lieberman be given what ever he wants:

   The White House is encouraging Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to cut a deal with Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and eliminate the proposed Medicare expansion in the health reform bill, according to an official close to the negotiations.

   But Reid is described as so frustrated with Lieberman that he is not ready to sacrifice a key element of the health care bill, and first wants to see the Congressional Budget Office cost analysis of the Medicare buy-in. The analysis is expected early this week.

   “There is a weariness and a lot of frustration that one person is holding up the will of 59 others,” the official said. “There is still too much anger and confusion at one particular senator’s reversal.”

Digby has her take on Lieberman and I think she nails it:

When Reid said “Joe Lieberman is the least of my problems” he was waving a red flag in his face. It’s all about him. And he will not be ignored. And he will not vote for anything that liberals want, period. I don’t know why they thought it would be any different. He’s a sanctimonious, petty, vindictive egomaniac. But then, he always has been.

(emphasis is mine)

Update Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NB) has joined Lieberman in his opposition to the compromise on the Public Option.

48 comments

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    • TMC on December 15, 2009 at 00:07
      Author

    and a real health care bill through reconciliation.

  1. I took off for an hour or so. Did I miss anything? lol. Meaning, has the WH come out with a denial yet? (re the reports that WH is urging Reid to lick Liebermans nether regions)…

    And you wonder why the general pop hates politics.

  2. would do its god-damned job and report this stuff.

    • Xanthe on December 15, 2009 at 02:43

    in Lieberman’s future.  

    • Xanthe on December 15, 2009 at 03:02

    it’s his ethics, and it’s obscene.  My God, he’s a disgrace.

  3. Reid can easily push to change it to any number. The fact

    that they call it the nuclear option is an insult to the

    American people. It’s as if it would be the end of the world for the people to get what they want, and we can’t have that, can we? This is sickening, but true.

    The filibuster should be used for morally suspect legislation, not morally uplifting legislation. This is a perversion of Democracy when the people don’t or can’t know what’s good for them.  

  4. attached to something I have to consider it newsworthy because Joe consistently over long periods of time generates the most evil and destructive to America themes.  Crossing all lines of political parties whatever he says can always be analyzed as destructively brilliant.

  5. Part of Lieberman’s response is out of sheer spite, as well as much “involvement” with Hartford, Connecticut, health care insurance companies.

    Some Dems have been asked, “Why not dump Lieberman?” And, the response is:  “We need him for the 60th vote — he does vote positive on some occasions!,” or some such (paraphrasing).

    Lieberman’s actions on health care reform warrant removal from Democratic caucus

    As the Democratic caucus in the Senate works to pass a health care reform bill, one principle character stands in the way of creating a bill that would actually protect consumers.  It appears that he would rather work towards a bill which would give private insurance companies all of the customers and terms on coverage that they desire, without holding them accountable through any sort of competition.

    That person is of course the Independent Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who is presently a member of the Democratic caucus. He is successfully doing what the 40 Republican Senators have all but failed to do time and time again over the course of the year…slow down the health care debate and water the bill down into a huge gift for his insurance industry pals in Hartford, Connecticut, amongst other places. . . .

    This so-called health care reform bill, at this point, is an utter waste or our time, money and energy — it is a complete sham and has served well to distract us from the issue of accountability over the months.  We need to do everything to “kill this bill,” IMHO, even if the bill gets shelved for 15 more years, or whatever!  Otherwise, it now means that people who really need health care insurance, won’t be able to afford it and, they will be subject to fines, harassment and gawd knows what all!  And, the same number of people will likely die, as if there were no health care reform bill.

       

  6. And the fact that many Dems helped him, is just pathetic.

    Ah, didn’t Obama campaign for Lieberman? Remember that folks?

  7. I mean the name of his party is

    “Corpoations for Connecticut.”

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