(noon. – promoted by ek hornbeck)
Thanks to Glenn Greenwald for providing the information on this action alert.
Republican-in-Spirit Joe LIEberman has supported Republican dictators and right-wing policies for some years now. In 2006, after losing a primary election to challenger Ned Lamont, LIEberman told Connnecticut voters that their will was irrelevant; he would run for re-election as an independent. Lamont made a series of missteps afterward, losing out to his extreme right-wing opponent in the general election. Since then, LIEberman has sided with Republicans on virtually every policy issue and used his caucus status with Senate Democrats to force them to adopt his position on legislation favorable to his Republican masters.
Now that there is an undeniable Democratic majority in the Senate, that political party no longer needs to coddle him by letting him keep the chairmanship of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. According to Greenwald, president-elect Barack Obama is taking the official position of staying the hell out of Senate affairs. This creates the opening we on the left require to pressure the Senate to dump LIEberman.
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But just in case the Senate sees the sense in in Obama’s warning to allay martyrdom, Teh LIEberman can be gotten around. What if congress just ditches Homeland Security? It belongs on the discard pile. The Senate can stop LIEberman from chairing any other committees. Then his constituency can decide his fate in 2012.
I hope Old Joe has a good rocking chair.
Connecticut has a Republican Governor, and I don’t think it wise to turn over selecting a “new” Senator to a Republican Governor.
Lieberman is severely undermined now. Do we want a new, fresh face to stand with the Republicans and against whom we may have to work again for years to get where we are now? I don’t, at least not now with the balance in the Senate still an issue.
It will be up to his former Democratic Senate Caucus colleagues to decide Lieberman’s status. Obama just washed his hands very publicly of this. Very smart move. Just as smart as picking Rahm as his pit bull, thereby putting a choke chain on him when he wants to use it.
So far, Obama’s moves have shown some political brilliance.
DHS is an abomination of an agency. It should be dismantled piece by piece. Start with sending the Coast Guard back to DoD before they get poisoned by the endemic corruption. The very title with “Homeland” smacks of nationalistic propaganda. This is the garbage narrative that Goebbels and his boss pushed in the early 30s. Maybe if Joe gets to keep the chairmanship his job will be to oversee the dismantling of this rude beast.
One thing for sure: Joe needs to get a taste of humility before the new session starts. His arrogance level is right up there with Bush-Cheney-Rove right now.