I honestly think that Lieberman is prepping for a very flashy party jump

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

He'll do it right before the Senate healthcare debate for maximum exposure. He will run as a Republican in Connecticut, a state with thousands of insurance jobs, and he will say he did it to save those jobs (at the cost of American lives, but whose counting?) and to save all Americans from "government run" (gasp!) healthcare.

If the Democrats were smart (which they have proved time and again they are not where he is concerned) they would use his recent threats of supporting Republican filibuster and plans to campaign for Republicans in 2010 as the excuse to throw him out of the caucus and strip him of his chairmanship.

He will be robbed of his self-aggrandizing moment in the sun which will suck all the air out of the room during the reform debate WHICH WE NEED TO PAY ATTENTION TO but which the media won't be covering because they will be all Joe Lieberman for a 24-48 hr news cycle.

So Dems, for once, be smart and rid yourselves of Lieberman - screw him before he screws you. His switch to the Republican party will look like him crawling on his stomach hoping someone will take him instead of the great shafting of Obama, Reid and the Dems as is currently designed.

[Mojambo]

1. He should have been kicked when he decided to campaign for the REPUBLICAN presidential candidate

The fact that the Dems did nothing then indicates to me that they're going to sit on their hands and let him do whatever the fuck he wants.

[Bitwit1234]

11. I think

you are correct. The Dems should have kicked his butt out. But I think he is watching the New York race. And he thinks if he acts rabid wild eyed enough the republicans will endorse him in the next race.

[sinkingfeeling]

2. He's an independent now, so how would he 'jump' parties?

[WI_DEM]

4. obviously he could jump from the democratic caucus in the senate to the GOP caucus

and still be an independent. It would change the number in the dem caucus and gop caucus.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

8. Here's why and how

Although he is an Independent, the Party he got elected in as an independent was the Connecticut for Lieberman Party which was taken over in a coup and threw him out and lambastes him as a fraud on their web page, so I think we can all assume he won't be running on that ticket next time around.

If he wants to stay as an Independent, he would have to start a whole nother Party (Lieberman for Lieberman being the obvious new name) but that is very time-consuming and tedious. He just had an interview with ABC news where he said is not certain he would run as a Democrat(!) in 2012.

In his last election in 2006 after he lost the Dem primary to Lamont, he ended up with over 70% percent of the Republican vote since they rejected their own bozo candidate and about 30% of the Dem vote (he did lose the primary after all - so Connecticut Dems have his number even if our National Dems don't).

It seems OBVIOUS to me that he needs to officially throw his hat into the Republican ring sometime soon. And I think he will pick the splashiest time possible to get the most effect which I think will be next week when the healthcare debate starts in the Senate.

It's just blindingly obvious to me.

[euphoria12leo]

29. I have a question?

Is there a second Republican candidate? One that is more pleasing to the Palin, Beck and Limbaugh crowd. If so that crowd will
say "f" you Joe we don't need you. I can't see them being loyal to Joe at all. And they don't treat his "Homie" McCain good either.
Even after McCain kissed their asses they still treat him like dirt.

:popcorn: It would be worth watching.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

30. That would be a carnival worth watching .

You have a good point that the Republican Party is fracturing. It would be so ironic if he did run in the Republican primary and was bested by a more "Republican" Republican which would be the parallel universe experience of what happened to him in the Dem Primary! OMG!! That would be some great Karma repay.

[euphoria12leo]

32. I'm talking a real

teabagging, birther, bible thumping idiot. One that scares Jeezbus out of every sane person but has the Palin crowd welcoming he/she
with open arms. They would run over Joe with the bus and then backup over him. :wow: And the Dems shouldn't take him back even if he
offers to cut off his finger and give it to them. Something like that anyway. If only Dems were not so freaking forgiving.


:popcorn:

[AndyA]

3. He could become a Republican, but since he's not a Democrat, would it really matter?

He's not with us on this vote anyway.

I do agree the Dems should strip him of every benefit he has, since he certainly hasn't done anything to deserve those benefits.

And I'm sick of listening to his whiny-assed voice and looking at his bad hair anyway.

[WI_DEM]

5. the only way it matters is if he moved from the dem caucus to the GOP caucus

but if he did that he would have to give up his chairmanship and I'm not sure he wants that, but if he filibusters against us he should be thrown out of our caucus and stripped of his chairmanship, but does Reid have the guts to do that? probably not.

[AndyA]

28. I heard Lieberman said, "Oh God no" yesterday when a reporter asked him

about losing his chairmanship.

I say strip him of everything. (Except his clothes...ewww...really bad visual!)

[bigwillq]

6. I really don't want LIEberman on my "team"

so let him go. He should've been kicked out of the DEM caucus.

[lonestarnot]

7. I hope I live to see him pick shit with the chickens!

[pipi_k]

9. The only jump I want to see him make is into the Atlantic during shark season

But then it could all be for naught if the sharks spit his sorry ass out and swim away in disgust.

[Hubert Flottz]

10. How about a high dive

into a low bucket of sh!t?

[roakes10190]

12. Jumpin' Joe

He will not jump to the GOP because he would lose his chairmanship.

[MadHound]

13. Why should he? He's got the best of both worlds right now

He gets to cuddle up to the Republicans while simultaneously retaining the perks of a Democrat.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

15. please see post #8. nt

[struggle4progress]

19. Yeah, and by playing the middle, he gets a taste of power-brokering

[tjwash]

14. To where? The Democratic party?

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

16. Did you read the OP? I think he will declare himself a Republican in the near future.

I really don't mean to be crabby, but sometimes I do wonder why people respond to threads if they don't read them first. But thanks for being interested.

Edit - a much more asute DU'er pointed out to me that your response was a humorous slam at Lieberman which I completely missed. I guess I revealed who was the denser, you or me. :blush:

[Raster]

17. I agree. Lie-berman doesn't have very many choices. And we KNOW, Traitor Joe is not going into

obscurity willingly. Traitor Joe is an attention whore, and in love with the sound of his own voice. But he's out of options. He's burned bridged with the Dems and the Indies. All he has left is the 'thuglicans.

[tekisui]

18. I think the poster was implying that he is already a repuke.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

20. I think you're right and the subtlety flew right over my head.

Ok, will have to go apologize.

[rucky]

21. That's his threat if he loses his chairmanship.

Same shit he pulled when he lost the primary to Lamont.

But he doesn't have the guts to step away from his chairmanships on his own.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

22. The clock is ticking. He's got to start prepping for his run for re-election

Healthcare will be his biggest opportunity for showboating and he's already doing it. Very soon he will be standing in front of the statehouse in Hartford with a giant speech about how he has to do the right thing to save jobs in Connecticut and he has determined that he must officially join forces with our newly fiscally responsible(!)Repubs and slow down the financial Armageddon that the healthcare bill will bring or words to that effect.

He is throwing off big vibes in this direction. I do give some slight credence to a couple posters who have suggested he is posturing for an ambassadorship, possibly to Israel, but I can't believe President Obama would cave to that demand. I certainly hope he wouldn't. It would look like he completely succumbed to Lieberman's holding him hostage to healthcare.

[rucky]

23. Dunno. He may milk the independent thing a bit more...

in hopes of pulling the Dems who voted for him in the direction of Dodd's challenger for 2010. After that, he'll have 2 years for self-promotion. Of course, the chairmanships trump this - but stepping away from power on "principle" is not the m.o. of a chickenshit.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

24. Will his flashy jump be a grand jeté or an entrechat?

He does relish performing on the big stage, doesn't he?

[Blue State Blues]

25. He'll wait until the Republicans regain control of the Senate and keep his chairmanship

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

27. If he jumps that will be part of his deal with them in advance.

Just like Specter. Then of course he'll be part of trying to make that happen (Repubs regain control of Senate)

[maxrandb]

34. Ain't gonna happen

This isn't 1994! The Demographics for the Repukes are terrible. Young people are rejecting them like they were a disco album. Marching more to the "right", to side with the "tea-baggers" and other miscellaneous "wingnuts", will further drive away minorities and young people. If the majority of your supporters are over 65, and your not attracting young voters...your base becomes very, very small in 10-15 years. That's just a fact of life.

Repubs have more vulnerable seats in the Senate to defend. They're fracturing along social lines. Dems have out-raised them, outworked them, and out-manned them. That festering wound over on the margins of power is what is left of the Repuke Party after the America people stomped a bloody hole in them over that past 2 congressional and a presidential election.

No my friend, my prediction is they may gain some seats in the House. But, there is a better chance that they lose seats, rather than gain seats in the Senate.

If Holy Joe thinks the "left" has been "mean" to him, just wait until he meets the tea-baggers, Freakers, Birthers, racist and Beckheads that are all that is left of the Limbaughlican Party. Those folks wouldn't even dress him up like a jockey and set him on their lawns.

If he thinks he can get elected as a Repub, as they move more and more to a regional, rural party of wingnuts and neanderthals, then let him try.

I for one would love to see it.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

35. Well, we'll see. He effectively WAS elected as a Republican

aided by the soft hearted 30% of Dems who hung with him for old time's sake.

He'll ask for the Specter deal - no opposition in the Primary and then problem solved. Connecticut is actually a pretty liberal, intelligent state - New England after all, and most of their Repubs are old-school, not the wingnutty variety.

I'm feeling pretty confident about my prediction.

[Barack_America]

26. I doubt it. He'll lose his chair.

And he has very little reason to think Republicans will be retaking the Senate anytime soon.

Now if he filibusters health care reform and loses his chair for that (which he should), then maybe he'll do it out of spite. But Lieberman is generally motivated by money and power more so than spite.

[Jennicut]

31. He won with way more Rethug votes then Dem votes in 2006.

I still think he will remain an independent though.

[Statistical]

33. I doubt it or if he is then he is stupid.

Lieberman is a crappy Dem but that doesn't make him a good Republican.

He would lose to virtually any well funded Republican in the Republican primary.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

36. kick - I just want to see if any of the evening crowd agrees with me. nt