Since Obama and Dean both seem to be A-OK with LIEberman as HSC Chair, so am I ...

[99th_Monkey]

These two guys are smart savvy politicians who I respect and trust. Since they're both extending the olive
branch to LIEberman; I can only imagine that there MUST have be some important quid-pro-quo horse-trading
going on here. Such as Lieberman pledging to cooperate with Dem. Caucus on key issues and upcoming votes,
esp. in light of Dems likely picking up 2 more seats, bringing total to 59, + 1 (counting LIEberman) = 60.

You want decent health care? You want to close Gitmo? You want bottom-up financial relief extended to
low-income homeowners facing foreclosure? You want an intelligent win/win approach to saving the US auto
industry? We may only see these things with a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.

Does anyone seriously believe that BOTH Obama and Dean have now all-of-a-sudden "sold out" the party? If
this is you, I urge you to reconsider; based on how these two have been batting 1000 on key decisions for
some time now.

[noiretextatique]

1. obama owns lieberman now

your post is a lot more eloquent, but that's how i see it.

[99th_Monkey]

9. Thank you.

I think Dem. activists have been so conditioned by 8 years of BushWorld to be way too quick to
pass judgment, and slow to trust and hope -- even in the very people we just elected in a historic
landslide.

[DireStrike]

14. How?

What control does he have over Lieberman?

[noiretextatique]

17. lieberman is finished

he will not be re-elected and he would have disgraced himself even more by joining the republicans after promising his constiuents he'd stay in the dem caucus. if he does anything to interfere with the democrats' agenda, he can be ousted. he owes this last chance at redeeming himself to obama.

[msblueinredstate]

2. Good post

:thumbsup: :applause:

[blm]

3. It better be for something of GREAT import like Supreme Court or Universal Healthcare.

And possibly it's part of the McCain and Lindsey Graham scenario where Obama gets their support for those big matters.

Other than something NECESSARY and I'll be furious with Obama for setting it up like this.

[Vickers]

4. The recent black-white mindset on what was a mostly greyscale DU

has had me worried for a few days. Hopefully things are getting back to normal (such as it is).

:thumbsup:

[RollWithIt]

5. Just wanted to point out, even with wins in Alaska & Minnesota... still 59 with Lieberman

We currently have 57 Dems, WITH LIEBERMAN.

[99th_Monkey]

6. Ahh ... maybe my math was wrong.. thanks for pointing that out.

I didn't realize the 57 number counted LIEberman. still, I think my main point holds lots of water.

[Generic Other]

18. run-off election in georgia!

60 if saxby is kicked to the curb

[jedr]

7. one more bullet point;

The people of Conn. are about sick of Joe not representing them. If Joe wants to keep his job, he had better become a Democrat. Joe was just made "an offer he couldn't refuse". Kiss the ring Joe!:evilgrin:

[99th_Monkey]

10. "Kiss the ring Joe!" ... LOL ... exactly. I love the imagery. ~nt~

[madfloridian]

8. I disagree with both. I think Dean sort of sold out on that one.

Read what he said in 2006.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/3091

""Howard Dean, the Democratic national chairman, called on Mr. Lieberman to quit the race, and in an interview said he would be disappointed in any Democratic Party leader who continued to support Mr. Lieberman, declaring they “have an obligation” to support their nominee.

But most Democrats were united in saying they would not pressure Mr. Lieberman to step aside for now, saying he was too angered by his loss to accept such counseling and noting Republicans as of now do not have a strong candidate who could take advantage of a fractured Democratic field."

Lamont won, but the party embraced Lieberman. Dean has changed.

[Marr]

11. This attitude is a recipe for disaster.

This whole "they know better than me" sentiment, I mean.

Don't wait for these people to lead you or tell you how to feel. We don't need leaders, we need representatives. Progressives *should* be pissed about Lieberman and they *should* be expressing it. If you make a habit of quietly accepting these types of things, this is all you will ever get.

[texshelters]

12. Lieberman is a right-wing jerk

and should be thrown out on the street. I agree. He is a rotten apple and we don't need capitulation right now.

Obama already sold us out on FISA and will increase the war in Iraq. So, he was never a real progressive. He is a middle of the road Democrat.

We need progressive policies, and there is no reason to keep Lieberman if it doesn't make 60.

Peace,
Tex Shelters

[99th_Monkey]

13. Seems you've already "made a habit"

of impulsively knee-jerking with distrust and a sense of hopelessness, when faced with
politicians doing what politicians do (i.e. horse-trading to get important shit done)..

An entirely forgivable offense IHMO .. since we on the Left have mostly been in that mode
justifiably in the face of the Bush/Cheney 8 year National Nightmare.

Now it's time to "get stuff done" in DC, and how DC works is ... well .. you know the old
adage about sausages.


ON EDIT: I take exception to your suggestion that I'm somehow blindly following Obama like
someone who just fell off the turnip truck with stars in his eyes.

[texshelters]

15. Smart and Savvy

or bought and sold?

Lieberman should be stripped of power and not given any committee position. He is not a Democrat at all. Things can be passed without his help. If he doesn't step up and vote for the Democratic bills, he has no right to be in the party after his behavior during the election.

Is there something I am missing. Does Lieberman have some sort of power in the Senate that Obama can use? Didn't the Republicans get him reelection in Connecticut anyway?

I say make him Ambassador to Australia and get him out of the country. Then Governor M. Jodi Rell, a Republican, would give the Democrats a real Republican to work with instead of a two-faced liar neocon.

Peace,
Tex Shelters

[99th_Monkey]

16. If I were in the Senate, I would have voted to strip LIEberman of chairmanship, but I'm not

in the Senate.

And for the time being.. I'm thinking until I see what Obama actually DOES once he's been in the
WH for say 100 days .. I'm trusting in the judgment of Obama ( and Dean too in this case) .. to
do what's politically necessary to move the Nation forward.. That trust is not being given lightly,
it has been earned by these two batting 1000 so far. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. ;-)