Dean on Morning Joe: Lieberman should give up HSC chairmanship if he filibusters..

[madfloridian]

with the GOP.

From Sam Stein at the Huffington Post:

Dean: Lieberman Should Give Up Chairmanship If He Backs GOP Health Care Filibuster

Former DNC Chair Howard Dean called on Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn) to resign as chair of Senate Homeland Security Committee if he can't bring himself to oppose a Republican filibuster of health care reform legislation. Appearing on "The Joe Scarborough Show" on WABC, Dean stressed that he had no problem with Lieberman opposing the bill on its philosophical merits, or lack thereof. But he insisted that it was irresponsible and unprincipled to not allow the legislation to come to an up-or-down vote.

"I think that Lieberman is a very complicated guy," said Dean. "He does confuse me because he says he's a principled guy but there's nothing principled about holding up a bill... If he was a principled guy he'd resign his chairmanship."

"If you are with a caucus you don't owe the leader any vote on any substance," Dean added. "I have no problem with him voting against the public option... You owe it to Harry Reid to allow him to run the Senate. And if you're not willing to do that the proper thing to do is to step aside."

[madfloridian]

1. "remove the leverage" the conservatives are using....

"Elsewhere in his Wednesday interview, the former DNC chairman urged the party to reconsider the use of reconciliation to pass aspects of reform. Such a parliamentary maneuver, he noted, would remove the "leverage" of the party's conservative members by allowing the bill an up-or-down vote.

"Lieberman has announced he's gong to be "stubborn" about this," said Dean, "and I think that means going to reconciliation. You can start it all over and that's going to take about six weeks, but there are a majority of senators who are not going to be in favor a bill without a public option."

[me b zola]

2. Recommended

[Cha]

3. Thank you, Dean!

[3waygeek]

4. Screw that...

the Dems should strip Lieberman of his chairmanship & seniority.

[tularetom]

6. Yeah the little wimp will never give it up voluntarily

He should be removed from the chairmanship, forcibly if necessary.

[havocmom]

11. and stuff him in his locker

[RepublicanElephant]

5. dr. dean is too nice.

and classy.

[Clio the Leo]

7. And we should GIVE IT to Howard Dean!

(and yes, I realize he's not currently in the Senate, but I dont see why that matters. :) )

[PBS Poll-435]

8. That is far too generous

I prefer the stockades for the distinguished gentleman from Connecticut.

[madfloridian]

10. heh heh

Lieberman has gotten away with way too much. He lost the Democratic primary, won against the Dem Lamont with the help of Republicans....and is still the effing chair of HSC.

Too much.

[MurrayDelph]

9. Since Joe will NEVER give up power voluntarily

let's offer a deal to Susan Collins of Maine (also a member of the committee) where if she switches sides and votes for cloture we give HER the chairmanship!