Nothing like a Scoop Jackson Democrat to show how far the modern Democratic Party has fallen when it comes to using its power. Love him or hate him, Mr. Lieberman is schooling both Pres. Obama and Sen. Reid, making a mockery of the Democratic majority, not worried about anything, as he’s already taken on the activist base and beat them too. Sam Stein has the full story.
Ah yes, Joe Lieberman using his power once again to throttle the Democratic majority while hijacking the agenda. Why not? He has already learned that there will be no consequences for doing so.
Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) informed Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) in a face-to-face meeting on Sunday that he will vote against a health care bill that includes a public option or a provision that would expand Medicare, a Democratic Senate aide tells the Huffington Post. …
[...] The final path would be to try reconciliation, the parliamentary procedure that would allow Democrats to pass chunks of health care reform by a simple up or down vote. There are a host of hurdles that come with going down this route, including questions over what, exactly, could be passed. And both the White House and Reid’s office seem hesitant to use the procedural tool, even after Lieberman’s latest round of opposition.
On “60 Minutes,” Pres. Obama sent a final signal that reconciliation won’t be the method, going out to proclaim a bill will get done by Christmas.
“I think it’s going to pass out of the Senate before Christmas,” Mr. Obama said in the interview. … .. “Just because I’m not, you know, over at the Capitol Building doesn’t mean I’m not involved,” he said. “You know my job is not to draft legislation. My job is to set forward a vision, point people in the right direction. That’s what we’ve done. And that’s why we’re gonna get a bill.”
Mr. Obama went on to say that “Seven Presidents have failed up until this point. We are now that close to having a bill that does all the things that I said and most experts said needed to be done when we started this process.” Making it very clear how the “win” on health care will be framed.
Nyah, nyah, nobody could do it but me. Having the sobering impact of being correct on that front, while the White House continues to bet that in the end “the left” will always come home to their guy. It’s here, looking forward, I also bet they’re rooting for Sarah Palin to keep on coming, as there is likely a feeling in the Obama administration, even at this early point, that the Democratic disgruntled will join to fight against her. Again, they’ve got a point.
So, what deal is Obama and Reid going to give Joe Lieberman to get it done, since neither have the leadership spine to use reconciliation, something Mr. Lieberman knows all too well? With dreams of deals to come, likely with Republican, no doubt already dancing in his head.
We now know Obama says he’ll get a bill, driven partly by an accomplishment that seven others failed to get, the PR line laid out in advance by the President himself. But given Lieberman’s stance, with few others left to move, what kind of bill will it be? It’s clear neither Obama or Reid cares at this point.
A lot of others do or they will once they find out what it means (or doesn’t mean) to them.
Watch for a circling of wagons.
Don’t do it.
I’m sorry but Joe Lieberman and the conservative Democrats and klanservative Republicans merely appear paid puppets of the various companies that contribute money to them.
Don’t blame Joe as much as you should blame the CEOs and the companies that they run who give money to Joe and the rest of the puppets they hire to stop progressive health care legislation.
http://bit.ly/public_option
http://www.democratz.org
Joe da woim was re-elected. Blame the voters.
Obama reportedly said right at the begining of his presidency, after a meeting with Congress dems, that the bluedogs will sink his presidency. The future may well prove him right if he does not find a way to take away the leverage they feel (rightly or wrongly) that they have.
I understand much better now the courting of Snowe and other moderate GOP. Him and Rahm must have looked at their “majority” and the likes of Lieberman and Nelson and decided that they will be better of taking their chances with Snowe (who seems like a reasonable person to me and has a constituency supporting health care reform) and those they can bring. Maybe that is why he still thiks a deal can be made by christmas, maybe he considers the attention seeking and self-serving posturing of Lieberman as irrelevant. Let’s not forget that they have a bit of a contentious history and that Obama has zero leverage over him. Afterall the man has consistently opposed health care reform and was one of the main obstacle in senate against the Clinton initiate, he also actively campaigned against Obama last year and back stabbed him when he publicly claimed that a bill he had co-sponsored with Obama was in fact done with McCain.
Let us see… right now Congress on health care reform looks like a circus.
I put that in the BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH department. Remember, President O is already having trouble with elderly voters and non educated whites, 2 segments that almost always vote in vast number. And also remember, President O will not represent the “new” thing in 2012; Gov Palin will in many ways given the fact that she is a female and the historic connotations that carries.
And has her book tour clearly indicates, there are a lot of 16 – 17 year olds strongly motivated by her who will be 18 and motivated to vote for her by Nov 2012. Not to mention many people voting for her because they feel she has been persecuted by the media. In other words, there may be a lot of Dem base voters against her, but the more popular she becomes, these voters will be more than offset by her more passionate supporters.
I honestly think the O team fears Gov Palin in 2012. Another historic moment in the offing, 4 years after breaking one barrier.
I’d point you to Reid’s statement re: Lieberman, Isis, where he said…
Once in front of the assembled reporters, Reid quickly took a question about Lieberman. “I have the greatest confidence in Joe Lieberman’s ability as a legislator,” Reid said. “And he will work with us when this gets on the floor, and I’m sure he’ll have some interesting things to do in the way of an amendment. But Joe Lieberman is the least of Harry Reid’s problems.”
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/10/27/harry-reid-joe-lieberman-is-the-least-of-harry-reids-problem/
Welcome SmoothJazz. With 2010 coming, that’s the election that will tell a lot, but I appreciate you weighing in, though get prepared for an onslaught against Palin. I’d say it remains to be seen whether she can garner enough broad support to beat out Mitt Romney, someone who, given the economic climate, is gnashing at the bit for 2012 to begin. But again, first things first, what can Palin do in 2010? Though considering Palin’s health care contribution, single-handedly derailing health care with her “death panels” squeal, she’s already proven her jugular instinct for opposition marketing.
The way it appears to be shapping up is the Dems will deservedly lose seats in the house and possibly Senate. Whether they lose enough seats to render them completely impotent is about all that remaqins to be seen. All thanks to President Obama’s misguided “nonpartisanship” horseshet dithering and allowing the bluedogs to screw us all for corporate contributions.
Taylor: “while the White House continues to bet that in the end ‘the left’ will always come home to their guy.”
The “nowhere else to go” expectation will apply to what segment of “the left,” I wonder.
Taylor: “Watch for a circling of wagons.” I’ve felt on the outside of a circle for some time now
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I sure would like a link to that Bluedog comment by the President seeing as how he appears to be a Blue Dog himself.He is also cock sure of himself,showing zero humility when his friend Oprah asked him to grade himself. He gives himself a B+ and thinks he will be in A- territory as soon as some crappy ode to the status quo is signed. Ihave never loved him but my feelings right now are turning bitter.
As for Joe Libermann…Conneticut needs to start a recall.Wouldn’t that be great? He does not give a s**t about suffering americans. The karma he is building up is awesome.I hope he is a pig in a feedlot for his next life.
Joe Lieberman is all about Joe Lieberman. He always has been. Did anyone notice Lieberman’s grand entrance into the Senate on Saturday? Seems that this little Orthodox Zionist twerp held the Senate up for an hour while he walked the 3 miles from his synagogue to his job in Congress. Where is the secularism (seperation of church and state) when it comes to this holier-than-though faker? Is it any no wonder why US foreign policy is being run out of Tel Aviv? I am not an anti-Semite nor a racist nor a sexist. I’m just tired of having my fingers bent back so that my fingertips meet my wrist by these corrupt phonies. Peace
Connecticut
I’m still surprised anyone is still following the Health Care Debate at this point. Everything that should be important in the darn thing is missing. So, Liberman block it would be a gifted from god…But,Obama wants anything to call victory even this awful bill. Heck, I stop paying attention to the Health care debate two months ago.
Lake Lady, ugh…What grade did you seriously think he was going to give his self?!!! Really, as if the Obama would say on national TV “Oh, yeah and F sounds about right.” In Obama twisted logic he feels getting any water down Health Care would be a win. I’m starting to agree with him on that point when comparing past presidents success the Health Care issue. The bad news the bill is so bad it might help Republicans in the near future. The good news Obama Knows is poll numbers are suffering from a bad economy. So, he needs to get past this Health Care debate issue and move on to Job creation.
” Seems that this little Orthodox Zionist twerp held the Senate up for an hour while he walked the 3 miles from his synagogue to his job in Congress.”"I am not an anti-Semite”
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Ya know, it seems the ONLY self acknowledged antisemites there ever were were the pre-losing the war Nazis. NOBODY who don’t like dem JEWS since has been an antisemite.
You’d better have your meds checked, secularhuman. I love the Jews. I’m not too crazy about those who pretend to be Jews or Christians or Muslims and are actually corrupt and hateful beings, however. What difference does it make to you anyway. You’re an atheist aren’t you? Or are you a closet something or other only pretending to be tolerant? Peace
It is a rare thing but I have to agree with Imhotep on corrupt individuals hiding behind religion. I suspect however that secular was commenting on Imhotep’s body of comments.
Sherrod Brown has given up. He was just on Olbermann and said he was disappointed it would be a good bill(cough,cough) but not a great bill.
I think hate is a wasted emotion, more destructive to the hater than the hated but I am getting close with Libermann.