Senator Joe Lieberman, Independent from Connecticut, has become a nightmare for the Democratic caucus that welcomed him back after his public support of John McCain in 2008, even making him Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee.
Lieberman has been a constant thorn in the side of President Obama, and now has stated he will not support any public option or Medicare extension in the Health Care legislation being considered, and that he might join the filibuster of the Republicans, making it effective by his own vote.
The story of the year could be Joe Lieberman, the 2000 Vice Presidential nominee, preventing his party from enacting the major initiative of the Obama Administration. And this comes on top of news that his wife, Hadassah, works in the health care industry, and that Connecticut is the major center of health care insurance companies.
Apparently, Lieberman does not care about his public image, and is in bed with the insurance companies that rip off many Americans, and with the Republican party, which has no interest in health care reform.
Shame on Joe Lieberman! But also remember that when he ran for the Senate against liberal Republican Senator Lowell Weicker in 1988, that William F. Buckley, Jr, publisher of the conservative National Review, voted for him and said Lieberman was his “favorite Democrat!”
So maybe Lieberman was always not to be trusted as a true Democrat. Now the Democrats are paying the price! 🙁
I find it refreshing that Democrats have independent-minded politicians who are willing to put a stop to partisan-plagued, good-for-nothing legislation (i.e. the current health care reform bill). If Democrats (namely Pres. Obama) really believed in achieving a non-partisan bill to effectively reform our damaged health care system, they would include Republicans in closed-door meetings and be willing to include Republican amendments. The left has shown its true colors by a dramatic increase in spending, plunging us further into debt. This health care bill does nothing more than add to this crisis. God help us if even one shred of this legislation sees the light of day.
I can agree that being a maverick is appealing in certain ways, and certainly, as an author of a book on independent minded Republicans during the New Deal, I can say that there is an element of courage in fighting against the party line. But I feel Lieberman has worn out his welcome in the Democratic party by his lack of loyalty in the 2008 Presidential election, and now changing his mind on Medicare for over 55 when he was for it just a couple of months ago. And his wife being in the health insurance industry is troubling as a conflict of interest as well. And I do believe in the public option as an alternative!
It seems to me not so long ago a Republican controlled Senate and House held close door meetings to exclude Democratic ideas. Bipartisanship is a two way street. We reap what we sow. The word “no” is not much of an idea.