I must say I was thoroughly charmed by the childlike innocence of those who thought Joe Lieberman’s trip to the Groton sub base with Republicans candidates Jodi Rell and Rob Simmons yesterday did not, in fact, constitute "campaigning." Most people leave that kind of wide-eyed credulity in childhood; how wonderful that some manage to carry it into their adult years.
I guess the logic wraps around the fact that a "conference" was held at Groton in order to determine "specific recommendations on steps to be taken to avoid having the base targeted again in future base closing rounds." No politics involved at all, right? It’s just a concidence that "saving" the Groton sub base is one of the fundamental claims Joe makes in trying to prove his value to Connecticut voters, and that Democrat Chris Dodd refused to be a part of a GOP dog and pony show.
If so, perhaps Joe would like offer up an explanation for his trip later in the day with Simmons, candidate for the hotly contested House seat against Joe Courtney, to the Millstone nuclear power plant?
As Lamont campaign manager Tom Swan was overheard to say, "What were they doing at Millstone, a fucking inspection?"
Perhaps if those buying into the "non-political conference" tale can tear themelves away from emailing their bank account numbers to that international lottery they just won, we’ll get some answers.
UPDATE: As if on cue, the New Haven Independent (via ConnecticutBlog) has this, from Turncoat Joe:
Lieberman — who after losing an Aug. 8 Democratic primary to Ned Lamont has launched a third-party bid to hold onto his seat in the Nov. 7 general election — was asked whether he still endorses Diane Farrell, Joe Courtney and Chris Murphy, three Democrats looking to unseat endangered Republican incumbents Chris Shays, Rob Simmons and Nancy Johnson.
“I’m a non-combatant,” Lieberman declared. “I am not going to be involved in other campaigns. I think it’s better if I just focus on my own race.”…
“It’s a little awkward for me now” to endorse the Democratic candidates in the general election, he said, “since they all endorsed my opponent,” Democratic primary winner Ned Lamont.
Any further questions whose team Lieberman plays for? It’s called Party of One. — CHS (Hat tip to *xyz for the link.)
Related posts:
Spotlight
Support this site!
Subscribe to the newsletter
Advertise on Firedoglake
Send
us your tips
Make us your homepage
About Firedoglake
Advanced search
Jane!
FDL!
OT– Hardballs has Dr. Ben Marble (hero) up against Rockey (raccoon)
He isn’t GONE YET?
Joe Lieberaman, not his only mistake, cost Gore the 2000 race.
Well, shoot, Christy: how many time do I have to update my next post’s update because of this one’s updates!
I’m still gonna h/t xyz in my post, so there!
The blink list is cool. Or is it really secret code in semaphore?
Oh my, Marble is slaying Rockey and it is must see teevee!
Well, Joe *has* become a millstone around the neck of the Democratic party, so I guess it’s kinda fitting…
Joe’s comment about endorsements was absolutely telling.
It’s clear that endorsements for him are not about supporting a person who shares certain (Democratic) principles or qualities of leadership.
It’s about supporting people who support him.
It’s all about Joe, as usual. Connecticut (and everyone else) for Lieberman.
I’m loving the hat tips!
Pach at 6 — well, since Jane was still on the road, I figured she’d want that out there along with her nuclear plant tete-a-tete information. ;-) But it needs much more discussion than I had time to give it in my update, so please DO.
Holy Joe starts this political mess in Connecticut, and he has the nerve to say he is a “non-combatant”? Gimme a break.
Today, Joe officially declared himself a party of 1. Members of a political party campaign for their fellow party members, especially in their homestate. Joe has oficially denounced his Democratic Party alliances and said that he campaigns for only his party of one, plus whoever his Repuhg handlers say he can whore for money.
Holy Joe is no Democrat!
stinkyman gotta go!
Ramesh subbing for David Brooks on Newshour!
I think I’m gonna barf!
Christy Hardin Smith @ 12
I already deleted my lenthier quote from the New Haven Independent, but I do link Connecticut Blog and the Independent in passing with a h/t to xyz. I could not do a more full discussion of it, I think, without losing the focus of the post.
S’ok. The point is made. .. the news is getting amplified!
So let me get this straight…A couple of weeks ago the Democratic candidates for House in Connecticut were the best persons for the job but because something happened vis-a-vis two OTHER Senatorial candidates whereby one WON and the other LOST, those same congressional candidates are now NOT the best persons for the job?
It really is all about you, isn’t it, Joe.
Two phrases come to mind, both by the morally-centered Gomer Pyle, USMC:
1.) SURPRISE, SURPRISE, SURPRISE! and
2.) FER SHAME, FER SHAME, FER SHAME!
that was a “non-political” campaign event — it’s standard practice for politicians to hold “hearings” or “town hall meetings” to push a particular agenda – and to get “free media”. The Sub Base has already been saved but it makes great coverage for those who claim credit to have very public “strategy sessions” to remind voters. For Joe to do this public event with GOP candidate for Governor is pure politics, cloaked as governance.
i posted at Kos yesterday on a diary that the group was at Millstone, where i work. i got flamed anyway for saying that they were walking around shaking hands at the plant. it sure felt like a political thing to me. i am just a voter in connecticut.
New Toys?! But it’s not my birthday!…
Waitaminute…..You’re just trying to get rid of me, aren’t you?
Everyone knows I can entertain my self for hours with just a rubberband.
*g*
Hello Friends,
You do not know me, however you know my father, “The Subway Serenade”. I wish there were better circumstances for me to introduce myself to you, but this post was made at the request of my father to let you all know where he disappeared too.
After some very odd and awkward symtoms, my father was finally persuaded by friends and neighbors to go to the hospital. He was immediatly addmitted to Staten Island University Hospital, a biopsy was performed and he is scheduled for pancreatic surgery sometime in the next 36 hours.
I know that the friends that he has in the blogosphere would not only want to know but want to help him any way they can.
Here’s what you can do:
1. Pray that he does not have cancer.
2. Share his Music with everyone you know
I will do my best to keep you updated on his progress.
Thank you all for everything,
Please share this link.
ConSec
Can someone please explain those icons for the tech- or toy-challenged amongst us? (like TSF!)
http://www.WhinyJoe.com
I am at a loss to describe my description of Mr. Lieberman at this time. But this condition will not last.
Conspiracy Secretary @ 21
Major prayers for you all.
Conspiracy Secretary @ 21
Give him my best and prayers for all of you. ;(
TeddySanFran @ 22
Jamie has a post upstairs about it.
Bustednuckles @ 25
From here as well
Conspiracy Secretary — send your father our heartfelt best wishes. We hope for the best and await his return.
Of course it was campaigning.
It must be concern troll season.
Things that make you go “Hmmmmm …”
From bradblog
The Spies Who Knew too Much: NSA Wiretapping Whistleblowers Found Dead
Hey Jane, Christy, Pach — I think I jumped the shark! Guess who’ll be appearing on a panel at the Bloggers’ Caucus at the Michigan Democratic Party Convention tomorrow?
And I’ll FINALLY get to meet the legendary emptywheel in the flesh!!!
I am SO geeked! anyhow, I’m plugging FireDogLake and the Roots Project tomorrow at the caucus. Pach, I know we’re still in beta, but an opportunity like this only comes once in a blue flipping moon. We have to use the opportunities we have, not the opportunities we want to have, yes? Heh. Watch for an influx of Michigan users at staterootsproject.org!
Any of you FirePups going to the convention tomorrow, be sure to look me up!
speaking of assaults on democracy… that race down in Alabama, in the district where they want to kick the lesbian off the general election ballot… seems the rule they are trying to use to kick the woman out was never certified by the DOJ… oh! this is getting interesting!
Pam’s House Blend has the story.
yay Rayne!
Evil Parallel Universe @ 7
Shoot, here I thought it was yet-to-be-pieced quilt. (What’s a blink list?)
Con. Sec. @21…
That’s very unwelcome news.
Forgive those of us who just want to have all of our ducks in a row before we go telling the world what a wanker Joe is by campaigning with Republicans.
I don’t want to start sounding like a wingnut, jumping on the first thing I see every morning. Yes, it sure looked like campaigning to me but there was no formal announcement that it was a campaign stop. We should have made a distinction.
Jane,
I like your response to those concern trolls that seem to think partisanship is well, unseemly. Naive. Well said.
OT: Tomorrow is my first of many days volunteering for the McNerney campaign to unseat Richard Pombo. I just want to thank you, Jane, TRex, and all the commenters here who volunteered for Ned Lamont. You all have inspired and energized me and so many others to get busy and volunteer for progressive candidates. And don’t forget to share some love with the McNerney campaign on the ActBlue page!
Okay, back to lurking . . carry on firedogs.
ConSec — you BET we will, for all we’re worth. Holding you in our hearts too.
SC – Thank you for letting us know. Give our best hopes for recovery and comfort to your father. Take care.
I’m just a part lurker, certainly not a troll but it could be that Dean etc. are letting joe hang himself before going on the attack. If Dean had gone to negative on Wolf’s show or with Tweety, Joe would have been made a martyr. I might be proven wrong but I’m willing to wait a week, well at least a few days to see what happens next. OT after reading the last post we might need to share decorating hints instead of recipes in the morning. Pach and Lotus need advice.
Ramesh going head to head with Mark Shields now on PBS
OT after reading the last post we might need to share decorating hints instead of recipes in the morning. Pach and Lotus need advice.
I do?
Can’t watch the Newshour any more. Lame. Diseased. Pathetic. Robin MacNeil must be so sad.
Glorfindel @ 44
Agreed, but Mark is cleaning Ramesh’s clock. The repugs got nothin’ and Ramesh has no ammo to use.
Ramesh Ponnuru, subbing for David Brooks on NewsHour — has to concede that Bush has had to back away from blaming the press for not reporting the wonderful news from Iraq.
Mark Shields says that scaring people over terror is the only thing Bush has left.
What about McCain dumping on George? What about Chris Shays? Ramesh notes McCain has been a hawk, while Shays is complete opposite — an “outlier” in the party, so he doesn’t matter. Bush would be in trouble if the others in the party said the same thing. Ramesh is having to eat reality trying to sound grown up.
Then Mark says Shays has been a strong supporter, visited Iraq many times, so his statement is signficant. Ramesh’s counter: “uh, uh . . .”
Ramesh can sub for David any time! Welcome to the adult world.
lotus @
43
imho, no not at all or evah! I love the fact that you and your brother honor your Mom everyday by sharing her tastes and dreams– life cannot continue properly without remembering our elders.
For the love of God, Harry Reid. Joe is no longer a Democrat. Take away his committee assignments. Give his desk to Goodwill. Throw his chair in a wood chipper. Change the lock on his office door. Show some spine.
Joe Lieberman says he can’t endorse Farrell, Courtney, and Murphy, the three Democrats running for the House because they have already endorsed Lamont.
Come again? When you think about what that statement really says, you have to conclude that Joe is the total antithesis of that good Yiddish word, “mensch” — a man.
A real “mensch” would have said, “Yes, Farrell, Courtney, and Murphy are good Democrats, and I know they have endorsed my opponent (who shall be nameless), and I respect their right to do so. However, I also believe they would serve the state of Connecticut well, and therefore I endorse them.”
By saying what he did, Joe showed his true colors, which is that of small-minded narcissist, and in no effing way a mensch. Joe, you are, to use another wonderful yiddish word, a SCHMUCK.
And in calling him a schmuck, I am being polite.
God I love people like Hildi Halley!!!
http://www.tpmcafe.com/blog/co…..h_this_war
Conspiracy Secretary – all best wishes and prayers for your father’s recovery.
Oh, gimme a break, Jane. You made claims without any evidence, and everyone jumped in and cited you, without any evidence that you were on solid ground.
NOW you have a solid argument. Yesterday morning, you didn’t. That you turned out to be right doesn’t change that.
orangejumpsuit @
49
Joe is such a schmuck that if they were holding a contest for the world’s biggest schmuck, he would come in second.
orangejumpsuit @ 49
Joe is definitly no mensch. As to the other? Well I wouldn’t speculate, or for that matter touch that. But I might say you are not being rude. I would tend to be a bit more harsh, perhaps. I have to wonder, has Joe ever experienced a moment of menschness?
exactamente, Morris Sheppard.
he’s a putz, too.
orangejumpsuit @
49
Upon further thought, maybe Joe is going after the schmuck vote. His plan – let’s see, he gets a good portion of the R’s, splits the independents, totaly loses the Dems but captures the schmuck vote. He hopes this will put him over he top.
My first reaction upon reading the “non-combatant” quote was “holy f’ing crap, you must be kidding me.”
I must have missed Joe’s update – the one where he explains that he IS, really, a Democrat, only not on the ballot, because he lost when he was a Democrat on the ballot, but he’s a Democrat in his heart, but he can’t support the Democrats running for the House, because then how would he explain not being able to support the Democrat running for the Senate, because – that’s right – he’s running against THAT Democrat, and to be FAIR, he really shouldn’t SAY anything, but oh, pardon him, he has to run off to Groton with a couple of Republicans who are on the ballot, because he has to pretend he is just being Senator Joe, savior of the sub base, while he is actually campaigning, but if there’s an event where the Democrats will be, he can’t be there even if he doesn’t say anything, because really, how would that look? – but he does promise if he wins that he will caucus with the Democrats because he already votes with them 90% of the time, and he is secretly hoping that if he does win, and somehow we take control of the Senate, he will be named chairman of some committees where – guess what? – he will be able to flex his super-duper bi-partisan muscles that can reach aaaallll the way across the aisle and hold off any investigations that might hurt the Republicans who have been so, so supportive.
What a useless, conniving tool.
RT @ 53
I’m a part-timer here, so I can’t tell if this is meant to be a joke….”no evidence” of Lieberman being a de facto Republican? no this has to be a joke
angie @ 56
And on his way to becoming a patzer.
Just what Bush needs, a bunch of noncombatant supporters.
RT at 53 — you have no idea what information Jane had. But I can tell you it was as solid yesterday as it was today. And that’s a stone cold fact.
Do you still need a supporter if you don’t have any balls?
Anne @ 63
You might consider one of those gel bras instead…unless you are flying, they are now banned on flights!
Anne 58
I think you’ve nailed it.
How he can say he’s still really a Democrat, but not support other Democrats (except the one actual Democrat running against him), simply escapes me. Harry Reid, Mark Pryor, Tim Carper, Mary Landrieu, are you listening? Do you need an excuse to change? Now you have it.
Anne @ 63
No, but a cuppa might suit him.
Anne @ 63
Now spitting out my coffee all over the keyboard. If I can’t post anymore today you will know the reason. I think you owe me $29.95 plus tax.
Jim @ 59
I doubt this was meant as a joke. So just in case, it was clear yesterday that the event was intended by all the politicians to be a campaign event. In the middle of campaigns, they went out their way to structure an event to pat themselves on the back.
Lieberman knew that those who would show up would be the Republicans against whom Dems would be in tight races, but they wouldn’t be part of the event. The event would instead be used as a feather for the Repub incumbents, and Lieberman knew that. So knowing that this would be a favorable event for the Repubs, and would hurt their Dem opponents, Joe went there as part of his campaign. Jane accurately described that as “campaigning with Republicans,” and I don’t know how else to describe it.
Jane wasn’t speculating, and she wasn’t just lucky when things turned out as she predicted. All the facts necessary to draw the right conclusions were available yesterday. It’s called insight and thinking.
Sorry – didn’t mean to de-rail the thread…my fingers were apparently typing on their own, and my brain denies any knowledge…*g*
Wait, here comes the flip-flop. On August 10, Joe said this….
“Lieberman said that he will continue to support the Democrats running for Congress even though they now support Lamont.
“It is a little bit harder, but I have endorsed the three of them,” he said. Lieberman endorsed Joe Courtney over Rep. Rob Simmons, R-2, and Chris Murphy over Rep. Nancy Johnson, R-5.
Lieberman does not believe his campaign will drain resources or interest away from the Democratic challengers.
“I think that so far they are doing pretty well,” he said.”
http://www.connpost.com/news/ci_4161213
So, if Joe is changing his mind already (and I wonder why – perhaps a wee bit of pressure from his new found Republican friends), why should we continue to believe he will caucus with Dems and vote for Harry Reid as leader?
Ellen G — great catch. Nails in coffins.
After listening to General Batiste’s comments on our glorious Sec. of Def. maybe we should collect recipes for Chicken Salad and send them to joe. Of course my collection doesn’t contain the feces parts.
Chris Matthews just showed McCain’s flip-flog on whether Iraq would be easy. But then Dana Milbank says, “who cares?” Jeez.
Marbles destroys Rockey coming up on Softballs.
The DNC needs to be treating Joe as an “Enemy Combatant” and they need to do it now.
Bastard Son of Barney Fife @ 75
Something tells me that’s coming very soon…
I think the question has been answered. Is Joe really still a “Democrat?” How certain is it that if his vote is needed for a majority it will be there? What price can he be expected to extract front the party to caucus with them, should he (God forbid) win?
He who has ears, let them hear. He who has eyes, let them see.
Bastard Son of Barney Fife @ 75
off to Gitmo right now, or to one of the rendition sites that some of them support
Anne @ 76
God, I hope you’re right!
Anne, I sure hope so. They have got to know what thier continued support for Lieberman is doing to the party. If they don’t, we’ll just have to show them the door.
sjvalleygal @ 38
I know this is EPU’d, but congratulations! I think Howie Klein is bringing your guy by this weekend, and I look forward to (virtually) meeting him. Oh, and your lurking days are over. You have to be our eyes and ears on the ground in the campaign.
angie @
78
Angie, can I at least pick up my dry cleaning first? :)
Joe’s not fighting them here cuz we’re fighting them over there.
Joe’s refusal to endorse the three Democratic Congressional candidates should sound the death knell for any lingering Democratic ambivalence toward cutting him off and cutting him down.
I’m glad the nature and context of Holy Joe’s Groton appearances yesterday have now been described in sufficient detail to confirm that they were as bad as Jane was implying. Those of us not tied in to the Connecticut political grapevine had no way of evaluating precisely how these appearances constituted “campaigning with Republicans,” and should not be slammed as concern trolls for merely having requested more information before clicking on our righteous indignation buttons.
Conspiracy Secretary @
21
Sending off a prayer for “Subway Serenade”. But for me and maybe other new folks, can you regulars help me with the second request?
Bastard Son of Barney Fife @
82
not you darling, HoJo can go under the banner of his most beloved leader, g dubya. how did you ever come up with such an adorable handle anyway?
orangejumpsuit says:
Lieberman is, indeed, the antithesis of a mensh. But it’s much better to translate ‘mensh’ as ‘person’ or ‘human being’. A man or a woman may be a mensh. From Leo Rosten’s ‘The Joys of Yiddish’:
Jojo was a man who thought he was a loner.
But he knew it couldn’t last.
http://bobgeiger.blogspot.com/
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Reporting Accurately on Reid’s Options With Lieberman
The Progressive blog world has been on fire this week with tales of Senator Joe Lieberman campaigning for Republicans in Connecticut. But, as Stephen Elliott said Friday in the Huffington Post, it may or may not be accurate, depending on how you view Lieberman’s public appearance with Republican candidates Jodi Rell (Governor) and Rob Simmons (House of Representatives) at a gathering to celebrate the Groton submarine base surviving years of national military-base closures.
So is something like this “campaigning” with Republicans or isn’t it? Frankly, if I were on Rell’s staff, I would worry that appearing with Lieberman would make her look too conservative but, as the Hartford Courant said simply on Thursday, “Lieberman will appear with two prominent Republicans, Gov. M. Jodi Rell and U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons, R-2nd, to celebrate last year’s reversal of a Pentagon decision to close the Groton submarine base.”
Does a mere appearance to celebrate some very good news for the people of Connecticut — even with GOP candidates there — mean that Lieberman is campaigning with them? Simmons certainly didn’t waste too much time hawking his appearance at the Groton base on, yes, his campaign web site, so one could indeed reasonably construe it as a campaign event.
And I can also understand why this angers Progressives so much as we are at a time of political war, with a bit over two months until the midterm elections and, if I were a Democratic candidate, even bumping into a Republican pol at my local Starbucks would be too close for comfort.
Smarter people than me are going to have to parse through this one.
What I’m more concerned about, as your humble correspondent on the U.S. Senate, is one facet of how some Progressive bloggers are going after Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid and demanding that he quickly, publicly and harshly neuter Lieberman for the pain he is causing a party that stuck with him for so many years.
Make no mistake about it: Joe Lieberman has crossed the line in so many ways that, lengthy friendships and Senate collegiality aside, it’s time for all Senate Democrats to drop the hammer on Joe and publicly renounce him remaining in a race from which he was legitimately booted by Democratic voters in Connecticut. Lieberman is doing everything he can to undermine the national Democratic party and he is hurting Democratic House candidates in his state, and all for the glorification of an ego and a sense of political entitlement that have spun entirely out of control.
Joe needs to go — and quickly.
And, while many of the calls for harsh action from Reid may be righteous, bloggers castigating him for not stripping Lieberman of his committee assignments — especially his standing as ranking Democrat on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee — and urging their readers to call Reid’s office to harangue him about this, are simply wrong and not reporting accurately on what is or is not within Reid’s authority.
Based on the way the Senate works procedurally, this is simply not something that Reid even has the authority to do.
Let me break down why that is.
The membership in Senate committees is decided at the start of every Congress with a haggled-out thing called an “organizing resolution.” The entire Senate votes on it and it usually passes by unanimous consent. Organizing resolutions can also happen when party shake-ups occur in the middle of a Congress, like when Vermont’s Jim Jeffords bolted from the GOP in 2001.
To give Joe his well-deserved comeuppance by taking him off committees and effectively making him the most junior member of the Senate, Reid would have to formally propose an amendment to the current organizing resolution, manage to get it to a vote and then get every Democrat and a handful of Republicans to vote for a new committee organization sans Lieberman. If Majority Leader Bill Frist decided to filibuster Reid’s action, 60 votes would be required to keep it alive.
Based on that procedural construct, Harry Reid can’t just unilaterally, or even by a closed vote of the Democratic caucus, strip Lieberman of his committee assignments.
In short, it ain’t gonna happen. Even if Reid were to go way out on a limb like this and even if he were to get all Senate Democrats to make such a big move, I stand a better chance of getting a hot date with Salma Hayek then there is of even one Republican voting with them to boot Joe.
While not the most exciting reading in the world, the organizing resolutions for the current (109th) Senate are here for the Republicans and here for Democrats if you would like to see what this process looks like.
I’m just finishing Helen Thomas’s excellent book, “Watchdogs of Democracy?” which, like Eric Boehlert’s superb “Lapdogs: How the Press Rolled Over for Bush,” indicts a corporate media that has become too much like stenographers and not enough like real reporters, dealing in facts and doing the legwork to acquire the truth.
Progressive political writers should be tough and aggressive, while making sure that we don’t make the same mistakes as the corporate media we so roundly criticize and, in the process, appear so shrill that our own message becomes as suspect.