When Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut lost the Democratic nomination in 2006 and still won on the Independent ticket, my suspicion that a lot of the guys support came from the Right was confirmed. But it's been his support for the Iraq war and his endorsement of John McCain for president that has really put him in the Benedict Arnold category.
What's even more surprising, was how quickly and easily John McCain embraced his former Senate rival. Joe Lieberman is a gun control advocate and he is pro-choice. How can the Republicans so easily accept this guy into their ranks. And so much so that we saw him traveling around with McCain's campaign. Could anyone ever forget the image of Lieberman correcting McCain on his confusing the different factions in Iraq. It reminded me of a dedicated grandson correcting his senile grandpa.
But it all seems surreal now. Just eight years ago this guy was the Democratic Vice Presidential candidate. One of the top ranking Democrats in the Senate. But he took a great big wrong turn when it came to the Iraq war. Right when the Democrats in this country were turning sour on the war, he decided to continue to support it to the point of losing his own parties nomination, despite being one of the most senior senators in Washington.
Unfortunately he decided to run as an Independent and through standing by Bush on the war, was able to garner enough Republican support to keep his seat in the Senate. But this jumping in bed with John McCain is the last straw. How could he so blatantly betray the Party that nurtured his political career? How could he turn his back on the issues and Democratic values he claimed to be a champion of? Was keeping his job so important that he was willing to compromise everything he says he's stood for?
It is this correspondent opinion that Joe Lieberman is an over ambitious, self centered, opportunist with no sense of honor. A traitor to his Democratic brethren and to the Principles that Political Party espouses.
And this begs the question... What kind of presidential candidate would so easily embrace such a traitor? When the real Benedict Arnold moved to England after his failed attempt to oust George Washington, he was not received like a hero. He was ostracized and reviled by the British to the end of his days. The only conclusion I can come to is just more evidence that McCain is not a new kind of politician. He's just the same old "do whatever it takes to win" politicrat we've been betrayed by time and time again.
It's time to stop the madness... Vote Barack Obama.
*************
Devin Barber, Politics Correspondent
Devin's column, "Left Of The Right" published weekly or more to Gather Essentials: Politics is a Blue Collar Democrats take on current political news.
Devin was raised by proud Roosevelt Democrats. Being the son of parents counted among the throng of Americans displaced by the Great Depression has given Devin a deep rooted passion for causes dealing with the poor and the working class.
You can find all of Devin's columns at http://gather.com/leftoftheright
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Comments: 37
Democrats must unite behind Barack Obama and help elect a stronger Democratic majority in the congress. Its the only chance we'll ever have of setting this country on the right track.
He's still damn liberal. McCain will accept the endorsement because McCain is a liberal. Much, much more liberal than George Bush. Lieberman is no Republican.
So this notion of us all uniting and crossing over the aisle to work together is crap? But if its a Democrat siding with the Reprublicans bad, Republicans with the Democrats is good. Right?
For all the folks who keep saying, "Why can't we have a moderate President that unites both sides" well, here's your guy. The Dem's don't like him and the Republicans don'tlike him.
John McCain will win the middle and some of the political right to win it all.
Isreal believes in personal and economic freedom.
As for McCain and Lieberman being called "liberal", that is just a conservative tactic to attempt to move the goal posts ... everyone at all to their left are considered far out liberals by them ... they will never be happy until they have it all their way ... it is just their nature to be so selfish.
IMnsHO.
Now Ben stabs Obama in the back by not addressing the Obama is a Muslim lies circulating from the right wing bigots.
Connecticut must be so proud.
They are voting on cutting Medicare, let me see they charge me for having it and take it from my S.S. check each month, so for me Medicare isn't free now they want to cut it after the Repbulicans set up the drug protion of it to benefit their drug company friends, oh you have to pay for the benefit of having the drug protion as well, so that isn't free either and to add insult to injury the drug companies can charge whatever they want and go up on the price whenever they please, and the protion that is paid for the drugs ends after $2500 is paid to the drug companies for their high priced medications and the rest is out of pocket until you reach $4500, ever seen what a vial of insulin costs retail? Between $60 and $100 and I use two a month, without it I die within a short time...I don't have the extra to pay out of pocket each month after I reach the $2500 level, oh you also have to pay part of the drug costs that Medicare doesn't cover and guess what the part you pay out of pocket is added to what Medicare pays to achieve the $2500...
Will I vote for a Republican as long as I live the answer is NO!
As for Joe reminds me of a Senator from Georgia who calls himself a Democrat but then where was he standing in 2004 for the Republican Party convention, on the stage with George W. Bush...so what Lieberman has done is about the same as Senator Miller from Georgia...but then Miller wasn't a very good Governor either when he held that office...
Oh, well, back to playing with my photos and art...
:O)
//Electing Obama would mean giving our half of the world's nuclear weapons to radical Islamic countries trying to appease them// Huh? Where did you get that? Oh, yeah, the 'Pubs have already dusted off the Rove playbook. Way to go, guys; get us confused with your lies, damn lies and cooked statistics while you make your getaway with all our cash!
The group: We Comment Back
When I was in the Navy, there were those who would deliberately bait me, knowing my passion for fairness and logic, and make radical and intolerant statements just to ease their boredom. I would take the bait and argue for tolerance, and they would laugh, already secure that their view was right and mine wrong, joking "yeah, save the gay whales, right".
There are some good intentions on the Republican side of the aisle, but if you are blindered by a limited ideology, you are unaware of the whole truth. Bush has no concept of what it would be like to be poor, and his policies show that. His decisions are informed by his small reality.
But its not going to work this time Right wingers.
So, if you don't have a job, go ahead and lose your home, your stability, your last bit of security! GOP doesn't care -- just keep cutting taxes for the rich!
In it, you pointedly asked: " How can the Republicans so easily accept this guy into their ranks." I think that the answer to your excellent question is that the number one issue in this campaign is whether the neocons are going to continue to control our foreign policy.
In order to further the chances of success on this issue, the right wing has shown it is willing to accept a moderate candidate and an even more left-leaning senator with open arms.
I have a growing concern that the ultimate objective here, with a neocon victory in the fall, goes far beyond the simple act of bombing Iran. I believe what may be at stake here is an all-out showdown with Islam, and McCain's recent Florida speech in which he said "There will be more wars (note the word is plural)" appears to bear this out. There is a lot at stake in this election and the domestic agenda, such as combatting the recession, may just be a trojan horse.
Bravo, my friend, on a great article which reveals a vital issue.
And why is it wrong... Let me count the ways. Jimmy Carter used diplomacy and helped usher in a period of peace between Egypt and Israel. Reagan sent troops and we lost a bunch of Marines and ended up pulling out of Lebenon. Bush 41' understood that when you do have to use military force you need to get your job done and get out. It is our indefinate pressence that agitates the Arab people. We must leave...