Senator Joseph I. Lieberman on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, Nov. 18th.
“Sen. Joe Lieberman will keep his chairmanship of the Senate Homeland Security Committee despite hard feelings over his support for GOP nominee John McCain during the presidential campaign.
The Connecticut independent will lose a minor panel post as punishment for criticizing Obama this fall.
Lieberman’s colleagues in the Democratic caucus voted 42-13 Tuesday on a resolution condemning statements made by Lieberman during the campaign but allowing him to keep the Homeland Security Committee gavel. He loses an Environment and Public Works panel subcommittee chairmanship, however.”
(Actually, he gave up his position on the Environmental and Public Works Committee altogether. However, Lieberman is also on the Armed Services Committee, where he chairs an important subcommittee.)
The article concludes with a statement made Friday by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who opposed the move.
“To reward Senator Lieberman with a major committee chairmanship would be a slap in the face of millions of Americans who worked tirelessly for Barack Obama and who want to see real change in our country. Appointing someone to a major post who led the opposition to everything we are fighting for is not ‘change we can believe in.”‘
Sanders is a self-described Democratic Socialist who caucuses with the Democrats, as does Lieberman. As usual, Bernie oversimplified things. Lieberman did not “[lead] the opposition to everything we are fighting for.” And Lieberman was not “appointed” as chairman, rather he was allowed to retain a position which he already held.
I discussed Lieberman’s situation in my new blog, Keep Joe Lieberman, which has now achieved its purpose. By their actions, the Senate Democrats have shown that there’s hope for them yet!
It is also important to note that Lieberman caucused with the Democrats as an Independent Democrat, so he was not obliged by this to support Obama, just as Bernie Sanders could have supported Norman Thomas, if he were still alive and running for President on the Socialist Party ticket.
I still admire Joe Lieberman and wish him well. Admittedly he’s an egomaniac, as are most politicians. And for sure, he sticks to his guns. Since being re-elected as an Independent in 2006, Lieberman has voted with the Democrats on most issues, even procedural ones. And people seem to forget that he voted against the confirmation of Samuel Alito as Supreme Court Justice. He may often walk like a Republican, and talk like a Republican, but he is still at heart an (admittedly hawkish) Democrat.
I’m glad that Obama seeks to govern rather than to seek revenge. Too bad there are so many “Democrazies” out there who aren’t getting the message.
