Kingmaker Joe

Joe Lieberman has hinted that a switch to the GOP is not categorically out of the question. Now, in all honesty, I don’t find such a switch to be all that likely. Senator Lieberman may not owe the Democratic Party much, but he’s no Jim Jeffords or Lincoln Chafee — he’s still a committed liberal, and he’s still far to the left of the GOP.

What he is saying is that if the Democrats try to screw him over one more time, he will jump ship, and hand the Senate back to the Republicans. That’s a very good position for him to be in, as it magnifies his power immensely. He can now ensure that the Democrats have no choice but to play nice with him — which is a very nice position for a Senator to be in.

The Democrats tried to throw Lieberman overboard — and now he’s got his hands on the Democratic steering wheel as a result. The Lamont strategy was a deeply dumb one, and now the Democrats are getting exactly what they deserve. As I’m fond of saying, it couldn’t happen to a nicer group of people…

13 thoughts on “Kingmaker Joe

  1. The Democrats tried to throw Lieberman overboard

    Um, no. Connecticut voters excercised their option to vote in the primary and chose someone different to recieve the Democratic nomination for the Senate. Apparently in Jay-land voting in a primary election represents some kind of dirty trick, I guess.

  2. “What he is saying is that if the Democrats try to screw him over one more time, he will jump ship, and hand the Senate back to the Republicans.”

    Joe screwed the Democrats over….repeatedly…not vice versa. By hedging his bets and running simultaneously for his Senate seat and for Vice-President in 2000, Lieberman would have allowed the Senate to turnover to the GOP if he and Gore had prevailed in Florida. Five years later, his lovefests with Sean Hannity publicly undermined the platform of the party. One year after that, he refused to respect the primary process and once again made his own rules as he went along. This guy is lucky to even have a seat at the table let alone retain his committee status.

    One interesting situation that could steal Joe’s status as kingmaker, although it would be in the event of a tragedy. A Republican Senator from Wyoming appears to be dying of cancer. Wyoming has a Democratic Governor. Do the math and suddenly Joe becomes alot less important than he thinks he is.

  3. And the basis for registered Democrats (I assume a closed primary) in Conneticut choosing someone different was ….? Call me curious.

  4. And the basis for registered Democrats (I assume a closed primary) in Conneticut choosing someone different was ….?

    There was somebody they liked better to represent them? Gosh, what’s that called? Oh, right – “democracy.” So easy for conservatives to forget I guess.

  5. Erica,

    Does asking a simple question warrant jumping to conclusions followed by the application of a label? If Joe Lieberman doesn’t feel beholden to the Demorcratic Party in his home state, who could blame him. It’s their loss.

  6. Joe lost the primary…but won the election. Heh. Democrat chicanery or Republicans jumping ship? How about a bit of both….

  7. Does asking a simple question warrant jumping to conclusions followed by the application of a label?

    No, but asking a patently, stupidly obvious question does…

  8. “No, but asking a patently, stupidly obvious question does… ”

    I suppose some of us aren’t nearly as bright as you are so we ask what others more intelligent deem to be patently, stupidly obvious questions. Then again, it is worth it to ask such questions to see what kind of response one receives.

    Maybe you’ve been working with insects at Monsanto too long.

  9. I suppose some of us aren’t nearly as bright as you are so we ask what others more intelligent deem to be patently, stupidly obvious questions.

    If the concept of voting is one you find too troubling for your poor, benighted intellect, there’s a number of countries that I’m sure would be more to your liking. Iran, perhaps? They do a lot of things there that conservatives can probably get behind, like hanging gays.

  10. Now you are talking (out of left field) about hanging gays. Are you a gay-basher?

    I would have thought it was pretty obvious by now that, no, I’m not a conservative.

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