Lieberman ruffling some feathers in CT....including TPM and DFA

[madfloridian]

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/07/politics/07lieberman.html

SNIP..."In recent weeks, he has angered Democratic activists nationwide for expressing a willingness to work with President Bush to change Social Security. Critics say that is just his latest act of disloyalty to the party. He already had supported the war in Iraq and Mr. Bush's cabinet choices - and received a televised presidential smooch at the State of the Union address.

"I think he has betrayed his constituency and he is leaning way too far to the right," said Marjorie Clark, a Web designer in New Haven and former supporter of Howard Dean's presidential bid who met Wednesday with about 30 other former Dean supporters and discussed a statewide "Dump Joe" effort. Others are trying to recruit a primary opponent while passing out bumper stickers that read "Anybody But Joe."

SNIP..."That report sent the network of liberal Web logs into apoplexy. "Stop the Presses!" Joshua Micah Marshall wrote on his blog, Talking Points Memo. Mr. Marshall refers to Mr. Lieberman as the "dean of the faint-hearted faction" - a list of Democrats most likely to break with the party on Social Security..."

"Call Richard Blumenthal!," Mr. Marshall wrote, referring to Connecticut's attorney general, whom activists had unsuccessfully tried to entice into a primary challenge. Other liberal bloggers have been labeling Mr. Lieberman a DINO, for Democrat in Name Only, adapting a coinage conservatives often use for moderate Republicans. Several took up a campaign for a National Call Joe Lieberman Day, a rallying cry that made its way to the liberal radio program "Majority Report."

SNIP..."Ms. Clark, the New Haven activist, said she believed the outcry in Connecticut forced Mr. Lieberman to retreat. "He backed off his previous position and that is a result of the pressure that the grass roots was applying to him, but we still need to find at least one candidate to go against him in the primary in 2006," she said...."

Looks like there was a meeting today in CT.
http://www.democracyforct.com/

[DaveinMD]

1. I rarely agree with such posts

but I do with this one. Lieberman is from a solidly blue state. We can do better than him. I hope Paul Newman decides to run.

[FreedomAngel82]

15. I think

if he's running and was elected as a democratic senator he should represent those who are in his party. If he wants to be more like a republican he should just change parties and if the people who he's representing are upset with him they have a right to be mad (whether they voted or not for him in particular). I know I didn't vote for any of my people but they still have the right to look out for my intrest's and if I'm unhappy about something I have the right to vent as do these people so I applaud them for going after Mr. Liberman and making their voices heard. That's his job. To listen to the people of his state who he's representing.

[The Backlash Cometh]

20. Liberman is more DLC than blue.

[shance]

26. Lets cut to the chase. Hes more Republican than he ever was Democrat

n/t

[AndyTiedye]

2. In Other News, Boll Weevil Infestation Hits Connecticut

[demgrrrll]

3. Can you even begin to imagine what Gore thinks now that he knows

what he knows about this man? Betcha he wants to pull an Elvis on the teevee if he is unlucky enough to see his whining image. I can't stand to look at him. He threw the debate and played a part in throwing the election with his military vote comments. What a maroon.
I wish there was such a thing as a political hook that could be used to get someone off the stage. His 15 minutes are way over. I understand that he votes more often with the Democrats than a Republican would and that does count for something but his media comments play right into the hands of the current administration. He is a blocker, someone who lets the air out of the tires and slows down the momentum of important issues. His votes are important but we deserve the whole damn package.

[dolstein]

4. Even Howard Dean isn't crazy enough to support this left-wing mischief

I just wonder how DU'ers and all the left-wingers in the blogosphere will react when Howard Dean offers Lieberman his full-throated endorsement.

I may disagree with Howard Dean on many things, but I'm sure even he realizes that it is far better to focus our efforts on defeating incumbent Republicans and winning open seats than in defeating Joe Lieberman.

Personally, I don't really mind if Lieberman faces a primary challenge, because it means I'll get to gloat when Lieberman wins. But I don't think Dean and the rest of the folks at the DNC are going to want Lieberman raising tons of $$$ to fend off a primary challenge, since that will cut into what people are going to be contributing to other candidates. They're already grumbling about how much money Hillary is raising.

[Clarkie1]

6. Do you think Lieberman would be able to raise much $$$?

I mean, how popular is he in Connecticut?

[dolstein]

9. Actually, he's got 70% support in Connecticut

There was a thread on this. Lieberman is as popular among Republcans as he is among Democrats. Both give him 70% support.

[madfloridian]

11. Didn't I see a poll that shows he is more popular with Republicans?

Just curious. Democrats don't seem that enamored of him lately. They really don't.

[dolstein]

12. Not in the poll I saw

His level of suppport was the same. Now I suppose you are free to argue that the 70% of Democrats in Connecticut who were surveyed don't know what the hell they're talking about, and that their opinions are irreleavnt. But that strikes me as a bit presumptuous.

[FightinNewDem]

21. You're confused again

DEMOCRATS support Joe.

Whiney, litmus-testing, ideological absolutists who refuse to acknowledge Lieberman's overall record don't.

If you can't accept a good, loyal Democrat with a pro-labor, pro-environment, pro-civil rights record, then you need to get the hell out of our party and become a Green.

[Larkspur]

27. Lieberman has over $400,000 in his re-election campaign chest now

and he doesn't have a primary challenger at this point.

In the Jan. 2005 Quinnipiac poll, Lieberman had 73% support from Repukes and 72% from Dems. His Dem support dropped in Feb to 69%.

[madfloridian]

28. Wonder if that will change now with his stance on Soc. Sec.?

That just recently was really made clear.

[madfloridian]

7. This is not about Howard Dean anymore.

He is not able to work with DFA right now. I don't think the people I mentioned in CT are especially worried about whether the party likes it or not. Nor should they be. DFA has a large membership, it is well funded, and it is their business.

One of the unstated goals of the group has been to run candidates in the primaries against Dems who do not stand up for our best interests.

Don't be so afraid Dolstein, things will work out. Times are changing, and change is hard.

[dolstein]

8. I'm not worried about Lieberman -- I just think its becoming obvious

that the left-wing is much more interested in shrinking the party by purging any Democrat who strays from their narrow orthodoxy than they are in growing the party enough to regain the White House and control of Congress.

Honestly, if the left-wing things that Lieberman is the biggest through to the Democratic Party, than they truly are the idiots they appear to be.

You know, back in 1968, a lot of left wingers considered Hubert Humphrey to be unacceptable. We got eight years of Nixon instead.

In 1980, a lot of left wingers considered Carter to be unacceptable. We got either years of Reagan instead.

Sorry, but I just don't see the evidence that these left-wing initiated purges are good for the party, or for liberalism generally.

[madfloridian]

10. I do not have a narrow orthodoxy....Lieberman is not a Democrat.

He may be in name, but not in actions. He is the one with a narrow idealistic view, not me.

[dolstein]

13. I hope you have as much appreciation for irony as I do

Frankly, I find your post hilarious. You say you don't have a narrow orthodoxy in one breath, and then in the other, you say that Lieberman isn't a Democrat. Chairman Mao has nothing on you :-)

[dsc]

19. If he had followed through on his initial thoughts of supporing the Bush

plan on SS, could we than say he isn't a Democrat?

[madfloridian]

24. Thanks for the comparison to Chairman Mao. Interesting.

I get tagged with new names here every day.

[saracat]

14. This isn't left wing or right wing.

This has to do with supporting your party. Harry Reid is the Minority Leader. He and the other Senators are doing a national road show going to the people to save Social Security, and Lieberman is stabbing his fellow Dems in the back. Reid has lined up all votes but one?
Why doesn't Joe have to show support for the Leader and why doesn't he have to show support for a keystone of the Dem Party as Social Security? And why do you think it is acceptable for him to behave this way? He has just slapped the Democratic Party in the face, publicly and you seem alright with that. Why? Did you think Zell Miller was okay too? Just curious. I really would like to know.

[Kahuna]

18. You left out the left-wing antics that gave us 8 years of bush...

NEVER FORGET!!!

[Clarkie1]

5. If I lived in CT, I'd get myself an "Anybody but Joe" sticker.

Hope they find a good candidate to defeat him in the primary.

[blogbear]

16. Lieberman: Republicrat?

Can't say I'm surprized about this. I continue to oppose those who supported the Bush/Iraqi war and question such a persons dedication to either democracy or democracy building. I also question said persons "ability" to protect the public interest and purse. Again I vote alongside someone familiar with Americas overall wellbeing and pulse rate ie Dr. Dean.

[dameocrat]

17. Join the Dump Joe Lieberman mailing list

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DumpJoe/

[madfloridian]

23. Good-sized list. Is it new?

Very interesting.

I had not seen this pic before, not this view.

[JNelson6563]

22. He's a fraud and he's got to go

I'm sick and tired of this sactimonious piece of shit. I hope the people of Conneticut get a clue and ship him out.

Julie

[cestpaspossible]

25. Why Lieberman hurts us.

I tried to watch his interview on 'Late Edition' yesterday (unsuccessfully, I only made it through a few minutes befor turning it off in frustrattion), and there's Joe Lieberman on the screen, and CNN has added the caption "The Democratic View", and Blitzer asks "Is Social Security in a crisis?"

Answer from Joe: YES.


No, that's not the Democratic view, it's a view too radically wrong even for Bush, even he has stopped using the crisis rhetoric.


As long as Lieberman is a sitting Senator they will continue to report what he says as "the Democratic view". He needs to GO.