How is Lieberman any different than your average Connecticut Republican?

[ButterflyBlood]

whenever he gets bashed majorly on these boards his defenders come out and post his record showing that he's more liberal than we give him credit for and to the left of most Republicans. However, we aren't taking into account what state he's from. While he's far better than Jesse Helms, the fact that he's pro-choice, pro-gay rights and has a good environmental record is hardly spetacular in Connecticut. In fact, all three Republicans in Connecticut's congressional delegation are pro-choice, pro-gay rights to the extent that Lieberman is, and oppose ANWR drilling, among other things. Yet they aren't quite as moralizing as he is. So really, what's wrong with saying he's a Republican, when he's really just like the Republicans in his state?

[Old and In the Way]

1. Very similar to my US Senators who are Republican

Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins. Both are out of step with the Republican Party in terms of social issues and budget priorities. I really don't know why they are even staying with the RW wackos who control the RNC. It will be very interesting to see how a Kerry nomination will impact on their future career as Republicans. Something tells me that Kerry will make a pitch to Olympia to consider moving to the Democratic side of the aisle and help save this country ala Margaret Chase Smith. She'd be welcomed with open arms here in Maine.

Collins, OTOH, is so spacey, I have no idea where she's coming from.

[dolstein]

4. Very similar? Are you kidding?

Through the 2000 session, Lieberman had a lifetime "liberal score" from Americans for Democratic Action of 76, compared to 40 for Snowe and 34 for Collins. With the Senate now under Republican control, I suspect that margin has probably grown.

Sorry, but if you can't tell the difference between Lieberman and these so-called "moderate" Republicans, you haven't been looking closely enough.

[NewJerseyDem]

8. Plus, Lieberman has a 19 lifetime rating from the ACU

He has a 0 rating in 2003.

Nancy Johnson- 47 lifetime, 52 in 2003
Christopher Shays- 48 lifetime, 48 in 2003
Rob Simmons- 59 lifteime, 48 in 2003

[NewJerseyDem]

12. Lieberman has the only 0 rating from the ACU in 2003

But that is just because he missed the the Medicare vote which the ACU opposed and award 10 points to anyone who voted no which included all liberal democrats.

He also missed a couple of other votes where the ACU sided with liberals. One involved military base closings.

[Damn Hippie]

2. Good question

Could it be that as a Jew he couldn't attend the GOP events held at the Country Clubs? ;-)

[dolstein]

3. Well, since you asked

here is a comparison of the lifetime Americans for Democratic Action "liberal scores" for Lieberman and the Republican members of Connecticut's congressional delegation:

As of 2000, the most recent year for which I am able to compare lifetime voting scores, Lieberman had a lifetime score of 76, compared to an 84 for fellow Democrat Christopher Dodd and a 69 for the Republican he replaced, Lowell Weicker. The lifetime scores for the four House Republicans were as follows: Maloney (82), Shays (57), Johnson (39) and Franks (18).

So while it's probably accurate to say that Lieberman votes like a very liberal Connecticut Republican (e.g., Maloney), the same could also be said for Chris Dodd. Moreover, it's a mistake to assume that the typical Connecticut Republican is as liberal as Lieberman is. Even Chris Shays, who is considered to be a flaming liberal by House Republican standards, isn't anywhere near as reliably liberal in his voting as Lieberman is.

[NewJerseyDem]

6. Maloney was a democrat (n/t)

[dolstein]

9. That explains a lot

I guess that was a typo. In any event, that makes the difference between Lieberman and Connecticut Republicans even more stark.

[KFC]

5. He has scary teeth

Way too many little bitty teeth. I would shit in my pants if I ever saw him eating corn-on-the-cob.

[Bonobo]

7. Simple. He's Jewish. But that's about it.

[dolstein]

10. Funny, but people seem to be focusing on his religious faith

to the exclusion of his actual voting record. Now some people may jump to the conclusion that Jewish Connecticut Democrat = Connecticut Republican, but Lieberman's voting record (and the voting records of Connecticut Republicans) tells a different story. Lowell Weicker is NOT a typical Connecticut Republican. So called liberal and moderate Republicans like Chris Shays and Nancy Johnson have significantly more conservative voting records than Lieberman.

[GabysPoppy]

11. And what is that supposed to imply?

[Moderator]

13. Locking...

Senator Lieberman is currently a Democratic candidate. Calling him a Republican is against posting rules.


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