Beyond Lieberman

[question everything]

UNION-TRIBUNE EDITORIAL
Beyond Lieberman

Intraparty purges reflect sick political culture

July 20, 2006

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's musings about a possible third-party presidential bid have been on the nation's political radar for a few months now, if barely. We offer no opinion on Bloomberg's suitability for the White House. Nevertheless, what the media-tycoon-turned-politician realizes that most pundits don't is how desperate the public is for a new option. According to a recent poll, 73 percent of Americans wish they had an alternative to the Democrats and Republicans in the 2008 presidential race. And no wonder. Both parties seem increasingly in thrall to their least attractive elements.

We see this now in the Democratic Party with the extraordinary national effort by “Netroots” activists to defeat respected veteran Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., in his state's primary on Aug. 8. Lieberman's sin: He thinks the Iraq war is just. So much for his 30 years-plus of supporting higher spending, activist government and nearly every other liberal cause. Since he sides with George W. Bush on one big issue, he must be replaced in the Senate by an undistinguished political novice. Why such extreme punishment? Because Bush is the devil.

(snip)

But this same urge to purge can be found among Republicans. Prominent writers and policy experts such as Andrew Sullivan and Bruce Bartlett have been declared persona non grata for daring to note President Bush isn't remotely a conservative when it comes to spending or the expansion of government power. Politicians such as Rudolph Giuliani or John McCain who are uneasy with the constant use of divisive hot-button issues such as gay marriage are told to get with the program or kiss their political futures goodbye. Plainly, the you're-for-us-or-you're-against-us mentality of much of talk radio and the political Internet now suffuses America's major parties – and at the worst possible time.

We are in desperate need of a sincere bipartisan approach to developing a long-term foreign policy to deal with the threat posed by Islamic extremism. We are also in desperate need of such an approach to address the huge fiscal problems that are inevitable as baby boomers retire and the number of people who rely on government checks explodes. But in an era in which the most active and influential members of both parties get their news through filters that only reinforce their views, many see thoughtful bipartisanship as a sign of weakness – or even a character defect. Big tents? They're for circuses, not politics. This is why we hope Connecticut voters deliver a rebuke on Aug. 8 to the forces that promote polarization. A Democratic Party that considers Joe Lieberman a traitor is an ugly thing to contemplate. The same goes for a GOP that sees Rudy Giuliani or John McCain as faux Republicans.


Find this article at:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060720/news_lz1ed20top.html

[Tom Joad]

1. Lieberman is about dragging this country to a war that has cost

already half a trillion dollars! It is a war based on lies and is really an act of aggression. It is a war crime.

If you care about anything, any issue, what was not hurt by this nation's ill-fated military adventurism in Lebanon? Care about helping the poor? Money went to kill people in Iraq? Want health care for all? Money went to cripple kids in Iraq. Want better education opportunities for all? Money sucked into destroying Iraqi communities, sorry.

What hasn't Lieberman & Bush hurt by this crazy illegal war?