The Lesson of Lyndon Baines Lieberman (R-CT)---Sirota

[KoKo]

The Lesson of Lyndon Baines Lieberman (R-CT)
by: David Sirota
Wed Dec 16, 2009 at 09:45
It pains me to admit this, but I'll just admit it: Joe Lieberman is the single most powerful Senate force since Lyndon Johnson's Master of the Senate days. And his power teaches an important lesson to us all.

Here is a guy who campaigned for the Republican nominee for president in 2006 - a guy who says he's likely to campaign for 2012 reelection as a Republican. And here is a senator who is singlehandedly bending a Democratic president and a Democratic Congress to his Palpatinian will.

Just step back and look at what's going on. Here's the New York Times from yesterday:

Lieberman Gets Ex-Party to Shift on Health Plan

By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN and DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK

The senator is infuriating Democrats, but they may bow to his demands by dropping a Medicare expansion and the public option.

Here's TPM from yesterday:

Brown: Public Option Or No, I'm Voting For This Health Care Bill

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) says he's in for health care reform, even though his key initiative--the public option--and all of its alternatives, have been swept into the dust bin.

Lieberman is so powerful, he got the President of the United States who won a bigger mandate than Ronald Reagan to instruct Democratic senators to do whatever Lieberman wanted. He's compelled progressives from the most politically important states in the country to capitulate. He has completely and totally humiliated the Senate Democratic leadership, President Obama, the progressive movement and, really, the majority of the American public that supports the policies he's thwarting.
He is an amazing force - truly. A disgusting force, for sure. Maybe, in fact, he's a Sith. But whatever he is, he's an amazing force. It makes you imagine what American politics might look like if there was a progressive Joe Lieberman doing the same thing for the progressive cause. Of course, that's what the 2008 election was supposed to be about

http://www.openleft.com/

[Vinnie From Indy]

1. Sirota is deliriously wrong!

Lieberman is powerful because he has been allowed to be powerful. It is completely plausible and highly likely that Joe Lieberman is doing EXACTLY what Obama wants. He is part of the long con. He is what is known as "the shill". His role is misdirection at it's finest. His role is the exact same as the cops that burst in the room and shoot Paul Newman after he shoots Robert Redford at the end of the movie The Sting.

[yurbud]

2. sad but true

[chill_wind]

3. Sirota often tends to cloak his points in heavy satire. Either way,

he makes the case for his most important point:

"It makes you imagine what American politics might look like if there was a progressive Joe Lieberman doing the same thing for the progressive cause. Of course, that's what the 2008 election was supposed to be about."