Lieberman pays no price for political treachery

[JohnWxy]

http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2009/12/column-lieberman-pays-no-price-for-political-treachery-.html

But 2009 has turned out to be the year of the anti-hero. It is the year in which Joe Lieberman gets my nod — cynical though it is — as "American of the Year." A Democrat of convenience, Lieberman has succeeded in doing what Benedict Arnold couldn't. In a masterful act of treachery, he retains a position of trust among the very people he betrayed.


By threatening to join a GOP filibuster, Lieberman forced Democrats to strip first a public option and then a Medicare buy-in compromise from the Senate's health care bill, provisions many experts and activists consider essential to effective reform.

Though political treason does not rise to the level of military treason, of course, it is treacherous nonetheless.

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But in working to strip the Senate's health care bill of the public option and Medicare buy-in provisions, Lieberman proved to be far from a loyal Democrat. Some critics charge that Lieberman, the Democratic Party's vice presidential candidate in 2000, was doing the insurance industry's bidding in gutting the bill. He has received more than $1 million from insurance interests — which have deep roots and deeper pockets in Connecticut — since 1990, the Center for Responsive Politics has reported.
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[MNDemNY]

1. Pay a price for doing the administrations dirty-work?

Of course not, why on earth would he?

[Wapsie B]

2. So exactly why did we fight to win the election last year?

We were all told that 60 was the magic number to get things done. Then along came Holy Joe and the Blue Dogs.
This all smells like a set up to me, even more than the Poppy-Dukakis election.

[defendandprotect]

3. Lieberman leading the Dems around by the nose is such a farce . . .

it's laughable . . .

Lieberman in the end was more power than Obama -- !!!

:rofl: :rofl:

[bif]

4. Kick his sorry ass off all the committees, already!

Why do they suck up to him? I just don't get it.

[jgraz]

5. Maybe because it wasn't treachery.

How many times can we watch the same song-and-dance before we realize Lieberman's in on the joke?

[KoKo]

6. I wonder if Lieberman isn't setting himself up for Presidential run...

He was pretty preening and puffed up over the airline incident. Maybe he will pick Peter King as his Veep? :sarcasm:

[Larkspur]

7. No, he's setting himself up for a cushy consulting job to Corporate America

I predict he will retire in 2012 from the Senate and go through the lobbying route, which will start with a consulting career until the time limit is up for him to lobby his old buddies in Congress.

[NorthCarolina]

8. Lieberman has the DLC protection plan (nt)

[Demeter]

9. Lieberman's No Anti-Hero, He's a Villain Pure and Simple

[JohnWxy]

10. Right. "anti-hero" is not at all correct. Author doesn't know what 'anti-hero' means.

Villain is the right word.

[Vidar]

11. K&R.