Seriously, some one, lay out the positive strategy of keeping Lieberman....

[HardWorkingDem]

And don't use the vote issues - ANY controversial vote will still need Rethug votes. So what is his vote going to matter? Nothing.

[gravity]

1. Ending vindictive political games

So we can move forward and do meaningful shit in Congress for once

[EFerrari]

2. Keeping him in that slot was all about politics, not governing.

He's done a TERRIBLE job as Chair of HLS.

[budkin]

3. There are none. This guy is a traitor through and through

[JJ]

4. So down the road they can say...

"We're not being partisan here, look at Joe Lieberman"
Prevents the howling monkeys on Faux and hate radio from saying "Look they had to get Lieberman off of Homeland Security so they can push through their socialist civil defense domestic terrorist muslim takeover"
Joe now owes Obama, and we've seen what a bootlicking toady he can be.

Just thought of one more, maybe they plan on doing away with "Fatherland Security" and returning the responsibility back to the law enforcement agencies that operate under the Constitution. Wouldn't be no committee to chair then.

[gcomeau]

5. I think I *will* use the vote issue.

Because I'm not an idiot. It's the goddamn Senate, it's ALL about the vote issue. Always.

Turning two Republicans on a vote is easier than turning three. Turning three is easier then turning four. See a pattern? Every damn vote counts when we're hanging on the edge of, oh, say a filibuster of Universal Health Insurance. Throwing away a vote that might make the difference between decent health care or not for millions of citizens so you can feel the satisfaction of sticking the knife in for a personal political vendetta is stupid. Period. Get over it. We can deal with Lieberman when it won't unnecessarily risk costing the entire nation vital long overdue services.

Big picture. Get acquainted with it.

[HardWorkingDem]

6. Look at it this way...

What you are missing is that if there must be a controversial vote where Lieberman is not going to vote with the Democrats, then there are going to be at least three or four conservative DEMOCRATS who are going to vote along with Lieberman, so one Lieberman vote is not going to matter one way or another.

Your use of a health care issue is ridiculous. The Democrats will most likely be able to push something like that through with typical politics and with or without Lieberman.

So it is you who should get with it and examine some past Senate votes where conservative senators have voted with Republicans.