Moveon.org's email on fighting Lieberman!... There's a better way Moveon!

[cascadiance]

A lot of you are probably getting the following email sent to you from moveon.org:

Subject: Beat Joe Lieberman

Dear MoveOn member,

It's absurd--Joe Lieberman is throwing a fundraiser this week to protect
Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine, one of the key pro-war votes
and one of the most vulnerable Republican senators <1>. It'll be a typical
insider party, filled with lobbyists and CEO types. A fundraiser like this
can raise $200,000 in one night.

Rep. Tom Allen, the anti-war hero who's running to replace Collins, isn't
getting any help from Lieberman. So he needs some help from us. And if
8,000 of us pitch in $25, we can counter Lieberman and send a true
anti-war progressive to the Senate from Maine.

Can you chip in $25 to beat Joe Lieberman's Republican fundraiser?

https://pol.moveon.org/give/allenmurphy.html

Rep. Tom Allen voted against the Iraq war in 2002 and against funding the
war without a timeline to bring our troops home <2>. He's an anti-war hero
taking the fight to a Senate supporter of the war.

Another anti-war hero, Rep. Patrick Murphy of Pennsylvania, is a top
target for war supporters in 2008. He's an Iraq veteran serving his first
term in Congress, and Republicans are afraid of his powerful voice against
the war <3>. Murphy only won by a few hundred votes, so he needs all the
support he can get.

We need to show members of Congress they can win if they oppose the war.

We have 11 days left before the federal fundraising deadline. If Tom Allen
and Patrick Murphy raise enough, they'll gain more attention from the
press and donors. Early fundraising is the most important.

Support anti-war heroes in Congress--and beat Joe Lieberman's fundraiser
for a pro-war Republican. Click here to donate:

https://pol.moveon.org/give/allenmurphy.html

Thank you for all you do.

--Eli, Noah, Tanya, Nita, and the MoveOn.org Political Action Team
Tuesday, June 19th, 2007

Sources:
1. "Lieberman Helps Collect Cash for Collins," washingtonpost.com's The
Fix blog, May 14, 2007
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2664

2. "Iraq," Rep. Tom Allen
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2665

Roll Call on Iraq Supplemental
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll425.xml

3. "The Iraq War," Rep. Patrick Murphy
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2663
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PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

Is anyone else wondering if we can't tackle this a different way and help us with the Lieberman problem NOW! Perhaps instead of getting into a "funding war", we talk to Susan Collins and point out how she's probably fighting a losing battle in 2008 if moderates get kicked out even moreso then like they were kicked out in 2006. Tell her if we get her to either convert to being an independent or a Democrat, that we'd respond by giving her Lieberman's chairmanship on the committee that they both serve on and he's chairman of now.

It seems VERY OBVIOUS to me that the whole reason that Lieberman is helping her now is to fend off the Dems from doing this very thing! The sooner we look to her as a potential ally instead of an adversary, we hopefully can get rid of the "Lieberman problem" and tell him to go take a hike!

I just sent a response to this email saying this. Perhaps if others do the same we can get moveon to suggest this instead! I want a majority without Lieberman in the senate NOW!! She may have voted for the war, but she DID vote no confidence in Abu Gonzales where Lieberman didn't! I'd MUCH rather have her as the strategic ally than him!

[depakid]

1. Lieberman should have been stripped of his seniority

Not having done so has- as I and other predicted, turned into an ongoing fiasco.

With a slim majority and the timid and inept Harry Reid at the helm, the Senate's proven not only to be worth less than a hill of beans in terms of policy- but has significantly weakened the Dems chances in 2008 in terms of public perceptions.

lose/lose all around.

btw: I support moveon's efforts.

[Larkspur]

2. Maybe we need to send this story to Harry Reid...

(Rick) Torres ousted as Bridgeport's (CT) GOP chair

BRIDGEPORT — An angry Republican Party on Monday removed Rick Torres as party chairman, sending a clear signal that GOP leaders have no intention of helping a Democrat become mayor.

By a vote of 34-2, members of the Republican Town Committee replaced Torres with vice chairman Robert Russo, ending weeks of controversy over Torres' endorsement of state Rep. Christopher Caruso, a Democrat, for mayor.

Caruso, who is disliked by his own party, is running a reform campaign aimed at ending the influence the city's Democratic Town Committee holds over City Hall.

Prior to the vote, Torres filed for an injunction in Bridgeport Superior Court to stop the RTC from removing him as chairman. A judge is scheduled to rule on the matter next Monday.

SNIP

As RTC members voted, Torres made several impassioned appeals, saying he believes Caruso is the only chance to clean up the city's "corrupt" DTC, and for the minority party to gain a seat at the table.

"We had an opportunity and you are throwing it in the toilet, an opportunity for good government. Is pretending to put up a candidate who can't win good enough for you?" Torres asked his fellow Republicans.

"We are constrained by a machine that is destroying us. Is it just good enough to move on as good Republican soldiers? We can't win," Torres said, referring to the November election.

But the majority of RTC members saw it differently. Speaker after speaker told Torres they had wanted him to again run for mayor — Torres lost to Mayor John M. Fabrizi four years ago — and chastised him for not discussing his endorsement of Caruso with the party before taking action.

"This sucks," said Russo as he rose to speak and vote against Torres.

"Six years ago, I asked you to run for mayor. I thought you were best for Bridgeport. We didn't win, but we changed the debate. But we can't have a Republican chairman registering Democrats. This has been a sad day. But hopefully something good will come of it if we all work hard," Russo said.

Torres' problems began last month when he endorsed Caruso and urged other Republicans to also back Caruso, even by switching parties.

During a meeting at his market several weeks ago, Torres urged Republicans to temporarily switch parties and vote for Caruso during an expected Sept. 11 Democratic primary. In all, 148 Republicans switched parties.

Upset with his actions, GOP leaders charged Torres with four violations of party bylaws: supporting a Democrat for mayor, encouraging Republicans to switch parties, bringing turmoil to the party and failing to work on behalf of Republican candidates.

SNIP

It's OK when Repukes boot out their traitors but if Dems want to clean house it's called partianship.

[GeorgeGist]

3. That violates the DU ...

mantra:
"ANY DEMOCRAT IS BETTER THAN A REPUBLICAN".

[cascadiance]

4. If she becomes a Democrat, then she's better than Lieberman...

Certainly Lieberman isn't a Dem! Strategically, I think it works better for us to get another Dem (or someone caucusing Dem) BEFORE 2008 election, and not have to deal with Lieberman!

Obviously if she's still a Republican or doesn't want to switch, then this is a noop.