Democratic Senate: Ha! "The left has been foiled again"

[Robbien]

The Democratic Senators believe the Left is someone other than the Democratic party.

Asked what it would mean if Lieberman kept his chairmanship, one Senate Democratic aide said bluntly: "The left has been foiled again. They can rant and rage but they still do not put the fear into folks to actually change their votes."

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2008/11/the_lieberman_vote.html

Even the aides refer to the left as if it were a separate entity not included in the Democratic party and express glee and scorn at foiling them.

As FireDogLake said, No matter what Joe Lieberman does, the people who are protecting him hate you much more than they hate him.

[Epiphany4z]

1. I don't know...I think

Lieberman owing Obama big time...cannot be such a bad thing...and he will probably loose his next election.

[peace13]

5. A man like Lieberman is owned by no one.

I hear people say it over and over. Lieberman will vote as Lieberman sees fit. His dignity has been preserved by his buddies after slandering the president elect. But hey, if they are all happy then have at it. It is clear that they don't care what our opinion is.

[peace13]

2. When I contacted my Dem senator about Lieberman..

he admonished me that committee changes were never made during the year. He responded as though they weren't having a special vote on the man. Brown is someone that I have admired but his response was not a good one. I have lost respect for the man. You wonder what is going on in DC these days.

[MadHound]

3. Yep, the Democratic party only wants the left during election season,

For our votes, money, and sweat, since we're the ones who do most of the heavy lifting in the campaign. But afterwards, they want to put as much distance between themselves and us as possible. And Democrats wonder why people are abandoning them for the Greens and others. Everybody in a coalition wants to be appreciated, wants to be acknowledged. It is past time that the left was rewarded for all our hard work. I'm holding out for a Kucinich appointment to HHS, that would be a nice signal. But in reality I suspect that Obama will go ahead and appoint his rivals, Clinton retreads, centerists, even a 'Pug or two, but once again leave the left out in the cold.

Perhaps it will be the time next election to show what the left brings to the party by taking it away, completely. Then perhaps we'd get some appreciation.

[cali]

4. oh, please. one senate aide is proof that there's a conspiracy?

And no, I don't feel that President Obama (instrumental in keeping Joe on) hates me.

[Robbien]

6. There's no conspiracy. Just a stated SOP

An aide willing to go on record knows he is speaking standard policy so his comment is safe.

[varelse]

7. The people protecting Lieberman are the same ones protecting the criminal cabal

in the current White House administration.

Who in the "left" has not known these people hate us? I dropped out of the Democratic party years ago. Nearly everyone I know on the "left" is no longer or never was a member of the Democratic party. I'm having trouble with the concept that this latest evidence of their emnity comes as a surprise to anyone "left" of the Democratic party.

As for Obama, he is moderate to conservative in the political spectrum, and that has never been a secret. The man hasn't even been inaugurated yet, and he's facing probably the biggest mess any sitting president has ever left behind. The fact that he's treading very carefully and very lightly now, is neither a surprise nor is it evidence of the President-Elect's attitude toward progressive grassroots movements such as Moveon, or their members.

I think I'll chill out and watch this play out for a while. It's possible that some are being given as much rope as they need to hang themselves later - and that Lieberman has been given his full allotment early.

Maybe it's a case of keeping "your friends close, and your enemies... closer", too.

[KharmaTrain]

8. Campaigning Vs. Governing

Upfront...I was completely against Traitor Joe retaining his Homeland Security chairmanship for lots of reasons, but c'est la vie. None of us were privvy to what went on in that caucus and the deals that were surely struck. I'll reserve judgement here as the situation is still fluid...very fluid.

Here's the rub...for some of us, the biggest fault of the GOOP was being a lockstep party that put ideology ahead of reality and sadly we have some nasty realities to deal with. President Obama didn't win because of the netroots or liberal/progressives...but from building a coalition of many interests as well as many disaffected former repugnicans and independents. Right now I'm just grateful that we'll have Democrats moving into positions of power and removing the culture of crony capitalism that has destroyed our country.

The challenge for President Obama is being able to get things done and to do so quickly and effectively. The honeymoon, as we are seeing, is short and he, nor any of us, are served well by partisan bullshit and holding him to a narrow yardstick. A good leader is one who draws consensus, is able to bring people together and move legislation. Right now the focus has to be on turning a depression around and restoring sanity to government. If he's successful in doing so, then other program and liberal/progressive goals can move to the front and it's prospect improve as you've got a track record of accomplishments behind it.

Change takes time and it takes accomodation. If Lieberman votes for 75% of the Obama agenda, I'll take it...and then, through to go across and pluck a GOOPer here or there to counteract him. Be assured that any pro-war vote Joementum makes, it'll be negated by a Snowe or Voinvich who face election in 2010. There's a new dynamic at work here, most just don't see it until it starts to play out.

Cheers...

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

9. I have $5.00 that says...

The comment quoted above came from that turd in the Democratic punchbowl, Marshall Wittman, Joe's DLC/former repuke buttboy.

[ProfessorGAC]

10. I Ain't Taking That Bet

It was either him, or someone who still matches your metaphor.
The Professor