Is Lieberman simply a willing fall-guy for the Insurance Lobby bill?

[Indenturedebtor]

Can one senator seriously wield that much influence?

Of course he stands to gain by presenting himself as a "Maverick" to the only idiotic supporters he has left: Pukes. At this point there probably aren't 3 Dems who would vote for him anyways.

The so-called Democratic senators get to point their fingers at a willing scape-goat and hopefully skate around the fact that they're really caving to the insurance companies on a massive scale, as they have been throughout this process.

So everyone gets to play the "Oh look we reformed healthcare", and everyone gets money from the insurance companies, and that sack of crap Lieberdouche firms up what is now his "base".

If you disagree then please frame your response with consideration of the fact that the Senate never had any true reform on the table for more than half a second, and they rolled over on this sad farce of "Medicare expansion as a gateway to a weak-sauce pubic option" in a couple of days.

In my opinion they carefully orchestrated an excuse for media consumption.

[dflprincess]

1. There was another post earlier today that made some excellent points

about Liebermann being the guy the Democrats need. They have to have someone to do the dirty work for them. That's why they let him keep his committee chairmanship.

[democracy1st]

9. here ya go princess I kicked the link for you

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=7229247&mesg_id=7229247

[Kolesar]

2. My gut says "no"...eom

[Indenturedebtor]

5. So it's more believable that the rest of the Dems are spineless and inneffective?

Please ask your gut to explain :D

[Kolesar]

8. You're boring me...eom

[kenny blankenship]

3. If he still has his Chairmanship of the Homeland Security Committee after the holiday recess

then we'll know.

[Vinnie From Indy]

4. It is undeniable

Lieberman is doing HUGE favors for some Democrats and the President by trying to take on the mantle of obstructionist. This is a play where the parts were written months ago.

[timeforpeace]

6. Well if he is, doesn't that mean Obama is too?

[Indenturedebtor]

7. Yes I think so. Somehow legislation always favors the coporation...

It takes a lot of gaming to make that happen, and the guy at the top has to be involved. Instead of protesting this pitiful bill that lies about 1 million miles from his campaign "promises", he is lauding it.

[mdmc]

10. He is just repping CT as best he can

and I don't disagree with your OP..

[marmar]

11. CT's people or CT's Insurance companies?

:shrug:

[mdmc]

13. CT has big ins. co. all over it

lots o employees.. yadda yadda.. CT is pretty liberal yet pretty corporate. They could easily be served by a liberal republican Joe Leiberman.

[Raine]

12. YES

totally IMO.

[Raine]

14. Loserman is a willing scapegoat

IMO. x(

[sendero]

15. Or course he is...

... he was Obama's mentor in the senate. This is all an orchestrated piece of theater to avoid doing anything real but CLAIMING they tried.

[mdmc]

16. they did try, imho

barely...

[Bonn1997]

17. I think Reid *wanted* Leiberman to announce that the public option was defeated

Now *anything* with *any* public option in it sounds so much better to the liberal base. I think what happened was one of two possibilities:

(A) Reid and Leiberman are explicitly working together and planned everything including the latest stunt or
(B) They're not working together explicitly but Reid played Leiberman. That is, he knew that if he suggested the public option was done, Leiberman would run his big mouth about this achievement and the same desired effect (liberals accepting anything with a any public option) would happen.

Both A and B are counter to some stereotypes here of these Senators (counter to A: "Leiberman would never help any Democrat, especially the majority leader; counter to B: "Reid doesn't have the balls to pull that off") but I think we know nothing about these individuals. If anything, these stereotypes may actually be the useful roles that they have agreed to enact, or at least have individually chosen to take advantage of.

[Mari333]

18. yes. It was planned all along it seems

Rahm Emanuel was on the phone with Reid telling him to give Lieberman what he wanted, after Rahm and the CEO of Pfizer made a deal.
Lieberman is their shill.
He will have a cushy job when he leaves office.

[Cleita]

19. Yeah, he's a spoiler.

You know the one rotten apple that ruins the whole barrel metaphor. It's a political phenomenon known as minority rule, where a small faction is given unusual powers because the system allows them to gum up the works. It's how Hitler got into power. He was never the most popular candidate in the pre-Nazi Republic and was able to use a technicality to seize power and then change the laws to work for him.

[Raster]

20. "So tell me again Hadassa, how much did we stash in Luxembourg?"