to get rid of that sonofabitch Lieberman. If he switches parties, you can kiss his ass goodbye the next time he has to run. He won’t be able to pull that “independent” shit again.

I remembered reading this a few weeks back, (http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2007/…) over at the Booman Tribune.

Sounds like nothing will change if he does bolt?!

Let him go. Who gives a rat’s ass…

He’s nothing but a power hungry war mongering little turncoat.

Nor would it be a good thing if he did. Our control of the Senate is already little more than name only and control of the committees. This is admittedly a wondrous thing in itself, but not nearly sufficient to get work done in terms of passing actual damn legislation needed to reverse the evils already done to our nation but to get back on the right path of “business as usual” as it used to be considered.

Lieberman, loathesome as he is in many respects, has always been a faithful Democrat on a great many issues. He’s wrong as shit about the War of course, and has done immeasurable harm in giving Bush “bipartisan” cover for his malicious undertakings. But the tightrope he currently walks representing his Party of One gives his ego just about as much thrill as it can handle. Falling off in either direction would make him just another schmuck in the crowd of 100, and he is not about to allow that to happen.

Politics is like any other line of work and often requires you to simulate liking and respect for people for whom you have neither. In this case we should criticize Lieberman when he makes a statement or takes a stand with which we disagree, but IMHO refrain from beating him up as a person. Pick up another 10 seats in the Senate and I’ll be the first in line to toss him an anvil after we throw him overboard. Until then…suck it up, soldiers.

Anon, I didn’t see the Booman piece you cite but that is my understanding as well. As long as the Senate has already been organized, committee chairs and membership appointed, etc. I think the change from 1 vote majority to tie would leave things as they are. Except that any straight party line votes would be decided by Cheney which I think we can all agree would be a Bad Thing.

it’s true that lieberman ceases to be important the minute he flips. his value, his only value at this point, is as a WMD style threat to progressive democrats. “cross that line, and i’ll give control to the republicans!!!1!”

so long as that remains a concern, he has power. but when it ends, so too does his reign of terror. it is funny how many fall for it. including me.

IIRC, one of the Inside Baseball guys at Kos posted an extremely detailed post explaining that this is how the Senate rules were set up, and the bottom line is, that even if Lieberman flips, power does not shift. (Good one, Harry.)

No authoritarians were tortured in the writing of this post.