- Sen. Joe Lieberman
Sen. Joe Lieberman is going to introduce the bill to repeal Don’t ask, don’t tell.
I know I’m going to get bashed for this, but Queerty’s “5 reasons why making Joe Lieberman Obama’s DADT pointman is really really terrible idea” is dumb and wrong.
Queerty’s #1 reason: Democrats can’t stand the guy.
Most Democrats don’t need to be convinced. Most Democrats know DADT is wrong. Will they vote that way though? Who knows. At last count, there were 59 Democrats and 50 is still a majority. This can pass with eight opposed.
Queerty’s #2 reason: Conservatives don’t exactly love the guy.
No, but this is Washington politics. Don’t be naïve. He can call in favors. And right now the Republicans owe him big for helping to stall healthcare reform.
Queerty’s #3 reason: He is terrible under pressure.
But he’s good when he can quote facts and statistics, like this new report in the New York Times on gays in the military in other countries and how it’s had little effect.
Queerty’s #4 reason: Even old white guys don’t like him.
This is an issue that will be decided by the Senate. How the constituents of his state — which has same-sex marriage in place — feel about the issue, old, white or not, is somewhat irrelevant. Queerty mentions that in polls Lieberman would lose to a strong Democrat. Even more reason for him to do what he thinks is right, not what he thinks will get him re-elected. In fact, it might gain him more support in a state that already indicates support for its same-sex marriage laws.
Queerty’s #5 reason: Joe Lieberman is stupid.
Yup, dumb enough to get himself re-elected after losing the primary and running against a Republican and a Democratic opponent.
But for this reason, Queerty cites his opposition to healthcare reform. Lieberman represents Connecticut, home of the insurance industry. Healthcare reform is not going to come from Connecticut any more than ending tobacco subsidies will originate in South Carolina. That’s not how politics works.
However, on a number of issues, Lieberman is quite liberal. The environment. His record in that area is one of the main reasons Al Gore chose him as his running mate. On gays in the military? Jews don’t use homosexuality as a fund raising tool. Even Jewish Republicans like Eric Canter. So it’s not surprising that he’s perfectly comfortable sponsoring this legislation.
If DADT repeal passes, Lieberman will get little credit because so many people are so angry with him. If it fails, he’ll get all the blame. Obama will be criticized for making Lieberman the point man in the first place. Democratic Senators will blame Massachusetts for electing a Republican. And Republicans can sleep easy knowing they kept the country safe from Arabic translators.
“At last count, there were 59 Democrats and 50 is still a majority. This can pass with eight opposed.”
You mean like healthcare?
Every bill the Dems introduce gets filibustered, no matter what it is. And they never fight back.
I think “nobody likes him” is a damned good reason not to use him as a point man, actually, but the best reason not to rely on Lieberman is that he’s completely unreliable and only in it for himself. Lieberman could sponsor the bill and then turn around and change his mind a month from now. The Democrats would back down, because they always do, and Lieberman would grab headlines — which is the only thing he cares about.
Understood about the filibusters. But Dems are not forcing real filibusters. If Republicans want to filibuster everything, they should be held to the rules – filibuster 24 hours a day until they drop, then hold a vote. Right now, filibusters are scheduled for an hour here, an hour there, and oh, poor us, we can’t pass anything. If the guy who’s filibustering needs to take a piss, he can piss in his pants or get the hell off the floor and then take a vote. But, like you said, the Democrats have no real interest in passing anything and are not fighting back.
On our issues, Lieberman was a sponsor of the hate crime law, and continues to sponsor ENDA, supports the right of gays and lesbians to adopt and now will introduce DADT repeal. There are lots of reasons for Democrats to be angry at Lieberman but gays and lesbians have little reason to question his support of our issues.
Welcome to the new Obama Army. Government issue will no longer be uniforms, boots, and field gear … but dresses, panties, and makeup. It used to be that the objective of the U.S. Military was to win wars, but nowadays it’s the advancement of left wing political agendas. You can bet this will lead to declining recruitment, internal conflicts, more men coming home in body bags, and lost perhaps wars … but a least the homosexuals will be happy. Isn’t that the important thing?