Day: December 14, 2009

Senator Joe Lieberman: A Nightmare For The Democratic Caucus!

Senator Joe Lieberman, Independent from Connecticut, has become a nightmare for the Democratic caucus that welcomed him back after his public support of John McCain in 2008, even making him Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee.

Lieberman has been a constant thorn in the side of President Obama, and now has stated he will not support any public option or Medicare extension in the Health Care legislation being considered, and that he might join the filibuster of the Republicans, making it effective by his own vote.

The story of the year could be Joe Lieberman, the 2000 Vice Presidential nominee, preventing his party from enacting the major initiative of the Obama Administration. And this comes on top of news that his wife, Hadassah, works in the health care industry, and that Connecticut is the major center of health care insurance companies.

Apparently, Lieberman does not care about his public image, and is in bed with the insurance companies that rip off many Americans, and with the Republican party, which has no interest in health care reform.

Shame on Joe Lieberman! But also remember that when he ran for the Senate against liberal Republican Senator Lowell Weicker in 1988, that William F. Buckley, Jr, publisher of the conservative National Review, voted for him and said Lieberman was his “favorite Democrat!”

So maybe Lieberman was always not to be trusted as a true Democrat. Now the Democrats are paying the price! 🙁

Senate Democratic Caucus Meeting At White House: Is This The Last Opportunity To Gain Health Care Reform?

For the first time since the health care debate began months ago, President Obama has invited the entire Senate Democratic caucus to visit the White House on Tuesday.

Obama needs to push for what he wants at this meeting, as he is often criticized for being too willing to let the Senate do its own thing without major intervention by the White House. He has to be much more assertive than he apparently has been up to this point.

He must act like Lyndon Johnson in overcoming the Senate filibuster over the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Remember that to overcome the opposition forty five years ago, Johnson needed two thirds of the Senate, sixty seven votes, while now only sixty votes, or three fifths of the Senate is needed.

This may be the last opportunity to accomplish the signature program that Obama wishes as his legacy for his Presidency, at least in the first term. The time for active assertiveness is NOW!