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October 13, 2009
NOT MODERATE ENOUGH FOR LIEBERMAN.... The health care reform bill poised to be approved by the Senate Finance Committee will have bipartisan support -- Sen. Olympia Snowe (R) of Maine endorsed the legislation this afternoon. But while the bill may be good enough for a Republican, it's not good enough for Joe Lieberman. Lieberman, who has been trashing the reform effort for months, told Don Imus today he opposes the Baucus bill, and again argued that he doesn't even like the idea of working on health care reform.
This is just so absurd. Health care reform, if it passes, will take years to be implemented. There's no reason for a recession to interfere with fixing a broken system, but even if that were a driving factor, this recession will end before 2013. Lieberman must know this, which means he's looking for excuses, even cheap ones, to oppose reform. Asked if he'd be willing to support the Baucus bill, Lieberman said he could not. Asked why, he added, "I'm afraid that in the end, the Baucus bill is actually going to raise the price of insurance for most of the people in the country." So, Lieberman is parroting AHIP arguments the day after the claim was debunked. For what it's worth, it doesn't matter too much whether Lieberman is willing to vote for health care reform -- it matters a great deal whether Lieberman is willing to vote with Republicans on a filibuster. At this point, Lieberman has proven himself willing to betray just about anyone and everyone, so how he'll behave on the Senate floor remains entirely unpredictable. —Steve Benen 1:55 PM Permalink | Trackbacks | Comments (34)Comments
The Democrats should expel Lieberman from the caucus (meaning he loses his committee chairmanship) if he filibusters. He's welcome to vote against the bill. But doing them at once in the middle of a recession may be hard to pull off. But considering the health care initiative is potentially weeks from being finished it seems like he should prefer to get it out of the way by voting for it. Unless he simply objects to doing 2 good things at all. Posted by: Jinchi on October 13, 2009 at 2:05 PM | PERMALINKAnd we're kissing up to Joe to keep him a Democrat for what reason?? Right, the president should just do one thing at a time so the republicans can keep up. It is hard to defeat everything at the same time. You start sounding like the party of no. Yeah, I know that Lieberman isn't technically a republican. Posted by: tomj on October 13, 2009 at 2:07 PM | PERMALINKIs Joe Lieberman brain damaged? Seriously. Posted by: Christopher on October 13, 2009 at 2:09 PM | PERMALINKNOW can we throw his worthless ass out of the caucus? What a schmuck. I'd like to invite the senator to freaking BLOW me. oh, sorry, was that uncivil? Posted by: fourlegsgood on October 13, 2009 at 2:09 PM | PERMALINKWell, he acutally is representing a huge chunk of his constituency - Hartford is in CT, isn't it? Lots of insurance jobs there. However, for betraying his democratic principals he should be stripped of the only committee chair he cares about - Homeland Security. Posted by: bcinaz on October 13, 2009 at 2:10 PM | PERMALINKThe Senate Democratic caucus has a concern troll, and his name is Joe Lieberman. Posted by: scott_m on October 13, 2009 at 2:10 PM | PERMALINKJoe LIEberman (Party of One) shows his true colors and his idiocy, yet again. What an ass. Posted by: Me on October 13, 2009 at 2:18 PM | PERMALINKRemember the argument that Lieberman was allowed to remain committee chairman because "He votes with the Democrats on the important stuff"? Ooooh, I smell another plum committee chairmanship for the traitor Lieberman. Posted by: Bobo teh Clown on October 13, 2009 at 2:24 PM | PERMALINKAt this point, Lieberman has proven himself willing to betray just about anyone and everyone, so how he'll behave on the Senate floor remains entirely unpredictable. Follow the money. If you have a sense of how the insurance industry and/or AIPAC stand on any given issue, the old fart's as predictable as the sun rising in the east. Posted by: dr. bloor on October 13, 2009 at 2:27 PM | PERMALINKBut doing them at once in the middle of a recession may be hard to pull off. Standard Republican rhetoric for anything they want to oppose: - if the economy is bad, then "we can't afford to put any additional burden on it." - if the economy is improving, then "we can't risk endangering the recovery." - if the economy is doing well, then obviously what we're doing is working, and we shouldn't be changing it. - it the economy is shaky, then we can't risk making it worse. None of these arguments is actually based on economic conditions, that's just an excuse for pre-determined opposition. Oh, wait, Lieberman claims not to be a Republican, right? Coulda fooled me... Posted by: Redshift on October 13, 2009 at 2:28 PM | PERMALINKIIRC we are in his third year of six. Sounds to me like Lieberman is in the hip-pocket of big insurance! Go figure! Hey Joe, do something for the American people for a change instead of merely doing what you do best - always looking out for yourself at the expense of the American people and their history! -Kevo Posted by: kevo on October 13, 2009 at 2:45 PM | PERMALINKIf you think Lieberman will vote for cloture, I've got a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn. Posted by: Go, Sestak! Or Hoeffel! on October 13, 2009 at 2:52 PM | PERMALINKNow I'm glad Al Gore lost. From one Tribe member to another: What a putz you are, Joe Lieberman! Posted by: Mxyzptlk on October 13, 2009 at 3:03 PM | PERMALINKStart the proceedings to strip him of his committee chair NOW! Otherwise, his behavior on the Senate floor will be tiresomely predictable. Posted by: pirate wench on October 13, 2009 at 3:03 PM | PERMALINKIf you think Lieberman will vote for cloture, I've got a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn. Obama might be interested... Posted by: qwerty on October 13, 2009 at 3:08 PM | PERMALINKAdding a touch of class to this discussion, am I the only one who sees one of those rubber Halloween masks every 'ol Joe is on my TeeVee? Posted by: DAY on October 13, 2009 at 3:23 PM | PERMALINKScrew the 60 vote threshold. Screw cloture. They should go with reconciliation, and give us the strong public option that Obama and Dems ran on in '08. Posted by: Chris on October 13, 2009 at 3:25 PM | PERMALINKJust out of curiosity, has anyone reported on Ned Lamont's position on health insurance reform? Someone might want to forward that to Mr. Obama, now that his 'good friend' Joe is being so supportive. It's important to learn from past mistakes... Posted by: biggerbox on October 13, 2009 at 3:41 PM | PERMALINKUpdate Lieberman's home state of Connecticut is home to many insurance companies, including Aetna. Over his career, Lieberman has accepted $2,395,369 in donations from the health sector and $1,033,402 from the insurance industry. ********************************************* Some one asked him to stand up straight but he said he couldn't anymore because he has been so bent over, pants down, ass cheeks held open, screaming next for so long that it's now simply impossible. Posted by: stormskies on October 13, 2009 at 3:46 PM | PERMALINKI used to rather like Joe Lieberman. No longer. -Z Posted by: Zorro on October 13, 2009 at 4:00 PM | PERMALINKI suggest the Democrats take the Les Grossman (Tropic Thunder) approach to diplomacy when dealing with Lieberman or any of the blue dogs: "First, take a big step back... and literally, FUCK YOUR OWN FACE! I don't know what kind of pan-pacific bullshit power play you're trying to pull here, but Asia Jack is my territory. So whatever you're thinking, you'd better think again! Otherwise I'm gonna have to head down there and I will rain down in a Godly fucking firestorm upon you! You're gonna have to call the fucking United Nations and get a fucking binding resolution to keep me from fucking destroying you. I'm talking about a scorched earth, motherfucker! I will massacre you! I WILL FUCK YOU UP!" Posted by: bdop4 on October 13, 2009 at 4:08 PM | PERMALINKLet's remember that the geniuses in the AFL-CIO supported Lieberman against Ned Lamont. Posted by: Bill on October 13, 2009 at 4:33 PM | PERMALINKGuess somebody trying to nunchuck him the other day didn't teach this selfish narcissistic scumball whore of a senator who really is a republican tool, a lesson. Also his wife too. And his daughter, who apparently doesn't fall far from the tree, who was getting paid something like $12K a month for helping her daddy run for president. Not her expenses, mind you, she was getting paid. I have no idea but I am willing to bet Chelsea Clinton was not getting paid when she was helping Hilary. Hell, I would be surprised if Chelsea was taking expenses beyond regular travel expenses. Ditto for Obama's sister. Posted by: warren terrah on October 13, 2009 at 4:52 PM | PERMALINKI strongly suspect Traitor Joe is right. Health care WILL cost more for most insurance holders. How can we prohibit riscission and cover everyone including people who we can assume have not been covered because no insurer wanted to without increasing costs? To say universal coverage won't cost more is to believe in the free lunch. Tjhat said, Lieberman implies that 4d million Americans can kiss his patootie. Nice. Posted by: toowearyforoiurage on October 13, 2009 at 4:59 PM | PERMALINKOlympia Snowe is an American first and a Republican second. And that my friend is how she voted today. Posted by: Chris R on October 13, 2009 at 6:09 PM | PERMALINKToo Weary, I think you're two weary, as you can't even spell your handle correctly. Rescission saves the public nothing. It just allows insurance companies to not honor their contract and shifts the burden to the public, who end up paying for it anyway when the rescinded party has to seek help in an emergency room. News flash: our healthcare is a closed system. You either pay for it now through preventative care, or take it in the ass when the uninsured have to receive emergency treatment and everyone pays the bill through cost shifting to those who have insurance. There may be some higher up front costs, but it is a small price to pay to receive womb-to-tomb care for you and your loved ones. Posted by: bdop4 on October 13, 2009 at 6:14 PM | PERMALINKChris R, What will Snowe be if/when she votes against cloture and/or any reconciliation bill that provides true HCR? The SFC Bill is a PoS. Posted by: bdop4 on October 13, 2009 at 6:17 PM | PERMALINKMaybe someone can explain to the Senior Senator from Israel (junior Senator is Ms. Feinstein) that if Israel has universal health care then the U.S. should too. Oh, right. I forgot. His pro-Israel stance dictates that he favors universal health care only for those who are in the military defending Israeli interests. Posted by: ZH on October 13, 2009 at 7:39 PM | PERMALINKLieberman and Imus, two assholes floating down the river of extinction together ... Posted by: rbe1 on October 14, 2009 at 4:23 AM | PERMALINKPost a comment
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