Now here's a fun question: "What will happen with Lieberman if Obama wins the election?"

Is there anyone who wouldn't like to see that creepy grin
wiped off Holy Joe's reptilian puss?

by Ken

My European-born friend Leo, who splits his time between Europe and the U.S., asked the above question in an e-mail. When the e-dust settled, I thought I might as well share my e-reply:


Ooh!

Actually, there are two parts to the question/answer:

(a) if Obama wins the election, and

(b) if the Democrats win a substantial Senate majority


IF (a) HAPPENS BUT NOT (b) --

depending on how close the final Senate breakdown is, the son of a bitch may actually have leverage. A lot of Senate Democrats still consider him a friend and colleague, and may STILL be reluctant to strip him of his committee chairmanship or even drum him out of the Senate Democratic caucus. However, if the Democrats need him to control the Senate, he may be hold onto his present situation.

Even if he should wind up either becoming a Republican or organizing (as an Independent) with the Republicans (right now he's technically an Independent organizing with the Democrats), if the Democratic majority is slim, he could carve out a position as some kind of power broker, with a lot of influence over a bloc of conservative Democrats and moderate Republicans.

(Note: Right now, it doesn't really look as if the new Senate is going to be close. There is even the distinct possibility that the Dems could reach the magic number of 60, which means they could defeat filibusters -- that is, assuming all 60 Dems actually vote together, which I don't really see happening.

(This raises an interesting question, which I haven't heard discussed. If the Dems DO reach the magic number 60, including Holy Joe, do they then have to keep him in order to HAVE the filibuster-proof majority? Even though on "his" issues he won't vote with them anyway.)


Now it doesn't appear likely, though until a couple of weeks ago it seemed quite possible:
IF (b) HAPPENS BUT NOT (a) --

then His Holiness doesn't need those stinking Senate Democrats. He walks into his choice of jobs in the McCranky administration. Secretary of state, anyone? Or maybe secretary of morality?


BUT IF BOTH (a) AND (b) HAPPEN --

which I suspect is your real question, then I would say the Holy One is fucked. All the more so if Majority Leader Reid is as pissed at him as he sometimes seems to be. Ever since the Dems regained control of the Senate, and Senator Reid went from minority leader to majority leader, he has been VERY cautious in speaking publicly about his old pal Joe. So we really don't know what he's really thinking. But His Holiness has helped make our Harry's tenure as majority leader VERY difficult, and every now and then we've had these brief glimmerings that he has not at all appreciated his old pal Joe's behavior, especially his bad-mouthing all the Democratic presidential candidates and announcing his support for McCranky so early.

What I'm getting at is that our Harry may be closer to the breaking point than he has let on. If this is the case, and if some of His Holiness's other onetime friends feel the same way (remember, the Senate majority leader doesn't have much independent power -- he has as much power as he has backing from his caucus), then Holy Joe could find himself a pariah among his former Democratic colleagues. And since he wont' have anything at all to offer the Republicans (his ONLY value to them these last seven years was as a Democrat who supported their president), he could serve out the rest of his current Senate term a VERY lonely man.

And if President Obama remembers the trash His Holinesss has talked about HIM during this campaign . . . well, I don't think a senator who has no friends to speak of left in the Senate will really enjoy having a sworn enemy in the White House.


THE SHORT(ER) ANSWER, THEN --

is that under certain circumstances our Joe MIGHT be able to carve out a role for himself as the "elder statesman" influencing a bloc of 10-15 "centrist" senators whose votes could become crucial on every issue the Senate considers. That's the BEST-case scenario. The other possibilities are much less cheery for him. And the WORST-case scenario could be pretty bleak.

But then, I don't think he gives a damn about anyone else. When his term expires, he can openly become a full-time corporate lobbyist, and be able to take all the cash the big companies want to throw his way openly instead of having to be so secretive about it. The lovely Hadassah, of course, is already a lobbyist, but obviously she has to observe certain limitations while her Joe is a sitting senator. I think they're both very greedy individuals, and could adjust very nicely to living openly as hired hands of the rich and powerful.