Lieberman-- Not Really With Us On Everything But Iraq Afterall

A week or so ago Mike Stark sent me the above video he made of a brief off-the-cuff interview he managed to get with Joe Lieberman. No doubt regular DWT readers will recall with disgust how clubby Senate Democrats-- after all, the all take bribes from the same sources-- reinstated Lieberman in his positions of power within the caucus (and committee system), even after he was rejected by Connecticut Democrats and even after he actively campaigned against Barack Obama and several other Democrats running for Congress. "He's with us on everything but the war," they lied to us and, perhaps, themselves.

Lieberman isn't with "us," on anything, unless "us" happens to mean the special interests protecting the status quo and frustrating the aspirations of America's working families. His reactionary voting record, according to ProgressivePunch, is snuggled neatly between Blanche Lincoln's and Mary Landrieu's, two of the furthest right neo-Confederate corporatists in the Democratic caucus. And, like them, he is a wholly owned subsidiary of Corporate America. Lieberman's snout is always at the trough handing out the biggest bribes to members of Congress. Of 100 senators, the financial sector has rewarded him more handsomely than anyone other than McCain, Kerry, Schumer and Dodd; he's taken in $10,036,074 from the sector, almost double what the next biggest recipient got. And he never disappoints. Lieberman has nothing but contempt and disdain for the citizens of Connecticut and whenever it comes down to a choice between what his constituents want and what Wall Street wants, he's always working hard for the lobbysists and CEOs who have underwritten his disgraceful public career.

Lieberman will now do in public what he has been doing in private all year-- trying to destroy meaningful health care. Sorry, I forgot to mention the massive bribes he's received from the Medical-Industrial Complex and the Insurance Industry, which also employs his worthless wife who has long served as a funnel for their pay-offs into his household. Among current senators, Lieberman is in the Insurance Industry's all-time top 10 whores, having scooped up $1,033,402. And the Medical-Industrial CEOs and lobbyists like him just fine too-- to the tune of $2,395,369, also top 10 among sitting senators. And it is well-known Inside the Beltway that no one who has ever bribed Joe Lieberman has been disappointed. Connecticut voters, on the other hand, will be very disappointed. Half of them view him unfavorably (including 63% of Democrats and 50% of Independents). Republicans are just wild about him and give him a 71% favorability rating. And, as you can see, the public option which he opposes so strongly, is overwhelmingly supported by Connecticut's citizens. 68% favor a public option-- including 83% of Democrats and 73% of Independents.



Yesterday Milt Shook explained why Republicans should just sit down, chill out and STFU. His thesis about what a mess 8 of the 10 states closest to hell on earth (from bad to worse: South Carolina, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Alabama, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Mississippi) helps shine a light on senators and congressmen least serving their constituents. These are the states at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to everything: lowest standard of living, worst crime, worst education, worst everything. So why not worst political representation as well. But what Milt doesn't take into account is a wealthy, educated, enlightened electorate (Connecticut) burdened with an unspeakably corrupt senator grasping everything he can get his hands on as he sails off into the political sunset.


UPDATE: Guess Who's Sticking It To America Now? Or Should We Say "Again?"

Digby caught Joe Lieberman on Imus today. It was ugly; Lieberman thinks Obama is doing too much, too fast and in the middle of a recession... and whatever else the Republican talking points are. "So, this puts us in the position where you say, on the one hand, what we’re about to do in adopting health care reform will, will reduce the cost of health insurance from what it would otherwise be and the other hand you say, oh incidentally, we’re going to raise your taxes or cut your Medicare to the tune of $900 billion or a trillion. And people are beginning to think that maybe they’d do better holding on to what they have now." Wow! Does that sound like it came right from the mouths of his pals McCain and McConnell? And, he's not only going to oppose a public option; he says he's even against the Baucus bill, which can barely even be described as reform at all. So will Lieberman join the GOP filibuster of health care reform? Looks that way.