Time To Take Action Against Joe Lieberman

Holy Joe says: "Revenge is a dish best served over and
over and over again." (Don't forget to click to enlarge.)

Our pals at CREDO Mobile and Democrats.com are gathering signatures for a petition to remove Lieberman from his chairmanship if he bolts to the Republicans-- as he says he has decided to do-- and filibusters the health care reform bill. We don't push too many petitions here but this is one I really recommend you consider signing. It makes more sense than most, to begin with:

Sen. Lieberman plans to join with Republicans to filibuster any health care bill that contains a public option. Alone, the Republicans don't have the votes for a filibuster. So by joining with them, Lieberman would be tipping the balance of power in order to sink health care reform.

We need to push the leaders of the Democratic caucus to take a tough stand against Lieberman. Last year, the New York Times quoted an anonymous "member of the Senate Democratic leadership" who said about Lieberman:

"We need every vote. He's with us on everything but the war."

But now Joe Lieberman has announced that he will support the filibuster of any for a health care bill that contains the public option. He justifies this position by saying that a government-run health insurance option will cost taxpayers and increase the National Debt even though the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) forecasts $100 billion in savings thanks to the public option. He further claims that his position is what is best for his constituents, even though polling in Connecticut shows that among likely voters 68 percent favor a public option, while only 21 percent oppose it.

Now is the time for Senate Democratic leadership-- Senators Reid, Schumer, and Durbin-- to stop making excuses for Joe Lieberman. Harry Reid has shown great leadership in writing a health care bill that includes the public option. But Joe Lieberman is not "with us" on everything but the war. Joe Lieberman's position is against Senate Democrats, against his constituents in Connecticut and against the will of the American public.

Actions must have consequences. Any senator who filibusters the public option does not deserve a chairmanship and should be removed from his or her post.

Lieberman and his wife have taken millions of dollars in barely disguised bribes from the insurance industry and Medical-Industrial Complex, she as one of Washington's more notorious K Street Whores, he as a senator always willing to sell his votes to the highest corporate bidder. There's no way to know precisely how much money she's been paid as a lobbyist for these sleazy characters-- it's widely believed to be in the millions-- but the hypocritical senator from Connecticut has gobbled up $1,037,402 from Big Insurance and another $2,397,369 directly from the "Health" lobby.

Much more to the liking of Big Insurance and the vested interests Lieberman always sides with against his own constituents is the joke of a "reform" bill Boehner has finally managed to come up with (he says). The Boehner bill, according to the Wall Street Journal "wouldn't seek to prevent health-insurance companies from denying sick people insurance." This bill, based on a deliberate campaign of Republican lies, distortions and fear-mongering, is the bill Lieberman will feel the most affinity with. It's also the bill Mormon Senator Orrin Hatch supports, but for very bizarre reasons. Hatch fears that the Democratic reforms will be so popular with Americans that no one will ever vote for the GOP again. He actually told CNSNews.com that the success of health care reform would be a threat to the two-party system. There's not much we can do about Hatch... but please sign the petition to Harry Reid and Dick Durbin in regard to Lieberman. And then treat yourself to some Drunken Sufis: