Anyone watch the show “Intervention” on A&E? It’s my second favorite show, after Hoarders.
I think Sen. Reid needs to have the same conversation with Sen. Joe Lieberman that Jeff VanVonderen has with junkies each week as they enter the room, surprised to see their family and friends gathered for an intervention. To help him along, here are some thoughts on how this should go down:
“Hey Joe…don’t run out. There are a lot of people here in this room who love you a lot and who want to fight to get you back. All we’re asking is that you join the fight. We do need you to know that if you continue on this path towards destruction, we aren’t going to be able to support you anymore and your life will change in the following ways:
1. You will be stripped of your seniority in the United States Senate;
2. You will no longer be the Chairman of anything including your Condo Board Association;
3. Your office will be moved to the basement/smallest office available (I’m not kidding);
4. You will no longer be allowed to take part in any caucus meetings with Democrats and you will only hear about our initiatives via Politico.com.;
5. You will have zero support from any of the party infrastructure in any future election in which you run. None. Zero. Not a dollar. Not an email. Nothing.;
6. I will personally add false information to your Wikipedia page suggesting that you were involved in an orgy with Tiger Woods.
“As far as I’m concerned he (Senator Obama) is a ‘Baruch,’ which means a blessing. He is a blessing to the United States Senate, to America, and to our shared hopes for better, safer tomorrows for all our families…â€
Sometimes it boggles my mind that the man I happily voted for in 2000 as the Democratic nominee for Vice President has so sunk to the depths he has. Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT), who for some reason the press continues to call a Democrat, has lined up with Bush and Cheney and against the American people, the US generals, and even the troops on the ground in calling for more war and more death.
I’ve just spent 10 days traveling in the Middle East and speaking to leaders there, all of which has made one thing clearer to me than ever: While we are naturally focused on Iraq, a larger war is emerging. On one side are extremists and terrorists led and sponsored by Iran, on the other moderates and democrats supported by the United States. Iraq is the most deadly battlefield on which that conflict is being fought. How we end the struggle there will affect not only the region but the worldwide war against the extremists who attacked us on Sept. 11, 2001.
Ahh, invoking 9/11. How Rovian of him.
To turn around the crisis we need to send more American troops while we also train more Iraqi troops and strengthen the moderate political forces in the national government. After speaking with our military commanders and soldiers there, I strongly believe that additional U.S. troops must be deployed to Baghdad and Anbar province — an increase that will at last allow us to establish security throughout the Iraqi capital, hold critical central neighborhoods in the city, clamp down on the insurgency and defeat al-Qaeda in that province.
Didn’t we try that six months ago? Didn’t violence and death increase? Are we really supposed to believe that 20,000 or even 50,000 more troops will stop the violence in a country of 26 million where thousands are killed each month? Sen. Lieberman closes with his favorite strawman:
Rather than engaging in hand-wringing, carping or calls for withdrawal, we must summon the vision, will and courage to take the difficult and decisive steps needed for success and, yes, victory in Iraq.
Ahh Joe, you’re just so courageous. What are a few more dead Americans so you can look brave? What are a few more thousand dead Iraqis so you can be a strong centrist with “vision?”
Call Senator Lieberman and tell him to stop wasting lives for his own ego. (202) 224-4041.
We’re on the highway slowly making our way out of Connecticut and its traffic. While our greatest issue in the state was the lack of good Verizon service and quick internet, by far the largest issue on everyone’s mind here (and honestly, everywhere we’ve been) is Iraq. From the politicians, to the campaign staffers, to our gracious hosts the Weins last night, everyone is voting on the war. Maybe things will change as we head west and enter some more purple states. Over at The Fix they’re already in Ohio where people seem concerned about gas prices. But in the Nutmeg state, it’s Iraq. Despite “I’m Sticking With Joe” road signs, things don’t look great for Senator Lieberman.
I’d been to Yale before but I guess never really walked around. It’s a gorgeous day and after our interview with the Lamont campaign’s internet director, Tim Tagaris, we met up with Bec for a food truck burrito and a gander through the Freshman Quad.
We’ve been on the road for over a week now but it still doesn’t really feel like a roadtrip. Travelling the familiar roads of the Northeast corridor still feels more like just driving around. That should change when we depart Boston next week.
Traffic’s been going up so we know you’re all out there. Drop a comment and say hi.
Josh did a GREAT job on the website and as you can see we now have a map tracking our every move! It’s cool, now you can watch us in real-time as the minivan rolls up the coast.
We are still trying to finalize our interview plans for tomorrow. As it stands, we have a tentative interview with Diane Farrell who is running against Chris Shays in Connecticut. This is a marquee race and we’re going to lean-in to Diane’s staff to get this interview at some point tomorrow.
We’re also going to interview Nancy DiNardo who is the Chairwoman for the Democratic Party in Connecticut. She should be an interesting interview as things in Connecticut are crazy right now in light of the Lieberman defeat.
Thank you very much to the great people we’ve seen on this leg of the journey. It’s been a fun stop and we’ll miss New York.
So who exactly is supporting Joe Lieberman’s Independent bid for re-election in Connecticut? A recent article answers that question: Karl Rove and the Republican Party.
That’s right, it seems that during the weeks leading-up to Lieberman’s defeat in the Democratic Primary in Connecticut, the White House was hard at work instructing its money machine to give to Senator Lieberman.
The White House funneled millions of dollars through major Republican Party contributors to Sen. Joseph Lieberman’s primary campaign in a failed effort to ensure the support of the former Democrat for the Bush administration.
A senior GOP source said the money was part of Deputy White House Chief of Staff Karl Rove’s strategy to maintain a Republican majority in the Senate in November. The source said Mr. Rove, together with Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman, directed leading pro-Bush contributors to donate millions of dollars to Mr. Lieberman’s campaign for re-election in Connecticut in an attempt that he would be a “Republican-leaning” senator.
U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman’s lead over anti-war challenger Ned Lamont has narrowed to a razor-thin margin, two polls showed on Wednesday.
The 2000 vice presidential candidate lost the Democratic primary vote in Connecticut to Lamont this month, but is running for re-election as an independent in a contest that has exposed deep divisions over the unpopular Iraq war.
An American Research Group poll conducted Thursday through Monday said the race was a statistical tie, putting Lieberman’s support among 790 likely voters at 44 percent versus 42 percent for Lamont, a political novice and wealthy cable TV executive.
Republican Alan Schlesinger, a former state legislator, had 3 percent. The poll had a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.
Adam Sharp, Senator Landrieu’s Communications Director, confirmed with me this morning that Landrieu will indeed support Lieberman over Democratic nominee Ned Lamont.
“Senator Landrieu is supporting Senator Lieberman,” wrote Sharp in an e-mail. “We have not issued any press release or anything on it, but have confirmed it to anyone who has called. She did state her support publicly before the primary, as reported by the Times Picayune and called Senator Lieberman the day after the primary to reiterate her position.”
Don’t you get it, Mary? This is not about YOU. This is not about your friendship with Joe. This is about America and this is about the will of Connecticut voters. This is about the Democratic Party!
What, specifically, is your plan to end the war in Iraq in a way that “brings stability to the Middle East”? How long will this take? What types of troops will be involved? Does your plan for ending the war have specific timetables attached or is it George W. Bush’s policy of we’ll wait and see?
You’ve served in the United States Senate for 18 years. During that time, nothing you have done has ended the partisan bickering that you claim is ruining Washington. How, specifically, would you approach this and why would it be more effective than it’s been for the past 18 years.
Which Muppet did Jim Henson model your face after?
