The More You Joe
On thing about the modern-day American conservative: they really like to blame groups of people for every bad thing that happens. Other than maybe when they go after George Soros, that is. But honestly, when was the last time a prominent conservative blamed a corporation for screwing up something?
Anyway, the reason I bring this up is because over at washingtonpost.com, the question posed by Right Matters is: "Who/what drove Joe Lieberman to John McCain? " The answer: liberals.
This might have been spot on, if Joe Lieberman was just a "hawkish Democrat" and the rift between him and liberal Democrats started in 2006.
First of all, he was one of the first Democrats to condemn Bill Clinton for the Monica Lewinsky affair. That didn't necessarily piss off liberals, but it did make him a good choice for Al Gore's VP Gore was (as I'm sure McCain is with Bush) worried about being seen as an extension of Clinton with the scandal looming, and choosing Lieberman was his way of signaling that.
And for the most part, Lieberman was a swell running mate. But when election night came, and there was that "What the Hell Happened in Florida" thing. Than came Bush v. Gore, and as people and pundits went over the various scenarios and ballots needing to resolve this thing, it became clearer that among the four people running for the top two spots in office (President and VP) only Al Gore was worried about what would happen if a Bush/Cheney Administration came to pass.
C&L points this out, and here's the damning evidence from Lieberman's own mouth:
With those comments, the fight to but a Democrat in the White House turned into a way to make the American people not look at Democrats as sore losers. For the next eight years, Democrats were constantly portrayed as weak and quitters, and Lieberman enamored himself to the "victorious" Bush Administration (especially when it became apparent that he wasn't going to beat Howard Dean, John Kerry or John Edwards for primary delegates).
Lieberman lost favor with the Democratic base, not just so-called fringe liberals. And he lost it because the base decided that having an image of giving up election battles and congressional fights wasn't going to help expand the party or win the White House.
Anyway, the reason I bring this up is because over at washingtonpost.com, the question posed by Right Matters is: "Who/what drove Joe Lieberman to John McCain? " The answer: liberals.
If liberals had been willing to tolerate Lieberman, maybe he wouldn't have endorsed McCain. But by trying to unseat him in 2006 even though he agrees with them on most issues, they both alarmed and annoyed him. If not for that primary challenge, Lieberman would have merely been a hawkish Democrat. The left-wing activists who made Lieberman a hate figure in 2006 have only themselves to blame for his enmity. If you try to kill the king and fail, don't spend the next few years whining about it.
This might have been spot on, if Joe Lieberman was just a "hawkish Democrat" and the rift between him and liberal Democrats started in 2006.
First of all, he was one of the first Democrats to condemn Bill Clinton for the Monica Lewinsky affair. That didn't necessarily piss off liberals, but it did make him a good choice for Al Gore's VP Gore was (as I'm sure McCain is with Bush) worried about being seen as an extension of Clinton with the scandal looming, and choosing Lieberman was his way of signaling that.
And for the most part, Lieberman was a swell running mate. But when election night came, and there was that "What the Hell Happened in Florida" thing. Than came Bush v. Gore, and as people and pundits went over the various scenarios and ballots needing to resolve this thing, it became clearer that among the four people running for the top two spots in office (President and VP) only Al Gore was worried about what would happen if a Bush/Cheney Administration came to pass.
C&L points this out, and here's the damning evidence from Lieberman's own mouth:
Lieberman: “My own point of view, if I was there, I would give the benefit of the doubt to ballots coming in from military personnel, generally,” Mr. Lieberman said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Of the local canvassing boards, he said, “If they have the capacity, I’d urge them to go back and take another look, because again, Al Gore and I don’t want to ever be part of anything that would put an extra burden on the military personnel abroad.”
With those comments, the fight to but a Democrat in the White House turned into a way to make the American people not look at Democrats as sore losers. For the next eight years, Democrats were constantly portrayed as weak and quitters, and Lieberman enamored himself to the "victorious" Bush Administration (especially when it became apparent that he wasn't going to beat Howard Dean, John Kerry or John Edwards for primary delegates).
Lieberman lost favor with the Democratic base, not just so-called fringe liberals. And he lost it because the base decided that having an image of giving up election battles and congressional fights wasn't going to help expand the party or win the White House.
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