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Lieberman could become one of the most powerful Senators...

MadVlad

By MadVlad
in Connecticut

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monsoon Gigalopolis

monsoon

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Lieberman is basically trading the promise of keeping his seniority in the Senate to rejoin the Democrats. He is doing this to keep the senate out of Republican hands. If he were truly operating as an independent and in a bipartisan matter as the article suggests, he would not do this. I think he very well knows the fine line he is walking because this particular balance of seats can change in two years, and he might lose everything. He basically lucked out because the Democrats were so successful in ousting Republicans. For example, if Ford had prevailed in Tennessee then Lieberman's involvement would not have made any difference. In many ways, he is one of the weakest members of Congress.

As a side note, Lieberman was interviewed about this on Meet the Press this morning. (I highly recommend this show.) He admitted that though he was basically sent back to the Senate by Republican voters he had to caucus with the Democrats.

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MadVlad Town

MadVlad

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Harry Reid promised him his seniority despite what happened one way or the other. Even though he spurned the party a bit, he still hasd many friends and is the type of guy that people don't hold grudges with. He also has good ties with the GOP, giving him pull on both sides. I don't see how any of that makes him "one of the weakest members of Congress".

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SOCOM Hamlet

SOCOM

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He is a senator without any party and right now is in a good position because of the particular balance of of seats between the parties, which he had nothing to do with. In two years if just one seat changes hands, then his hold on power disappears. Remember he is only getting his seniority back because the democrats need him for their majority. A senator whose influence depends upon what voters are doing in other states is not in a good position.
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SOCOM Hamlet

SOCOM

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not much will get done in the next 2 yaers. we've got congress nearly split 50-50 dem-rep (ok, it's 49-49 with 2 independents who say they'll caucus with the dems, but that has yet to be seen, at least we can trust the guy from VT for that). not to mention a president who disagrees with nearly everything the democrats are in favor of.

lieberman weakened himself by running as an independent. the people who elected him were republicans that didn't want the guy their own party endorsed (i bet schlesinger would have gotten more votes if there were only 2 candidates, and i'm not talking votes from lamont).

i'd look to dodd for power... he's been in the senate a lot longer and has a lot more clout.

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MadVlad Town

MadVlad

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not much will get done in the next 2 yaers. we've got congress nearly split 50-50 dem-rep (ok, it's 49-49 with 2 independents who say they'll caucus with the dems, but that has yet to be seen, at least we can trust the guy from VT for that). not to mention a president who disagrees with nearly everything the democrats are in favor of.

lieberman weakened himself by running as an independent. the people who elected him were republicans that didn't want the guy their own party endorsed (i bet schlesinger would have gotten more votes if there were only 2 candidates, and i'm not talking votes from lamont).

i'd look to dodd for power... he's been in the senate a lot longer and has a lot more clout.

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runawayjim Metropolis

runawayjim

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Lieberman has never gone back on his word, no idea why you'd think trusting him is the issue. Lieberman is currently the key to the Democratic Senate. He'll stay a Democrat because he's much more powerful that way. I read a letter in the Courant today saying he should hold out for which party would give him a abetter spot at leading a committee; I disagree. If he bolts the Democrats, he'd be totally ostracized from the party and only have the Republican majority vote for what he wants. If he stays with the Democrats, they have little choice but to support his legislation, lest he give his support to the other side. Also, he has strong ties with the Republicans, so they would tend to support his legislation too. None of you have illustrated this fictional loss of power yet. I'm waiting for a real answer with bells and whistles on...
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MadVlad Town

MadVlad

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he could be powerful both ways, but that means he has to play to one of the parties. he is key to the republicans as well as the democrats at this point. his voting record looks more like a republican's than a democrat's, so what makes you think that he would stay with the democrats now? the republicans might support his legislation because of that. he'll probably never run in CT as a democrat again, which isn't a bad thing unless his voting record sides more and more with the republicans. he's a politician. he may say he'll stick with the democrats, but he's just being a politician.
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runawayjim Metropolis

runawayjim

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His voting record, with a few exceptions, is a Democratic one, you obviously don't know his voting record. And Metro, I don't see him playing both sides of the fence very long, he's just dangling that out there to gain some favor with the Republican's. This is a strong position, not a weak one, I have no idea where you get your theories from...
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MadVlad Town

MadVlad

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he also sides with the republicans on a few issues, one of them is that he is anti-gay marriage, although he won't vote for an amendment because he thinks it's up to the states. i am pretty sure he's against stem cell research as well, but i'd have to look that one up to be sure. and let's not forget one of his worst votes... in favor of the war in iraq, which he is still in favor of.
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HartfordTycoon Town

HartfordTycoon

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I can say the same for you. You accuse me of ignoring what you say, yet you never tackle what I say, but I guess your rules aren't a 2-way street. By the way, I tackled everything you said prior to you saying it. If Lieberman is the key, that is a strong position. You stated he is in a weak position. You've already disproven your own statements. Tell you what, you come up with a legitimate arguement that is contrary to what I've been saying, and I'll give it a listen.
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MadVlad Town

MadVlad

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I'm not sure, but I think his rationale is that Lieberman got elected by the GOP but has to stick with the Dems. Which is awkward even for him. On top of that, the Dems and GOP may field strong electable candidates into the mix next time. With that being the situation he has to be careful not to stray to far from the Dems, because that's who he planned on coming home to. If he is forced to move to the GOP, he'll lose whatever Dem support he had left and will have to run as a republican. If that happens it would be much easier to beat him with a moderate Dem candidate with national support, something Lamont lacked, next time around. I kinda agree if that is how he means it. I wouldn't call it weak, but would say he's in a vulnerable and possibly unsustainable situation.
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HartfordTycoon Town

HartfordTycoon

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He would have been vulnerable if the vote had gone differently. If the Rep's or Dem's had gained one more seat either way, he'd have been in a much weaker position. However, that is not what happened. He is positioned optimally. Does he need to be careful, sure, but he is savvy enough to use his leverage correctly. He is currently the lynchpin, which we now all agree on. The Dems cannot afford to ostrasize him, if they do he caucuses with the GOP, the Dem's lose their majority and all the hard work they've done this election is wasted for 2 years. The Republicans obviously want to curry favor so he'll bring some Dem support for various issues.

Let's recap:

The Dems need him for their Majority: strong position

The Rep's need him to help bridge the partisan devide for their legislation: strong position

He needs to be careful, but is smart enough to get all he can without being rebuked by either side: strong

By the way, he wasn't elected by the GOP, he was elected by the GOP, the majority of the Independants, and 33% of the Democrats. If he was just supported by the GOP, he'd lose. Also, the Republicans have no strong candidate for Senate. Jodi Rell is the single Republican with significant power, and she's sitting in the Governor's chair. If the Democrats decide to try and knock him off his perch, they'd run into the same road block as before: he's popular with a lot of people in the state, across the board.

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drc72 Burg

drc72

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I don't know what to think of him. I thought only 27% of Dems voted for him or less, but I could be wrong. I still think he has to be very careful. The GOP is very unpopular at the moment, and in my opinion it would be advisable for him to keep his distance from them. I still think he could be in big trouble next election, especially if the Dems add on the the majority they currently hold. It's so close in the Senate they will either add to the majority or lose it. Also the next senate elections will coincide with the presidential election if I'm not mistaken, so turnout will be high and if Bush can't get any traction, the GOP is sure to lose again. Then he's disposable and a bit of a thorn in the side of the Dems. If the GOP takes back the majority, he can join with them sit pretty. So it's in the air to me.
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