Should Joe Go?

The on-going issue of Senator Lieberman’s position in the Senate needs to be concluded soon. It’s my opinion that Senator Lieberman does not deserve to retain his chairmanships. He sided with the Republicans when his party needed him most. Do the Democrats want their Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chair to be a person who constantly belittled Democrats and accused Senator Obama of anti-American tendencies, "Marxism," surrender, and defeatism. Senator Lieberman also went before the Republican National Convention to attack President-Elect Obama and the entire Democratic Party (after promising Reid he would not do so). At other times:

He said that "Obama has not always put country first."
He thought it was a "good question" to inquire whether Obama is a Marxist.
He misleadingly accused Obama of having "voted to cut off funding for our troops."
He repeated the claim that "Hamas endorsed Obama" and said it "suggests the difference between these two candidates."

Of course, Senator Lieberman was entitled to his opinion of his friend John McCain being qualified to be President but it was not necessary for him to publicly criticize Senator Obama’s policies.

However Senator Lieberman has suggested to Majority Leader Harry Reid that if his chairs are taken away, he will caucus will Republicans. Senator Lieberman will not accept the chair of a subcommittee in return for agreeing to continue to caucus with Democrats.

So what will Senator Lieberman do? If he were to caucus with the GOP, he doesn't gain votes home in Connecticut. He narrowly won election as an Independent, after losing the Democratic nomination in a blue state. If Lieberman were to join the Republicans there’s not much Minority Leader Mitch McConnell could offer him. Virtually every ranking position is already spoken for, and Republican senators who have spent years moving up the ranks might not look kindly upon Lieberman getting them if he switches parties.

As Homeland Security Chair, Lieberman wasn’t even effective. No investigations were made of Katrina, Blackwater shootings, Halliburton subsidiary KBR and nothing done about wrongdoing in the Bush administration. On these facts alone, he doesn’t deserve to continue in the position.

But the real danger Joe Lieberman presents - subpoena power to investigate the Obama administration. Allowing him to have the subpoena power that comes with a committee chairmanship (and especially on a committee whose role is broad executive investigations) is crazy.

I whole-heartedly agree with this statement by Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont:

"To reward Senator Lieberman with a major committee chairmanship would be a slap in the face of millions of Americans who worked tirelessly for Barack Obama and who want to see real change in our country."

In the end, I think Lieberman will grumble about any action being unacceptable, and then he'll accept it.