The reason I put up these two images is not because I think Joe Lieberman is a bad guy, or that he is in any way scary. The point I want to make is that Health Care politics has a kinship with professional wrestling because it is scripted. Lieberman, like any of the “bad guys” in wrestling has a job to do – he has to move the story forward. To do so, he appears on stage at strategic intervals when the story is failing. He does eeeeeeevil things, now threatening to help filibuster the Medicare 55 option.
It’s scripted. He works very closely with the Democrats on all of this stuff, and appears when he should and says what he must. In the end, he will take the heat when the ‘desired’ legislation (which is doomed to fail anyway) goes down. Other Democrats feel less heat because of Lieberman.
So Joe is an actor on a stage, and I even like him, much as I like villains in any movie. (All time classic: Heath Ledger’s “The Joker.”)
Lieberman should paint his face.
But I much prefer professional wrestling, as the players aren’t so slimy. But please note: The mindless zombies who think wrestling is real cannot hold a candle to the party hacks who buy the “Bad-guy-Joe” narrative.
Piece of Mindful 
This from Firedoglake:
“Joe Lieberman is the rain man for big health
insurance companies. Every time he tries to
bring down real reform with his nonsensical
attacks on the public option or the Medicare
buy-in, the stocks of health insurance
corporations jump.”
“Senate Democrats need to understand their
support for Joe Lieberman is support for
the health insurance industries. Every time
they give in to his ridiculous demands, they
are giving in to the demands of the health
insurance lobbyists. Joe Lieberman and his
support of the health insurance companies
will be a fifty ton weight that will drown
the Democratic party. It is well past time
to cut him loose before the party is ruined
by its endless appeasement of a man who is
fighting against the goals of the party.”
Jumpin’Joe could just be in on the inside of a massive (stock) pump-and-dump scheme.
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Right …
Democrats are “the problem”, bad and evil because they fall prey to actors like Joe, but Joe’s not a bad guy. Democrats are.
You get more delusional by the fricking day, Mark.
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Joe’s just doing his job, as are most Democrats. It’s just that you mis-perceive what that job is. You have the employer-employee or principle agent relationship confused, thinking that the voting public are part of either.
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Totally clueless. Mark, the Democrats told Joe, in no unspecific terms that they didn’t want him representing them. The Democrats in Congress refused to act on that, many times. we’ve all been bitching a fit about that, but you just don’t seem to have a clue about who serves whom. Like the delusional twit you are, you keep blaming us, the Democratic populace. Foolish, Mark. Very very foolish.
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Did you even read this post?Do you have any idea what “scripting” is? Does it occur to you that things that happen in public might be for your consumption?
You haven’t a clue about politics, it appears, and yet you lecture me. How insulting.
No, wait – everything you see is just what it appears to be. Politics is all done in the open. The public is smart and can’t be hornswaggled. No thinking required. As you were, you silly silly man.
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Wulfgar-
Feel free to reiterate this point after Lieberman is stripped of his chairmanship.
Like that’s going to happen. Do you seriously not ever wonder why he suffers no consequences for this stuff?
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AIPAC-protected! Joe’s not going anywhere. Even when the curtain comes down, the truth is revealed, Democrats can’t see anything wrong. The Emperor has no clothes.
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You’re partly right Mark.
I agree that Joe’s stand was a finely executed stunt. Whether it works after the play acting remains to be seen.
He won’t lose his chairman position or bare any blame if HC fails.
Nelson however, will lose his military base.
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