Wide stances

Sen Joe Lieberman is, like President Obama, a man who shed his progressive and liberal pretenses while holding office as a Democrat. But Lieberman is a little more interesting. He had presidential aspirations one time, and as a cloaked right winger was taken on as Al Gore’s running mate in 2000. In 2004 he set out to become the first Jewish* president of the United States. But his campaign never gained traction. He seemed hurt by the rebuff, and stopped pretending to hold any progressive views other than being pro-legal abortion. In 2006 he was beaten in the Connecticut primary, and so ran as an independent, garnering enough Republican votes to hold on to his seat.

Lieberman was useful during the health care debate, announcing at various times that he would oppose any bill that contained a public option. He appeared to be a renegade, but was not at all that. He was merely playing the antagonist in a scripted stage play. But ever since he lost his presidential bid, he’s been openly right wing. He’s come out. I appreciate that about him, and wish others, like Jon Tester and Max Baucus, Michael Bennet, Diane Feinstein, Ben Nelson, Harry Reid, Mary Landrieu … it’s quite a long list, actually … would abandon the closet and simply announce that they are right wingers. That’s no way to live.

Lieberman came out today in favor of cutting Social Security benefits in favor of additional war spending. Coming from a liberal Democrat, that would be a huge surprise. But from a formerly closeted right winger, it’s expected.

So no news here. Move along folks. Move along.
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*There are twelve Jewish senators. Two, Lieberman and Bernie Sanders, are Independents. The rest are all Democrats. It’s an interesting story, the result of discrimination by the old establishment ruling class, which was Protestant and Republican. It forced many Catholics and Jews who would otherwise be instinctively Republican into the Democratic Party. That tradition continues to this day.