Lieberman's Voting Record

Not much new has happened for Liberman since the post on Wednesday, except that he has returned to the senate and is attending to his duties there for the time being. But out of curiosity, what exactly is Lieberman's voting record issue-by-issue?

Attatched is a long LIST of his voting history. It is listed in alphabetical order according to category (i.e. veterens issues, science and medical issues, Indigenous Peoples etc.) Next to the issue is a Y for yes or a N for no according to how he voted. Each issue has a link which explains the situation in further detail.

http://www.votesmart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=53278

Lieberman Approves Obama's National Security Team

Joe Lieberman seems to be returning to his duties as a Senator of CT after everything which has happened over the presidential election. He and Chris Dodd recently approved a grant of $38,000 on December 1st for the Volunteer Fire Department which was made possible by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) program.

Lieberman is still full of praise for President elect Obama and on December 2nd he publicly announced his approval of Obama's National Security Team. He Said quote:



"I applaud President-Elect Obama for assembling a talented and bipartisan national security team. At a moment in history when our nation faces both great dangers and great opportunities in our foreign relations, the President-Elect has begun to build an administration that can lead America forward on the world stage with purpose and principle."



Because Lieberman is a chairman for Homeland Security in congress, his approval of Obama's work in National Security provides valuble support to the President elect (even though Lieberman nearly lost his position a few weeks ago). Also, notice how Lieberman puts focus on how Obama has chosen a bipartisan team. Lieberman is an avid supporter of bipartisanship in congress.



http://lieberman.senate.gov/

Moving forth in the holiday spirit

Last week, in the tradition of Thanksgiving, Joe Lieberman returned to his home state of Connecticut, holding his first press conference on home turf since the campaign ended. Responding to reporters with his wife, Haddasa, from his office in Hartford, Lieberman spoke mainly of the economy and the president-elect. "I think some of the points of contention, major contention, are ending," he said, in reference to the Iraq War, which caused him to lose favor with Connecticut democrats in the first place. On the economy, he remarked that it “is not waiting for Inauguration Day.” When it came time to speak of Obama, Lieberman showered him with praise, lauding the choice of economic advisors as well as nearly everything else having to do with the transition. "Everything that President-elect Obama has done since election night has been just about perfect,” Lieberman said.

Though his tone toward the democratic victor has eased dramatically, Lieberman has not been so quickly forgiven by those who feel he betrayed them by supporting McCain. Many supporters are angry that Lieberman was allowed to keep his chairmanship of the Homeland Security Committee. The Connecticut Democratic Central Committee is now considering censuring him from the state party. They are said to announce their decision before Christmas after a series of talks.

Though some supporters say they are willing to forgive Lieberman, others haven’t moved on so quickly. Approximately 53% of people polled in CT expressed dissatisfaction with the senator, while 76% of state Democrats reported animosity.

Nonetheless, Lieberman seems to be moving forth in the holiday spirit. On Tuesday, he visited a CT food bank and kindly accepted pies from still-supportive constituents. He later insinuated that he would run again for Senate in 2012, though additional details were not provided. For now, Lieberman seems to be sticking to his mantra of, “We’ve got to unite,” though many remain skeptical.

One thing is for sure. J-Lieb’s future is unsure.

J-Lieb on Meet the Press this morning

A Letter to Joe Worth Reading

By far my favorite piece on J-Lieb from the liberal junkies’ huffingtonpost.com—

“Dear Senator Lieberman,

Congratulations! You got away with it! So despite having supported and endorsed the Republican candidate for president -- and going so far as to question the patriotism of the Democratic nominee -- you've managed to keep your chairmanship. By rights, you should've been summarily ejector-seated from your committees, bonked on the head with your gavels -- cartoon-style -- and hauled from the Democratic caucus naked and on a rail whilst being pelted with wadded-up copies of your RNC address…”

Read the rest here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-cesca/an-open-letter-to-joe-lie_b_145026.html

Lieberman to keep chairmanship

Read all about it! In a vote earlier today, Senate Democrats voted to allow Joe Lieberman to hold onto his Homeland Security Commitete chairmanship, though we was forced to relinquish his less prestigious chairmanship of a subcommittee to the Environment and Public Works Committee. So much for Joe going Red.

Reference: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97132652

ABC news Clip

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=10732653&ch=4226716&src=news

This Video offers a review of Joe Lieberman's situation in the Senate, debating how he got through endorsing McCain without losing his caucasing rights or his seat on the subcommittee.

Light for Joe?

It seems that Joe Lieberman is going to remain with the Democratic party in the senate. But under the conditions that he give up his place as subcommittee chairman. Whether or not Joe remains with the democrats, with his subcommittee or with both, is being decided today by democrats by secret ballot. Rather than enduring fatal damage to his political career because of McCain's loss, it seems Lieberman may pull through this one. President-elect Obama told Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that Lieberman should remian with the Democratic party and caucus with them in the Senate. Following this, Harry Reid told Lieberman that he thinks it would be quote "unacceptable" for him to retire his position on the subcommittee.

J-Lieb Latest Developments

In the past few days, prominent political figures have shown increasing support for the removal of Joe Lieberman from his top committee post, but not necessarily for his removal from the Democratic Party. Meanwhile, the Independent Senator has been meeting with key Senate Republicans. Read more here about the latest opinions on what to do with J-Lieb--http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-lieberman15-2008nov15,0,478482.story

Booted from the Party?

On Reid and Lieberman's meeting today:

"Reid, in a sternly worded statement after the 45-minute meeting, said no official decisions have been made. But an aide to the Nevada Democrat said Reid was leaning toward removing Lieberman as chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. The aide spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions were confidential."

Read more here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/06/lieberman-tries-to-cling_n_141876.html

What to do with J-Lieb now?

After Barack Obama’s big win last night, talk about Sen. Joe Lieberman’s party status has ensued. Democrats are threatening Lieberman with the loss of his chairmanship of the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee as payback for supporting Sen. McCain in the presidential race. Harry Reid, the Senate Majority Leader, is expected to meet with Lieberman tomorrow to begin talks about his role in the party.

After it was announced that Barack Obama will serve as the next president of the United States, Lieberman said in a written statement, “It is time to put partisan considerations aside and come together as a nation to solve the difficult challenges we face and make our blessed land stronger and safer." His recent bipartisan tone has put Lieberman in limbo, as both the Democrats and Republicans want him on their side if only for the sake of a numerical advantage.

Sen. Chris Dodd said that while he was “disappointed with Joe’s decision to support John McCain…[he] is a Democrat. We count of his vote and his support.”

Other Dems aren’t so enthusiastic about Lieberman. State Democratic Party Chairwoman Nancy DiNardo is anxious to see what will happen with Lieberman. State Democrats are considering a resolution urging the state party to censure Lieberman and force to step down as a registered Democrat.

On the other hand, Republicans would be thrilled to have Lieberman’s added support.

“I’ve said all along, ‘Joe, these are welcoming arms. C’mon, Joe,’” Sen. John Ensign (Nev.), chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, joked on Tuesday night.

“We love Joe Lieberman, and if the Democrats don’t want you, Joe, c’mon, we’ll give you a big bear hug,” he continued.

We’ll just have to wait and see what happens to the famous J-Lieb in the days to come.

Enough Joe

At a last minute rally in Colorado with Joe Lieberman, McCain made the following comments:

"We got Joe the Plumber and we got Joe Lieberman...That's great."

Then he jokingly added, "Then we got Joe the Biden. Can't be perfect."

McCain presented a final positive face on his underdog status. "I feel momentum. ... We're gonna win this election. We're gonna win it."

I am so ready for this hackneyed, vapid Joe babble to be over. Joe the Plumber didn't work and Joe Lieberman never had Joe-mentum and clearly didn't bring any momentum to McCain. Sorry John. Looks like Joe Biden turned out to be the greatest Joe.

(http://blogs.courant.com/on_background/2008/11/lieberman-takes-stage-with-mcc.html)

As the Hours until the Election tick by... Lieberman holds his Breath: Was his endorsement of McCain worth it all?

As the election comes closer and closer, Joe Lieberman will just have to hold his breath and see how his course of actions (by this I mean his endorsement of a Republican candidate, although he is "independent" democrat) and sticking to his beliefs, (though laudable) will effect him politically. Yes, he has definately suffered blows from the left, but if we see a Republican victory on November 4th, Lieberman will be seen in history books as a strong political leader who stuck to his beliefs. If we see a Democratic Victory for America on November 4th, then in the words of Borat, will Lieberman's decision be seen favoribly... "not so much". This could play out similar to Giuliani's Florida Strategy by being either genius, or an unmitigated disaster. All Lieberman has to do is wait.


Concerning Lieberman's Party affiliation
two differing opinions display what fellow politicians think of Lieberman, as he is thrown in a human tug-of-war match.

On the democratic side:
On the democratic side, Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, the 2004 Democratic presidential candidate, "was asked point blank if he wanted Lieberman in the Democratic caucus. "I want him to be a Democrat. You bet," Kerry replied." according to NBC's "Meet the Press"

On the Republican side:
Senator John Ensign of Nevada, the head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said "I will say that if Joe wants to leave the Democrat Party and join us, we'd welcome him with open arms." when Schieffer posed a similar question.

There are about 25 hours until November 4th

on the side, I have posted a very compelling video which encourages the youth population to vote.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvLgBTJXZUQ

Sen. Lieberman Sallies Forth

Last Thursday Sen. Joe Lieberman could be seen stumping for McCain in Concord, New Hampshire. In his speech he emphasized a comeback for McCain in the Granite State and warned Obama not to get too cocky about his widening lead in the polls. Comparing the present election to that of 1948, he pointed out that Dewey was ahead in the polls and was the favored candidate, but that in the end, Truman came out on top. With this underdog portrayal of McCain and Palin, Lieberman has dismissed recent polls, saying that “they are so extreme that I don’t believe them.” He stated that, “the race is closing,” and he even threw in a little of Sarah’s Palin’s folksiness in adding that, “it ain’t over until it’s over. We’re fighting hard.”

The past few days Lieberman has evaded questions about whether Palin is prepared to become president if such a thing were to happen. Having helped her increase her understanding of foreign policy issues, Lieberman said he was confident that Palin’s credentials would be sufficient if she were to become commander-in-chief. However, Lieberman was insistent that McCain is “going to be alive and well,” so “she’s not gonna have to be president from day one.”

In the midst of campaigning for McCain, Lieberman conceded that if Sen. Obama were to be elected president, he would support the Democratic nominee. In a conference call of Connecticut reporters, Lieberman said of Obama that, “He’s bright. He’s eloquent,” and that “I have a lot of respect for Sen. Obama.” Seems to me like a pretty stark shift from endorsing the Bill Ayers and Rev. Wright attacks and stating that Obama does not “put country first” a few weeks ago.

Lieberman will be campaigning in Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania in the last few days before the election.

Hold On Joe Lieberman

Joe Lieberman is again subject to the whims of the Democratic party leaders who are currently debating whether or not they should expel him from the party. Fortunately for Senator Lieberman, Harry Reid is hesitant to do so and he said "even if things break their way and the [democratic] party winds up in control [of the senate] of more than 60 seats." A senator who chose to remain anonymous summerized the need to keep Senator Lieberman to two points. First, satisfying angry party members is not as important as securing the needed number of votes for the democrats and second, people care about issues of importance to the country - they want their legislature to be concentrating on matters that do not involve whether or not Joe Lieberman is enough of a democrat. for more on the debate click here.

Lieberman's claims to the Democratic party:
On the Ticket as the Democratic VP in 2000
Served in Capitol Hill for 20 years
Former Chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC)
Former democratic (now independent) Senator to CT

Ties with the Republican Party:
Endorced John McCain 2008
Gave a speech at the Republican National Convention
Palling around with Sarah Palin to discuss foreign policy

The Battle Continues

Independent Sen. Joe Lieberman continues on in the campaign trail, hailing McCain as a tested leader and extolling Palin in all her average American glory. On Sunday Lieberman visited one of the most crucial battle ground states in the current election—Ohio. In his speech he told voters to “Vote for who you think really can put our country together and is tested in crisis,” insinuating that McCain is indeed the only candidate with the knowledge and the experience to lead America into the future. He went on to say that “Sen. Obama probably will have his day, even a day when I support him, but it's not at this election.” I wonder how he feels after watching tonight’s debate. “Senator O’government?”

After stopping by Ohio, Lieberman wasted no time before hitting another key place—Philadelphia. In an attempt to shore up support from Jewish voters like himself, Lieberman campaigned for McCain at Brith Sholom, a local temple. Lieberman stressed that McCain at his core is an independent and is not George Bush.

Lieberman also has begun campaigning for the reelection of Republican Senator Norm Coleman of Minnesota, disputing partisan claims that Coleman “conducted inadequate oversight of the Iraq war as the top Republican on the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI).

Considering that he ran for Vice President on the Democratic ticket only four years ago, Lieberman’s change of heart is quite astounding. One must wonder what his own political agenda is in the purple politics he’s created. Unfortunately I don’t have the answers, but can be sure that he will continue to tout his Republican buddies in the 19 crucial days ahead.

Joe Lieberman: The Great Balancing Act

Joe Lieberman's responsibilities as a Senator of CT and a supporter of the McCain-Palin campaign have forced him to balance his duties to the Senate and the presidential campaign.

Recently Joe Lieberman promoted a new bill to the senate. It is known as S.3662 and is "An original bill to establish the Controlled Unclassified Information Office, to require policies and procedures for the designation, marking, safeguarding, and dissemination of controlled unclassified information, and for other purposes."
Introduced
Oct 01, 2008

Meanwhile, today, (Sunday October 12th) Joe Lieberman has appeared in Columbus Ohio on the campaign trail with John McCain and Sarah Palin. He is involved in an appearance latched with the title "Have a cup of Joe with Joe" which will be held at
Cup O' Joes-Bexley 2418 E. Main St. Columbus, OH. There he will speak and answer questions.

In the face of the Senate and a campaign, Joe Lieberman still finds time to laud Coleman for his leadership and part in exposing an $80 billion fraud in government operations. Joe Lieberman said quote "He [Coleman] identified multiple vulnerabilities in the Medicare system, which recently led to sweeping changes in Medicare to prevent scam artists from ripping off taxpayer dollars."

http://www.opencongress.org/person/show/300067_joseph_lieberman

On a third and final note the Huffington post published an article asking Joe Lieberman's Rabbi, to confront Joe Lieberman and ask him to dissipate the "hate" growing in the McCain campaign. It even alludes to WWII Germany and Kristallnacht. Does the letter reflect Reality, or Paranoia? Read It Here if you didn't already read it from dan's post.

Lieberman: Standing Strong as an Elephant

The past few days in Liebermania started off with the Independent Connecticut senator saying that Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin should attempt to avoid an “IQ test” in the debate, as it is impossible for her to know all the facts and beat Sen. Joe Biden on content. After the debate, as could be expected, Lieberman lauded the Alaska governor in all her folksiness, claiming that she “did great.”

However, Lieberman’s enthusiasm for the McCain-Palin ticket hasn’t been paralleled by Connecticut voters recently. In his home state, the senator has lost significant popularity in a new Pulsar Research poll, which shows that 54% of constituents view him negatively, while only 37% feel positively about the 2000 Democratic Vice Presidential nominee.

Though his home state support may be waning, Lieberman predicted this week that a sizeable number of Jewish constituents will support the Republican ticket come November. Reagan was most successful presidential candidate ever in garnering the Jewish vote—winning over 39%. McCain does like to compare himself to the incredibly popular past Republican president, so might Lieberman’s predictions come true?

On the subject of the financial bailout, Lieberman spoke strongly in favor of the measure, stating that the package would not only be good for the country, but also that “it will be good for John McCain.” What he meant, as explained in a Fox News interview, was that the passage of the bill would bring stability to the economy and allow the candidates to get back on track in a crisis-free setting.

Lieberman can be seen on Fox News this Sunday morning (10/5) summing up the week’s proceedings and will continue to campaign for the M-P ticket in the days to come.

Joe Lieberman has held his seat as Senator of Connecticut for four terms, beginning as a democratic senator and concluding his fourth term running as an independent democrat. Joe Lieberman's active support of Republican canidate John McCain has angered fellow members of his democratic party and caused voters to question his reliability in respect to the party's inclinations. Still, Senator Lieberman believes that McCain will prove more successful in uniting party values and eliminating intense bi-particianship (Watch Fox's interview with Senator Lieberman and John McCain on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeM7WI6snR8 about his decision to support McCain). His notable speech at the RNC merited the opinion of Joe Klein as "the weirdest speech I've ever seen at a Republican Convention in the Age of Reagan." But despite his personal dislike of Lieberman, Klein admits that "his testimony to McCain's bipartisanship and his anti-gridlock rant may have hit home in a country sick of hyper-partisanship." [Swampland/Time].
In recent news, Joe Lieberman has managed to secure a $15 million dollar embark for the city of Waterbury, CT under the pretense of one of Congress's budget-bill. The money will be sent to the Waterbury Industrial Commons Redevelopment Initiative and used to clean up an antiquated munitions factory and establish a city-owned industrial park. Also Senator Lieberman and Dodd secured $48,000 in Federal Grants for Stamford, CT Fire Department.
In the larger political sphere, Connecticut Democrats are discussing whether or not to censure Senator Lieberman and whether they should ask him to give up his position in the Democratic Party in light of his open support of Republican candidate McCain. This conference reflects the Democratic party's changing opinions involving Senator Lieberman, as he was a former Chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC).

This is Joe Lieberman's Official Site:
It includes a biography and recent News
http://lieberman.senate.gov/about/

Sources:
http://www.connpost.com/localnews/ci_10568973
http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2008/09/joe_lieberman_pleases_confuses.html
http://rep-am.com/articles/2008/09/30/news/doc48da750477d62633158598.txt

References for previous post

http://www.theleafchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080921/OPINION03/809210322

http://www.kansascity.com/news/columnists/steve_kraske/story/785550.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/04/AR2008090403557.html?nav=rss_nation/nationalsecurity

http://www.lvrj.com/news/28441919.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXLa5Sx_B6U--watch this-it's Lieberman's speech at the RNC...

Lieberman: which side are you on?

Joe Lieberman has not been an equally prominent figure in the presidential election the past few weeks, particularly after Sarah Palin was chosen as John McCain’s running mate, though Lieberman had been on the Republican candidate’s veep short list. Nonetheless, Lieberman’s metamorphic political allegiances have garnered attention, particularly because Lieberman, a democratic senator from Connecticut, has endorsed and is actively campaigning for Republican candidate John McCain.

Before the election, Lieberman was quoted saying, “I look forward to helping him (Barack Obama) reach to the stars and realize not just the dreams he has for himself, but the dreams we all have for him and his blessed country,” though his recent comments in his prime time speech at the Republican National Convention have drawn much scrutiny from Democrats. Lieberman described Obama as a “gifted and eloquent young man who can do great things for our country in the years ahead,” before adding, “But eloquence is no substitute for a record.”

A staunch supporter of the Iraq surge, Lieberman resented his defeat by anti-war candidate, Ned Lamont, in the 2006 democratic primary, but with Republican support, ended up winning the senatorial race. Lieberman’s endorsement of McCain has rustled some feathers in the Democratic Party to say the least.

Recently, Lieberman decided to skip Senate Democrats’ weekly caucus luncheon earlier in the week, citing his current rift with the democrats and his criticism of Obama as reasons to abstain from the discussion. On Monday, the Jewish Senator campaigned for the dynamic duo at Las Vegas’ Temple Beth Sholom, emphasizing that his decision to support Senator McCain was rooted their shared belief in The Surge and strategy in the War on Terror. Lieberman has also been seen helping Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin improve upon her scant foreign policy credentials.

There will certainly be much more to come from this Democrat turned Independent turned McCain lackey.