Interesting article of why Joe Lieberman is not going for a fifth term and my feelings on the Senator.
As the few who read my posts, thanks Florida, Bills--Ed---, moon, krickett, and a few others, appreciate it,
, you know I consider myself a middle to the left type of guy.
Lieberman , to me is just that . A moderate and a thinker and one who has no problem crossing over, working with the other side and also one who can temper the extremist, in his opinion , of his own party.
Unless one believes that a perfect way of government is to have one side always in control, the reality is that is not what we normally get.
True there are times , as the 1st term of Obama's, Reagan had it , Johnson too, though he had the Dixie crats to deal with and there has been numerous times in out political history, but it seems a mix is what is best to mediate and rule effectively.
Legislatures who are comfortable on both sides of the aisle are very important. Kennedy was that way, there have been numerous Republicans who are the same, not of the party my name recollection is poor , but I know my assumption is right on and leave it to any "pubs "to add their names to the thread if they want to, it would be welcome,
Back to Joe. I did not always agree with his decisions , ideas and at times his support of certain legislation and some of his voting decisions, but always gave him credit as possible knowing more then I and there may have been more to his support of these topics then I. Thought his addressing the republican convention a bit much, LOL, to say the least. His initial energetic support of Bush's move into Iraq and continual support even when it was going badly till the big surge was also a bit to much, though if one can go back and remember what led up to, and possible Joe thought that with Iraq out of the picture militarily, it would be one less strong enemy against Israel, Joe big supporter of, not the only one by the way.
That the Connecticut Democrats turned against him because of his decision of the War and his moderate to the left way of going at things was a mistake in my opinion,
I believe my representatives can disagree with me on issues and act accordingly, it's the overall picture I am interested in, however it seems, on both sides , this is not the way things are going today, see the Tee Party, see the ultra left vs OBama's decision to compromise with the Republicans on the Bush Tax cuts, the new way of thinking of both sides seems to be going along the lines of " My way or the Highway", that bodes ill , IMO, for the future of our country.
By declaring he will not run again, two years before the election, as the article suggests, it free's Joe to be a non partisan bridge between both parties in the final two years of the Obama first term, and never before is that more needed.
That Senator McCain just was quoted in the Washington Post in a conciliatory and positive way toward Obama, and since they re such good and close colleges, I can't put it beyond the possibility , they discussed both Joes announcing his not running again and McCain's peace feelers, to work together to try and bring some order out of caos because they know it's needed, their time is getting close to the end and they know their country needs the help, we are in trouble. 2012, Joe is 70.
Good time to retire and I thank you for your service Senator, you have been a very good Senator, I think you would have been a very good Vice president too and possible not to shabby in the big job either, but again, thanks for all of it.
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Joe Lieberman Retiring From the Senate
by Howard Kurtz Info
Howard Kurtz is The Daily Beast's Washington bureau chief. He also hosts CNN's weekly media program Reliable Sources on Sundays at 11 a.m. ET. The longtime media reporter and columnist for The Washington Post, Kurtz is the author of five books.
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The Connecticut senator will announce his retirement Wednesday. In the end, Howard Kurtz writes, the Democrat-turned-independent never really healed from 2004, 2006, and 2008, though he briefly became a hero of the left by championing the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.
In the end, Joe Lieberman decided he didn’t need any more tsuris.
Not that the Connecticut senator would describe his decision to retire with that Yiddish term. He will offer a more philosophical explanation when he makes the official announcement Wednesday, a move that a Lieberman aide confirmed to The Daily Beast.
Lieberman, 68, plans to quote a passage from Ecclesiastes, popularized by a Byrds song: “To everything there is a season…”
As a man without a party, the Democrat-turned-independent faced a rocky path to reelection in 2012. The Lieberman aide did not dispute that, while noting that his boss has won difficult races before: the 1988 upset against Lowell Weicker that landed him in the Senate, and the 2006 comeback after losing the Democratic primary.
The bottom line, said the staffer, who did not want to be quoted preempting the boss’ news conference, is that after 40 years in public life, Lieberman wants to do something different.
Perhaps. But my own sense, having observed him closely for decades, is that the scars of 2004, 2006, and 2008 never quite healed.
In ’04, Lieberman was coming off a heartbreaking loss as Al Gore’s running mate four years earlier. He should have been a credible candidate for the White House. But he was too conservative for the Democratic primary electorate, and his lackluster campaign went nowhere fast. With the additional baggage of having backed the Iraq War, he dropped out after failing to win in the first seven primaries and caucuses. It was an outright rejection, and it hurt.
Two years later, with the war effort in shambles, Democratic activists streamed into Connecticut and helped newcomer Ned Lamont capture the nomination. Lieberman could not have clawed his way to victory without strong backing from Republicans.
The Senate aide said the move will liberate Lieberman to act as an “honest broker” between the party he left and the party he nearly embraced.
Alex Brandon / AP Photo
His divorce from the party was complete in ’08, when Lieberman not only supported John McCain but committed the apostasy of speaking for his friend at the Republican convention. McCain wanted to name Joe to the ticket—which would have had Lieberman running for the vice presidency in two parties within eight years—but was convinced he would face a revolt in St. Paul.
In Lieberman’s mind, he has been consistent. He didn’t change; the Democratic Party moved left. Lieberman sees himself as a JFK Democrat—a defense hawk and a social liberal—and plans to cite Kennedy’s 50-year-old inaugural address at the announcement in Stamford.
Lieberman usually votes with the Democrats, but with two significant party figures gearing up to run for his seat back home, he faced the prospect of defecting to the GOP or again winning a three-way race as an independent.
While some liberal activists still mutter at the mention of Lieberman’s name, he briefly became a champion of the left when he helped salvage President Obama’s bid to repeal the military’s Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy. I spoke to him after the bill passed in December and he was exultant, feeling he had accomplished something of lasting value. He probably came to regard it as a capstone of his career.
Why declare yourself a lame duck nearly two years in advance? In an era when the public claims to want more bipartisanship, the Senate aide said, the move will liberate Lieberman to act as an “honest broker” between the party he left and the party he nearly embraced
}for many years...good relations with the other side, needed no matter results of Presidential in 2012, would like to see him continue.
;D