Joe Lieberman and The Gut Factor - And Some Other Political Notes
It takes a lot for a Democratic Senator to endorse a Republican candidate for President like Joe Lieberman did when he backed John McCain. But then again, it takes a lot for Democratic Senators to oppose Joe Lieberman in his primary election, like many of the stalwarts in the Democratic party did in 2006. By now, you know that Lieberman lost the primary and won the general election as an Independent, which he certainly is.
Lieberman stands for what is right about America. He has conviction, is not a flip flopper, and he has courage. You may disagree with him on his position on the war in Iraq, but he stays his course, which includes an independent, non-party path that has made his one of the most admired Americans.
I don’t think McCain would tap him for VP, but if he did, Joltin Joe would be the first person to run for that position for both parties.
Other political notes: Republicans in Pa. are worried about losing the Attorney General’s office and the open race for State Treasurer. Although John McCain will run well in Pa., the prospect of a invigorated Democratic electorate in the suburbs, is giving Pa. Republicans nightmares.
In New Jersey, there is renewed speculation that Frank Lautenberg will change his mind and not seek another term. If that happens, and this is just speculation, the Democratic party will rally around Congressman Rob Andrews.
Waiting on Joe Biden. He may have lost his Presidential bid, but Joe Biden’s endorsement means a lot, especially in neighboring Pennsylvania and the now-important primary on April 22nd. Our guess is that he will make a choice shortly after the Ohio and Texas primaries on March 4th.
Local Names That Might Be On Everyone’s Short List For VEEP:
Joe Biden, Ed Rendell, Jon Corzine.
For the GOP - Tom Ridge.
Larry, much like the Flyers and Sixers, you seem to have trouble being good at what you do. Tom Ridge couldn’t manage his own bathroom habits, yet you put him in the running for VP? Maybe we should make color codes for your incompetence, like our homeland security alerts. Then Fox News can report that this column is level orange — for retarded.
Larry, that should be Bolt’in Joe, not Jolt’in Joe. He bolted from the Democratic Party that he was a member of after 43 years because it served his own selfish need to get re-elected. I don’t think that is as honorable as it is pragmatic. I don’t think that shows courage as much as deperation.
Bolt’in Joe brought nothing to the Gore ticket. He’d do the same for McCain. In fact, that would be the last straw for Right Wing Conservatists that already view McCain as too liberal.
Lieberman seems like a good, well meaning guy. He sounds like Willie from the TV show ‘Alf’. Don’t cannonize this guy yet. He’ll do whatever is politically expedient when he needs to.
As for Fast Eddie, he is the classic example of a guy running for the next office as soon as he gets re-elected. He is a media hound and self-promoter. His best days were as DA. He isn’t even on anyone’s radar as VP. He is unknown outside of PA.
hey guys,didn’t Rendell used to be head of the dnc.I think people have heard of him.I thought Ed was a great Mayor,he helped the city out of fininical turmoil and I think he’s been a good govenor,now as VP,I don’t think so.I’m leaning toward
Bill Richardson,he’s a smart guy,EXPERIENCED which we need in negoatations with foreign leaders and he is already well known.Now all we need do is pick an experienced president,who will stand up to the foreign leaders and not invite them to tea,
Lieberman is NOT to be admired. His own party abandoned him so he sold out to the Republicans.
There is nothing admirable about “staying the course” if your ship is the Titanic. It is crystal clear that the Iraq War was a huge mistake. You do nothing but compoound that tragic error by advocating staying in Iraq.
I want leaders who are strong enough to admit when they were wrong and CHANGE COURSE.
Now THAT takes guts.
Rendell for VP is a joke. His divisive comments have killed that notion. Spare me the “Ed saved this city” garbage. If you want to look for the real savior turn to David Cohen.
Cohen turned around the city’s finances.
What did Rendell do other than give away real estate to developers? He cleaned up Center City and let the rest of the city go to the dogs.
Nutter will prove to be twice the mayor of Rendell.
MC, we are in agreement on Bolt’in Joe.
I don’t want to debate the merits of or reason for the War in Iraq. I believed it was overly ambitious and a mistake to try to bring democracy to Iraq. But we did it and we are there. That’s a whole different argument for another article.
Cutting and running, as 3$Hill and Obama are advocating, is the huge mistake. We have invested too much time, money and lives to walk away before the area is stabilized. Let’s give the new Petraus/Bush surge strategy some more time and leave on our terms, not Al Queda’s or Iraq’s. It takes no guts to cut and run. It takes true guts to stay the course when public opinion is clearly against it.
hello larry,i agree Lieberman is a sell out,and the worst of the worst politicians, and belongs with the rightwingers.
Jon Corzine will be an excellent veep,he’s sharp and savvy,as is Ed Rendell.
Larry, these warmed over local names like Ridge, Biden, and Rendell are not VP material and are not even on the short list for a good table at Le Bec Fin. Ridge is socially retarded and proved that as governor and head of homeland security. He screwed up shipyard deal with Myer Warft which required no public money, then spent $400 million of public money to attract Kaverner so he could get re-elected: Code Blue to Ridge-he’s polically dead.
Biden- plagerized in college- ego out of control- bigoted, from indian acceted 7- eleven comment to “clean and articulate” foot in mouth about Obama when he kicked off his campaign. This guy has been polical road kill since 1992.
Rendell, has reached his Peter Princiapal as governor. He’s not polished enough for VP and has not really distinguished himself as governor. He did throw snowballs at Veterans stadium; one of the guys ,yes, but not one of the guys for VP.
Lieberman is going to be a huge plus for McCain to help russle up Jewish vote in South Florida, and as we know elections somtimes get determined there.
John “fasten your seat belt” Corzine is the only real contender on Larry’s list, especially for Obama. A steady white guy from wall street is very reassuring to the limousine liberals that deep down worry how much Obama may end up costing them and recognize he knows nothing about economics at a time when the economy will determine election. Corzine is on super short list.
A VP that doesn’t buckle his seatbelt? Hmmm… I guess he’d be in limos.
Put Jon Floriozine on the ticket with Hillary Rodham Clinton or Barack Hussein Obama and we all better buckle our seatbelts, because the tax rocket is going through the roof!
I have to laugh when I see the people in NJ protesting Floriozine’s toll increases - you guys KNEW you were getting a tax and spend liberal - but you can’t resist voting for a “D” because I guess abortion and gay marriage are your most important values. Now bend over and take your medicine!
Joe Lieberman didn’t “bolt” from his party - your kook MoveOn.org guys kicked him out by running a left wing candidate against him in the primary, who then lost in the general election.
The MoveOn.org kooks live in their own little world and think their left wing views are the views of the rest of the country, and they are always wrong. They’ve become pariahs, especially after their Petreaus “betray us” ads. The Democrat candidates now want them to lay low (although they will still take their money….)
Lieberman didn’t help Algore because they were very different people - cutesy “balanced ticket” games don’t work any more. Algore should have just picked another left winger like himself so they could have run as a team rather than walking on eggshells trying not to contradict one another.
Lieberman has more in common with McCain than he had with Algore. A McCain/Lieberman ticket would be formidable, especially with independents and sane Democrats. The hard right would have a problem with him, but they have a problem with McCain anyway.
I don’t think it will happen, but it I think it would work. I would be for it.
I repeat, Bill Richardson for Veep. Excellent record in N Mex. Distinguished foreign policy assignments. Hispanic. How qualified do you have to be? John Edwards, Secretary of Labor. Let’s build Obama’s cabinet. Paul Krugman, Sec of Treasury.Al Gore, Sec of Interior. Come on, gang. Fill his cabinet up. And let them all think out loud during the campaign.
hello Larry,a Mccain /Lieberman ticket is a dream ticket-for the Democrats,the Bush republican rightwinger do-gooders are living in a fairytale land.
these rightwing do-gooders are the same people that tried to cut the meals on wheels program for the elderly and disabled and WW2 vets, thank God the Democrats stopped that insane greedy attack on our older/disabled/WW2 Americans.
A Clinton/Corzine ticket is a sure landslide in November.
hey patrick,
I thought experience didn’t matter,your quote how experienced do you have to be,well when it comes to obama ,it wouldn’t hurt to have some but when everyone says hillary has experience,well then it becomes a big deaql.
By the way,did anyone ever read her speech()when she was first lady,on human rights,POWERFUL and to china ,that took guts.
Neither Lieberman nor Gore are going to be selected to run as VP on any ticket. Period. End of discussion. Larry, you have a rather parochial view of VP candidates (Biden, Rendell, Ridge, Corzine, etc. VP will come from an area/group necessary to win the national election. PA and NJ, although influencial, don’t fit the bill. If Richardson wasn’t a latino, he wouldn’t be in the discussion either despite his outstanding qualifications.
BTW, why does every daily topic always end up being am Obama-Hillary discussion?