Oh, joy, look who will get to “burnish his progressive credentials” by introducing the repeal of Don’t-Ask-Don’t-Tell in the United States Senate.
“On ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’ this administration is talking directly to the Hill — we are in direct discussions with Senator Lieberman,” John Berry, the director of the Office of Personnel Management, told The Advocate.
A spokesman for Senator Lieberman confirmed that the senator had been speaking to the White House about the bill. “Senator Lieberman has had discussions with representatives of the Administration and others on the best way to reverse this policy, which he has opposed since it was first proposed in 1993,” said Marshall Wittmann, Lieberman’s press secretary. Wittmann gave no further information on the senator’s plans regarding the legislation.
Will this be the issue that redeems Lieberman with the Democratic base? And why is the Obama White House pursuing such a strategy?
Lieberman is generally seen as a strong candidate for carrying the bill given his position on the Armed Services Committee and his strong engagement with the military. Insiders also say the senator could use the legislation to burnish his progressive credentials, which might be a consideration for him based on his support for Sen. John McCain during the 2008 election and the fact that he lost his 2006 Democratic primary to Ned Lamont.
Lieberman also has strong ties to Republican senators Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine, one of whom might consider being his Republican counterpart on a repeal bill. Collins cosponsored Lieberman’s introduction this year of the Domestic Partner Benefits and Obligations Act, which would extend spousal benefits to the same-sex partners of federal government employees.
I find this discussion particularly timely as progressive Democrats pressure Harry Reid to ensure all members of the Senate Democratic caucus vote to allow a health care up-or-down vote on the floor — or face consequences.
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What are these “progressive credentials” Lieberman possesses exactly?
So Lieberman introducing a repeal of DADT is supposed to make progressives be OK with him screwing everyone on Health Care?
Anybody wanna buy a bridge?
I know, right?
Who thinks THAT’s gonna happen?
I thought this was Gillebrand’s baby, are they throwing Lierbweasel a bone so as to payback the HRC for it’s endorsement ??
Don’t trust the Liberweasel, that’s like signing a pact with the Devil.
After being f’ed over by Obama, I hope no one’s going to fall for the much more sleazy Lieberman.
According to this article, she doesn’t serve on Senate Armed Services; “they” want the bi-partisan bill to originate with a senior member there. I’m not sure if Lieberman is bi-, or if he’s simply able to bring the bi-ness of Collins or Snowe.
Lieberworst making the sausage.. he will fork up anything.
So they’re going to undercut an actual Democrat to throw a bone to the Connecticut For Lieberman Party? What’s the point of that?
NEVER trust Lieberman. The people of Connecticut are too smart for his ideas.
Yes, I can just imagine the lovely compromises necessary to secure President Collins’ vote or President Snowe’s: you can only be out on even-numbered days, or you can only be out if you’re triggered, or you can opt-out of being out. Lots of bi-curious stupidity headed our way, I am quite sure!
Well, repeal will need to be introduced in both Houses. Murphy is running point in the House and doing a swell job. Not sure why Lieberman was chosen except for the reasons stated in the Advocate article.
Still looking for those progressive credentials in need of burnishing, I suppose.
B-bu-but … HoJo is Harry Reid’s BFFAE !
The Dems are, anyway…that’s why Lamont won the primary. Liebersleaze then won the election by siphoning away the Republican vote. So I’m not so sure everyone in CT is too smart for him.
face palm
perfect, thank you.
JoeLie and his buddy
HaggisScrapple need help to look like Progressives. Instead of tossing Arlen & HoJo out on their backsides, Reid and the Dems give them reacharounds.Happy Canadian Thanksgiving ! Happy Columbus Day !
So Holy Joe needs to get Cred with the Gays because he is planning on running for reelection and or he will screw us on healthcare?
Happy Thanksgiving. Did you have turkey?
Happy Canada Thanksgiving and USAmerican Indigenous Peoples’ Day!
Wait a minute Joe needs to pass a bill to get Cred introducing a bill that goes nowhere just gets you maybe a week of new coverage.
The ability to piss us off?
Nobody on this Blog trusts Joe:)
I’m with Loo Hoo and everyone here … do not trust HoJo, he will screw this up !
Teddy ! How’s SanFran this evening ?
I also think there’s a real getting-above-yourself problem with Gillibrand. Schumer wants to give her lots of exposure because of her campaign next year, but Senators know they had to wait in line for publicity. No one more than Joe.
So I think they’ve probably taken it away from Kirsten because someone objected to such a freshman (appointed, at that) being given such a spotlit assignment.
I mean, Senators have to know that this will be made a big deal by the media, despite two-thirds of the American people, most churchgoers, and military families supporting it. So if Joe wants that spotlight, it looks like they are willing to give it to him.
Whether he’ll still fuck up healthcare is anyone’s guess. His treachery knows no bounds, though.
hahaha!
i might still hate lieberman if he single handedly got hr 676 passed as is through both the house and senate.
This is Rahm’s way of creating a wedge between Joe and McCain/Graham. Lindsey was on my tv saying we can’t do this until all the generals say it’s okay. Good thing we have civilian control over the military.
Don’t you think Lindsey Graham is terrified of DADT repeal? There would be no reason except his Senate seat for him to stay in the closet after repeal. Now, no one can ask him if he’s gay without violating DADT because he’s an Air Force Reserve JAG[off].
The Lieberliar is bi? While I’m more than happy to share his disgrace with anyone willing to share it, are you sure y’all have a tent big enough to let him in, Teddy?
Go with the old french – brunir his credentials.
Wait a minute if the Dems really wanted to repeal don’t ask don’t tell they would attach it to a war funding bill for Iraq and Afghanistan this after all we need troops repeal don’t ask don’t tell we get to keep gay troops.
The GOP doesn’t like it well I’m all for ending both wars now Win/Win from my view.
Joe bringing up this bill by himself well the bill is dead I doubt he gets his BFF John McCain much less any GOP votes on this.
That and Harry won’t push the Blue Dogs either.
Selise,
I left a little sumpin’ sumpin’ for you downstairs — a little riffing on an old Nat Cole number…
and how does one burnish them, exactly?
My TV is busted!!! WTF am I gonna do????
If the Gay community could out Lindsey Graham they would have one less no vote on don’t ask don’t tell.
watertiger is upstairs!
Late Night: Nice Health Coverage You Got There. Be a Shame If Somethin’ Happened to It.
Great point, hadn’t thought of that.
Lieberman makes the bill Bi-partisan, as a member of the Connecticut for Lieberman party. Also a little play on those long-standing Susan Collins rumors.
Well said, BCT !
Yeah. How’s ‘Frisco? Them sea lions go away?
ooh thank you. it all makes sense given what we know of the Senate’s aristocratic ways.
he will rightly never be trusted by any of us. if he wants to make a big show of it but somehow speed things up in the process – fine.
burnish away little man – that HRC medal decreased in value dramatically over the week end
Don’t ask, don’t tell.
Oh, I hadn’t heard the Susan Collins rumors…
Thank God.
Too many issues to cover:
#1) If Joe Lieberman showed up on the Senate floor in a tutu and a ’significant other’ I wouldn’t trust him. He’s a piece of sh*t.
#2) If the US Insurance industry said they were going to insure the entire US with no exceptions, I would still opt for Universal Coverage and TAKE THEM OUT
#3) I am puked off about the description of the so-called left-of-left ‘bloggers’. If John Harwood wants to call me a pajama-wearing Cheetos-eater he can, but as a matter of fact, I am a 63-year-old Grandmother who goes to work every day as a computer programmer and has just about had enough of people like John Harwood.
Just think if McCain had won. The Liberweasel would have some big job and be helping him run our government. Lindsey Grahmcracker might be secritary of Defence or something. We would have any of these problems Obama has givin us. McCain told us He knew how to win the wars, get Osama, and fix all our problems, and that our economy was strong. Maybe we wouldn’t be in this recession if such smart people were running things.
Palin could be getting all mavericky, and be telling the Congress what to do. She seems to now have all the answers to everything so she could be leading McCain around like Cheney did GW.
Boy we don’t know what were missinig, maybe the Country was wrong.
Your post made me curious. So I went rooting around in the Congressional Record. Most of the action took place during the course of 1993. Re Lieberman, he did vote for a Boxer amendment on a sense of the Senate resolution which failed and he was on the conference committee to reconcile the House and Senate bills. But it does not look like he played a significant role in the debate.
For those interested in a short refresher in the history. You can find it here.
Basically, what you can’t find there runs like this. Clinton ran on a platform of lifting the ban. In early 1993, he put in place a moratorium to give the military time to study the issue. Sam Nunn in May 1993 first used the phrase “don’t ask, don’t tell.” Clinton announced this policy on July 19, 1993. It became part of the Defense Authorization Act of 1994. I assume that Nunn wrote the language into the Senate bill (Sec. 654). Ike Skelton inserted that language into the House bill in H. Amdt. 318 on August 28-29. There were actually 2 votes on the Skelton amendment. The second was 295-133 in favor. The conference report HR 2401 was passed by the House on Nov. 15 and on Nov. 17, 1993 in the Senate. Clinton signed it into law on November 30, 1993.
Joe Lieberman can burnish in hellish.
The frickin’ Bull Moose is Lieberman’s press secretary!?!?!?
Yup
What’s progressive about allowing LGBT to die for empire?
What would be progressive is further restricting access to the military to straight, white christian, conservative males, until we begin to cull their ranks.
Gays in the military and same sex marriage are conservative hijackings of the LGBT liberation struggle.
Everyone needs a place to live and a job. Currently, LGBT are being fired, evicted and denied the ability to purchase a home due to homphobia.
Yet we are going to spend precious resources protecting the right of a sliim fraction of our community to exercise a choice to join the military?
Wait a second, am I missing something?? Shouldn’t the story here be that the administration is FINALLY doing something about DADT and providing more than words?? How the hell has this become a thread about Leiberman and Obama being weasels?? I mean jeez, Obama has po’d me as well, but I’m pretty fucking ecstatic about this.
Leiberman’s support demonstrates precisely how non-progressive repeal of DADT before expanding substantive rights to most LGBT really is.
Actually, on these issues Leiberman is pretty progressive, he voted against
DADT when it was first introduced in ‘93. Furthermore, making Leiberman the point man is a stroke of genius. It probably co-opts a lot of the military establishment, who Leiberman is tight with, it co-opts John Mccain, who is the ranking republican member of the Armed Services commitee, and it probably brings the 2 Maine republicans along, who, again, Leiberman is very close with. So this is a great move by the WH and we should treat is as such.