I haven't commented yet on the news that Joe Lieberman is carrying the bill to repeal DADT.
For all of those who were upset that the Democrats didn't throw Holy Joe out of their caucus at various points of the last year: do you get it now?
Yes, Joe Lieberman is a very annoying Senator, by all accounts, and certainly (well, I suppose I should say in my opinion) in his public persona.
But kick Holy Joe out, and:
He wouldn't have voted for the stimulus, whihc passed with one vote to spare.
He certainly wouldn't have walked for miles in the snow to vote for health care reform, which is alive now because it made it through the Senate with no votes to spare.
And one can never know, but I'm pretty sure that he wouldn't be taking a leadership role in DADT repeal, which in my opinion at least is very helpful to that cause.
All that, because Harry Reid and Barack Obama treated Joe Lieberman as if he was King of the World, despite liberal pressure to exile him to the other side of the aisle.
Hey, a lot of the people who were upset with Reid and Obama had never been active in politics when their side had a chance to actually get something done, and may not have realized that there's more to it than just winning elections. Consider it a useful lesson: sometimes, Congressional leaders, presidents, and White House staff actually know what they're doing. Not always, of course (I'd never say to just assume that Obama or anyone else in office Knows Best), but sometimes, they really do, and it's generally a good idea, especially for activists, to try to understand why things are happening.
Rationality often gets in the way of good, solid vengeance.
ReplyDeleteSure -- and a good comment on what was basically a thinly veiled "told you so" post.
ReplyDeleteI still blame him for losing the 2000 election.
ReplyDeleteBut what's the point of being an activist if you can't constantly complain about an incompetent White House betraying you? I was starting to think that was the whole point of being a Democratic activist.
ReplyDeleteAll true Jonathan, but it is also true that Lieberman matters less now that the Democrats have only 59 seats.
ReplyDeleteI get why Obama and Reid welcomed Joe back into the fold with open arms. I still hope he loses to an actual Democrat in 2012.
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