Lieberman Twists the Knife Deeper in Democrats' Backs

Posted by ZP Heller, Brave New Films at 12:10 PM on August 4, 2008.

Joe Lieberman's days in the Democratic caucus are numbered. Yesterday on Meet the Press, Lieberman practically admitted he will speak at the RNC convention, thereby completing his defection to the Republican party that began when he split with Dems to endorse John McCain.  Host Tom Brokaw confronted Lieberman about our Lieberman Must Go petition, with over 51,000 signatures demanding the Steering Committee strip Lieberman of his Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee chairmanship in January 2009.

This wasn't the first time someone from the mainstream press has confronted Lieberman about this petition—the Lieberman Must Go movement to has only gained steam (and signatures) since we delivered the petition in Washington DC in early July.  But to be sure, the Steering Committee will have an icreasingly difficult time ignorning this growing public outcry as more national news outlets call attention to Lieberman's ideological treachery.

Rather than heed the petition as a warning, Lieberman sealed his own fate.  As Faiz Shakir noted over at Think Progress, by speaking at the RNC convention, Lieberman will basically endorse their platforms on everything from the environment to immigration to a woman's right to choose.  How can the Steering Committee overlook Lieberman's hypocritical stances on these issues?  What's more, how can they overlook such a glaring betrayal of the Democratic party? 

Of course, the most disturbing part of all is that Lieberman is living under the delusion that he remains somehow above partisan politics.  He self-righteously claims that he will go to the convention and tell Republicans not to act like "partisan mud-slingers" and not to attack Obama.  However, the reality is that Lieberman has been slinging mud at Obama for months on foreign policy issues.  And he plays partisan politics every time he heads out on the campaign trail for John McCain, or every time he embraces Bush-McCain's war in Iraq and their hawkish views on Iran.

Above all, Lieberman's address at the convention ought to send a clear signal to those Democrats who have hesitated in criticizing Lieberman for fear of losing their narrow majority in the Senate.  It's time for more Dems to wake up and see that there's no place for a McCain cheerleader in the Democratic caucus.  And you can help drive that message home by continuing to support the Lieberman Must Go campaign.

Tagged as: democrats, republicans, joe lieberman, tom brokaw, convention, steering committee

ZP Heller is the editorial director of Brave New Films. He has written for The American Prospect, AlterNet, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The Huffington Post, covering everything from politics to pop culture.