One final point and I’ll quit zerging this thread. Someone smarter than me and more politically connected than I’ll ever be pointed out that Obama has always considered the Department of Homeland Security to be a PR machine and utter boondoggle. Letting Joe keep the committee chair on a department that won’t have much influence on an Obama administration might also be his way of putting Liebs out to pasture.
Potshots at the “lefty agenda” (whatever you think that is?) aside, I largely agree with you. I can’t stand Lieberman for a thousand reasons, but I think this was the totally right thing to do. He spared him, took the high road, and Lieberman will cross him now at his own peril.
One of the things Obama ran on was to try and work together despite differences, and across lines. Punishing someone for crossing those lines would seem disingenuous, IMO.
One final point and I’ll quit zerging this thread. Someone smarter than me and more politically connected than I’ll ever be pointed out that Obama has always considered the Department of Homeland Security to be a PR machine and utter boondoggle. Letting Joe keep the committee chair on a department that won’t have much influence on an Obama administration might also be his way of putting Liebs out to pasture.
Perhaps, but here’s my concern.
Some point in the next year, Obama pushes through some legislation that he wants. Joe and the Right wing are opposed to it. Joe uses his committee to “investigate” something with regards to this legislation. This is something that is within his right to conduct, but in this case it’s universally considered a bogus activity. His “investigation” is purely to slow or stop the Obama administration. Obama, being the man he is, wouldn’t ignore Joe, but would devote resources and time to proving he did nothing wrong. In the meanwhile, nothing is getting done.
What happens then? The senate can remove him from the position, and he becomes a martyr to the right wing because he was removed for opposing Obama. Or they can devote time and resources to combating an activity that I believe will continue until something spurious can be found.
Basically, I don’t believe that I can trust him. Apparently the Senate Dems do. I hope they’re right.
Funk.
Lieberman needs to go up for de-election ASAP.
Heh. Sorry about the potshots. As one of the few QT3’ers old enough to have voted for Fritz Mondale for President in 1984, I tend to assume my liberal cred is strong enough to absent-mindedly poke fun at those with whom I share political leanings without giving context. Bad form on my part!
What I meant was this: there are things that are of great importance to my fellow Democrats/liberals/progressives. In 1992, a lot of these “favorite issues of various factions” seemed to get priority over things like the economy, healthcare, and education. It was all about prioritizing then (and things got mis-prioritized). I was trying to make the point that Obama seems to understand the need to triage the problems he’ll face, and isn’t afraid of sending the message that folks who want him to act on smaller agendas will have to wait while his Administration tends to things that affect a bigger piece of his constituency.
Okay, I gotcha. I just feel like the lefty/progressive agenda is pretty much all healthcare, all the time - and therefore not all that far from Obama’s agenda. I suppose I just do a pretty good job of tuning out the cranks.
The way he’s doing things now seems disingenuous. It comes across to me like he’s picking people to prove that he’s going to let past differences go and work across party lines, instead of picking the best or most deserving people for the job.
I dunno, maybe it’ll work. Throw in Lieberman, Hilary Clinton, and a token Republican or two, and you can stack the rest of your positions how you want and people will still think you’re open to everyone.
Pennsylvania. It all comes back to Pennsylvania.
Remember the waning days of the campaign? Polls in the Keystone State were tightening up remarkably, McCain was dumping cash and resources and criss-crossing the state it seemed 24/7 and people started howling. Obama needs to go back to PA! Obama needs to get more ads on in PA! Obama needs to do this in PA, Obama needs to do that in PA! I should know. I was one of the hand-wringers. ;)
Obama all but ignored Pennsylvania the final weekend of the campaign. He ran some ads there and sent the Bidens to a few rallies in the western half of the state, but that was it. On election day, Obama won the state 55-44, a double digit blowout that once again told me that this guy is not THAT guy; this guy is smart and calm and measured and knows exactly what he’s doing. Until he gives me reason by action to doubt him, he’s earned my trust in his judgment.