Lieberman still open to Republican candidacy

The Hill ^ | January 25, 2010 | Jordan Fabian

[Clintonfatigued]

Indepdendent Sen. Joe Lieberman (Conn.) this weekend reiterated that he has not ruled out running as a Republican for reelection in 2012.

[opentalk]

He is an advocate for cap and trade. We need someone who will kill climate-change hoax.

[Oceander]

Really? Funny that, because (a) I never provided any sort of a definition, and (b) you're wrong - apparently, that's become rather a bad habit of yours.

"Reasoned" means providing reasons rational statements of logic applied to facts to produce persuasive arguments. Here, let's try a simple one:

First, some premises:

(1) Arlen Specter has a voting record that is more conservative than that of Joe Lieberman;

(2) Arlen Specter voted to pass Obamacare and Joe Lieberman did not; and

(3) Obamacare is radically antithetical to conservativism.

Now for a conclusion that can be inferred from the given premises:

Joe Lieberman acts less antithetically to the interests of conservatives than does Arlen Specter, despite the fact that he has a less conservative voting record, and therefore (a) Joe Lieberman is more of a friend to conservatives than Arlen Specter is, and (b) the "conservativeness" of an individual's voting record is no reliable indicator as to whether that person will, or will not, act in a manner that is antithetical to the interests of conservatives.

Now, your mission, if you want to engage in reasoned debate instead of silly name-calling, is to refute those conclusions using the various tools of rational argumentation available to you, including, for example, by demonstrating that (i) the conclusions do not follow from the premises, or (ii) one or more of the premises is false.

That is "reasoned" argument. Give it a try, you might like it.

[justiceseeker93]

Now is Lieberman thinking of “running as a Republican” as simply a matter of convenience or of really switching parties? I suppose that if the GOP could allow New Englanders like Chafee, Weicker, (turncoat) Jeffords, and the two ugly Maine broads into their ranks, they could work with Lieberman, especially if his switch might be vote # 51. Lieberman is a solid defense conservative but conservative on almost nothing else, really not more left than some of the RINOs in the Senate now and before.

[MestaMachine]

Lest we forget...

[PGalt]

Another statist chameleon jerkwad. GET LOST JOKE.

[Comparative Advantage]

You really are so full of yourself.

Your second premise is WRONG. Your boy Liberalman voted for ObamaCare, too. He supported both cloture and its final passage. Look it up.

So much for your faulty premise and “reasoned” argument.

Please tell me that you are of college age and not a mature adult. Your philosophical bent might ingratiate you at Starbucks but this is FR. We are much more down to earth here.

[Oceander]

Bravo, you learned your lesson. I've accomplished my end for tonight. I won't give you any more quizzes tonight though, because no doubt the unaccustomed exercise still has your head buzzing.

[Impy]

Excuse me, Liarman voted FOR the health care bill NOT just cloture.

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=1&vote=00396

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=1&vote=00395

the votes are identical to each other, no Senator voted for cloture and against the bill. 60-39 (Bunning (R) absent)

[Comparative Advantage]

Thanks for the info! I couldn’t remember if the vote for passage also required 60 votes (though I kind of figured it did). In this case, Liberalman was true to form.

[Oceander]

Little late to the bonfire, but thanks for the links. It's nice to see some actual reasoned argument breaking out here now.

[Impy]

If Lieberman were to become a Republican, it would be great PR.

I hear that but I don't want him. He makes Mark Kirk look conservative. He doesn't come close to my personal minimum standard for a Republican in good standing. And I think it's more useful to us if he's a rat. If he switches it will just validate what the moonbats say about him (that's he's a Republican at heart which could not be further from the truth). And isn't he unpopular?

Conservatives may have given Liarman the victory in 1988 over DIABLO Lowell Weicker who was perhaps even slighly more liberal than Joe. It's clear the correct vote that year was a blank ballot.

I'll add something. If he runs as an indie again the CT Republicans can take the seat in the 3 way race. Last time they nominated a nobody with ethics problems and the state GOP brass just backed Liarman. That musn't happen again. Even RINO Rob Simmons seems Helmsesque compared with Joe. No one as liberal as Joe should ever be nominated as a Republican. Hell he voted for Obamacare. That alone is a deal breaker.

If he's at all serious he needs to move a great deal to the right so he's at least a Chris Shays.

[Impy]

The vote for passage needed only a majority.

Despite that no rat voted just for cloture. They were all convinced to support it and did.

[Oceander]

Ok. Now that we're being civil to each other, I will freely admit that I was wrong; I had, for some reason, given Lieberman the benefit of a vote he did not cast. My apologies to everyone else on the thread, in particular, to Comparative Advantage and Impy.

[Comparative Advantage]

Interesting... So they are all united in destroying America’s healthcare system.

[GOPsterinMA]

Agreed! Let him caucus with the GOP, but that’s it.

Stay IND, Joe.

[Clintonfatigued]

What you say is completely correct. However, I’ve read rumors that Lieberman is discouraged about his approval ratings back home and may retire in 2012. If he chooses not to seek another term in 2012 and supports the Republican nominee that year, than in that case I’d welcome him.

[Impy]

Well if the GOP gains 9 seats and he wants to be vote number 51 to keep his fellow socialists out of committee chairmanships that’s okay with me.

But if he’s not needed to be the deciding vote I don’t see the point of him even caucusing with the GOP. He’d just take up GOP committee spots that should go to someone else.

He needs the committee spots from someone which is why he doesn’t just put his desk in the middle of isle.

[Non-Sequitur]

What does that say when Lieberman doesn’t notice the difference between Democrat, Independent, and Republican?

[GOPsterinMA]

I agree with everything you wrote.

Ben Nelson OTOH, would have been a much more attractive candidate to “flip” before he shat the bed. Now he’s toxic.

[Clintonfatigued]

New England ping