(Bumped. - promoted by Carnacki)
Dear Sens. Byrd and Rockefeller,
Yesterday evening, Washington political reporters began spreading the news of a deal among the Democratic Senate caucus regarding Sen. Joe Lieberman's role in the next Congress.
According to sources familiar with negotiations, Democrats are expected to vote in favor of letting the Connecticut senator keep his chairmanship and seniority, but give up the gavel on a subcommittee he chairs.
Now, you may view this all as a relatively minor issue. You may think constituents don't really care. You may think it's an internal matter among long-time colleagues. No, this is a major issue; we do care; your decision impacts us all.
Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) has shown through multiple repeated actions he is completely undeserving of serving any longer as chairperson of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
1. Sen. Lieberman has failed to adequately fulfill the duties of this chairmanship during this last term of Congress. Despite promising voters during his re-election in 2006 that he would use his committee chairmanship to thoroughly investigate Bush administration actions, he has not.
2. Lieberman not only failed to support the Democratic party candidate for President, he actively supported the other major candidate and did so in an out-spoken way that distorted the record of our nominee and questioning his ability to serve as President. Lieberman "endorsed efforts by the GOP to imply that Obama is in league with terrorists, suggested that Obama endangered our troops, and said Obama hasn't always put the country first." While all of us worked so hard here in West Virginia on the Campaign for Change, Joe Lieberman actively undermined our efforts.
3. If you support bipartisan comity, vote against Lieberman for committee chair. An important point made by David Sirota:
I just want to reiterate a very, very simple that I've made over and over again. It's a point that is really important to make before the vote on whether Joe Lieberman remains chairman of the committee whose main mission is to investigate the executive branch.
Joe Lieberman has made clear he thinks Barack Obama is a socialist who is a danger to the United States as president. Therefore, putting any personal animosity against Joe Lieberman aside, it's clear that giving Joe Lieberman subpoena power on a committee whose mission is investigating the executive branch of the supposed socialist who supposedly is a danger to the United States doesn't seem like a very good idea.
4. What about the secondary mission of this committee? (The Governmental Affairs part essentially runs portions of DC government.) Leaving Lieberman in charge of this committee is a huge slap in the face to the residents of Washington, D.C., who voted over-whelming for the Democratic party nominee for President.
5. Lieberman actively campaigned against Democratic party Senate candidates. Just months ago he was actively working to increase the number of votes in the other party's caucus. (Norm Coleman and Susan Collins)
We deserve an effective chair for the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. We deserve a chair who has the trust of the full caucus. We need the Senate Democratic Caucus to demonstrate a return of accountability to Washington, D.C.
We voted for change. Help deliver unto us the change we need to return our country to what it can be. It starts with decisions small and large.
Today is your chance to announce that change has arrive among Democrats in the Senate.
Thank you,
Clem Guttata
Update from Carnacki
Senate Democrats sent yet another big "Fuck you!" to the people who elected them.
David Sirota:
With its congressional majority, the Democratic Party has refused to seriously try to end the war, to stop the bailout and to stop the trampling of civil liberties, just to name a few off the top of my head. In fact, with their votes, they have aggressively worked to start and continue the war, pass the bailout and destroy our constitutional rights to privacy. So, are we really surprised that they have rewarded Joe Lieberman with a chairmanship that he can use to investigate the president he said poses a danger to America?
The Senators in both parties treat the Senate as their private club and could care less about what the people of America think of them.
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