Saying Goodbye To Lieberman, the Political Troll

Is anyone surprised by this?

Sen. Joe Lieberman has not been invited to either the Democratic or the Republican presidential convention this year, a major snub for a lawmaker who played prominent convention roles in the past.

Republicans have spent the last three years purging the party of all conservatives suspected of holding the most moderate of moderate views. Allowing a phony ex-Democratic senator who still clings to his liberal views on social issues anywhere near their Tampa convention is not going to happen. Lieberman has a pro-choice voting record and played a prominent role in the move to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Both are major taboos for an intolerant, homophobic political party doing their darnedest to give women’s rights a circa 1800s feel.

There will be no repeat of Lieberman’s 2008 Republic National Convention performance when he addressed the crowds with the following words:

And that brings me directly to why I am here tonight. What, after all, is a Democrat like me doing at a Republican convention like this? The answer is simple. I’m here to support John McCain because country matters more than party. I’m here tonight because John McCain is the best choice to bring our country together and lead our country forward. I’m here because John McCain’s whole life testifies to a great truth: being a Democrat or a Republican is important. But it is not more important than being an American.

Which, of course, brings us to the main reason Lieberman will not be asked to attend the Democratic presidential convention. You don’t spend a year battling to defeat Barack Obama in a general election and then follow it up with four years of opposition to some of the key issues on the Democratic platform and not expect there to be some bad blood.

• He threatened to filibuster the health care act if a public option was part of the package.
• He was against expansion of Medicare coverage.
• He is against any increase in taxes for the richest 2 percent.
• He was against ending the Iraq war.
• He is a foreign policy hawk who has called for starting wars with Iran and Syria.

Joe’s time as a troll has come to an end. Democrats allowed him to retain the chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security because he threatened to flip over to the other side of the aisle if they messed with him. While Lieberman often performed more like a Republican than a Democrat, there were some key votes (e.g. DADT) where Joe’s vote was required. No more. Lieberman is not seeking reelection in 2012 and with that, Dems can bid adieu to the spiteful little turncoat from Connecticut.

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