It’s easy to forget that Senator Joseph Lieberman was still nominally associated with the Democratic party – after all, he disincorporated himself after losing the primary in his state to progressive favorite Ned Lamont, founding his own Connecticut For Lieberman party (membership: one), and more recently, actively campaigned against then-presidential candidate Barack Obama. But despite his often contemptuous behavior towards Dems, they passed up the opportunity to strip him of his committee appointments, because… I’m sure there was a reason.
All the goodwill Democrats extended towards Lieberman may have allowed the senator to maintain his carefully accumulated power, but it did nothing to command his loyalty, as evidenced by his declaration that he’ll be filibustering with Republicans if anyone so much as thinks of putting the public option in health care reform legislation.
“I told Senator Reid that I’m strongly inclined–I haven’t totally decided, but I’m strongly inclined–to vote to proceed to the health care debate, even though I don’t support the bill that he’s bringing together because it’s important that we start the debate on health care reform because I want to vote for health care reform this year. But I also told him that if the bill remains what it is now, I will not be able to support a cloture motion before final passage. Therefore I will try to stop the passage of the bill.”
Lieberman has always been “strongly inclined” to twist knives at inopportune times, but it’s unclear whether he’s motivated by allegiance to the insurance companies that use Connecticut as a milquetoast regulatory bonanza or some shred of true ideological conviction, or if he thinks there’s some political advantage to milk from Harry Reid by playing hard to get. His mouth is saying probably not, but his ego is saying yes, if Reid strokes me hard enough.
