Joe Lieberman: It’s Not Just About the War
24 May 2006 9:38 am by Taylor Marsh
Joe Lieberman: It's Not Just About the War
UPDATE: Atrios has some interesting $$$ info on Joe v. Lamont.
I see you're on the bash Joe Lieberman band!!! We must concentrate on bearting
REPUBLICANS and not bashing Democrats. I don't care if Joe voted for the war.
It's past history, and nothing can be done about it. If we want to take back
Congress, then we can't be berating Lieberman. He is a solid Democrat with
an 80% liberal voting record. Damn, I am sick and tired of this. Ned Lamont
is a one-issue candidate. I'm going with the proven winner in Lieberman. –
email from “whitehouseliar”
 |
Hearing from many people about Joe Lieberman, I understand some people's nervousness
about a grassroots
and netroots
campaign to unseat a sitting Democratic incumbent. What I cannot understand
is the obstinance to the importance of holding Democratic Party senators and
others accountable. That's what the campaign against Joe Lieberman and for
Ned Lamont is all about. The above is just one email I've received recently, since
Lamont made Holy Joe weep last week.
Ned Lamont is not a one issue candidate. Here are his views for progressive
change for those of you who are interested. Lamont's views on the issues
is why Jane
Hamsher convinced women's groups to walk away from Lieberman, and believe
me, it wasn't easy and it wasn't about the Iraq war. Jane had a lot of help from regular Democrats
who can no longer abide Joe Lieberman's politics, which are anathema to progressive
goals.
For women, as well as men who consider themselves feminists or who simply love
us, there's something abjectly unacceptable about Rape Gurney Joe. As an aside,
I'm one of the few progressives who don't have a problem welcoming “pro-life”
politicians and people into the Democratic Party. A person's personal beliefs
are their own and we have room for anyone who supports the morality and conscience
represented in the policies Democrats promote. That said, the Democratic Party
is a women's equality and pro privacy party, so Democrats will have to defer
to the majority on the larger statement that we are committed to being
pro-choice, while making abortions safe, legal and rare. However, I and other women
in the Democratic Party will simply not accept conservative, anti-choice, anti-women
statements like Joe Lieberman's on something so fundamentally heinous as tellling
a rape victim they can take “a short ride to another hospital”
to get the care required after being assaulted.
Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell says she isn’t certain the proposed bill
is necessary. That’s brought in her Democratic rivals, New Haven Mayor
John DeStefano Jr. and Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy, who vigorously support
the legislation and denounce Rell’s stand.This fight isn’t exclusively being drawn along party lines.
U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, who often takes a conservative line
on social issues, is facing a liberal Democratic primary challenge from wealthy
Greenwich businessman Ned Lamont. But that hasn’t stopped Lieberman
from supporting the approach of the Catholic hospitals when it comes to contraceptives
for rape victims.Lieberman said he believes hospitals that refuse to give contraceptives
to rape victims for “principled reasons” shouldn’t be forced
to do so. “In Connecticut, it shouldn’t take more than a short
ride to get to another hospital,” he said. … …
Emergency contraception is dispensed throughout the world. It has been proven
safe, with very few exceptions. But more importantly, when a woman becomes a
victim of violence she needs all the support, attention and medical care available.
What she doesn't need is to be told by some MAN that another hospital is just
“a short ride” away.
Joseph Lieberman doesn't deserve to be called a Democrat. He is a disgrace.
He should be voted out of office.
