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The bizarre journey of Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) from Democratic vice presidential nominee to party pariah could reach its conclusion before the weekend.
Lieberman is scheduled to meet this week with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to discuss his future with the party, or perhaps his punishment for his unyielding support for the Iraq war and very public endorsement of Republican Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) for president.
Instead of moving on to a Cabinet appointment in a McCain administration, the four-term senator now must return to the Senate in a strange new world where Barack Obama runs the White House and Lieberman’s former party strengthens its grip on Congress. Democrats have already discussed possibly taking away his chairmanship of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
As a sign of the impending reality, Lieberman issued a conciliatory statement about Obama’s victory. “Now that the election is over, it is time to put partisan considerations aside and come together as a nation to solve the difficult challenges we face and make our blessed land stronger and safer,” the statement said, in part.
Lieberman still represents an important vote in a chamber where 60 members are needed to move controversial legislation. Pushed too far and Lieberman might see the benefits of caucusing with Republicans, who are looking to redefine themselves after a second consecutive election drubbing
To keep Lieberman in the fold and Democrats closer to the 60 votes they need to beat back filibusters, Reid could resist the outcry from Democrats who want Lieberman ousted and convince him to remain a member of their caucus by allowing him to retain his gavel. Even were he to lose this chair, Lieberman might choose to remain allied with the majority party to remain a chamber broker.
Spokesmen for Lieberman and Reid declined to comment in advance of their planned meeting.
A number of Senate Republicans have signaled their willingness to accept Lieberman into their ranks to strengthen their bulwark against the Democratic agenda.
Yet conservative activists are less enamored. When they look at Lieberman’s voting record, what they see is a Democrat.
“He votes bad on tax issues, he votes with organized labor, he votes with the trial bar, he votes with big-city machines,” said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform. “He doesn’t have a free-market, limited-government, Reagan Republican bone in his body,” he said.
Andrew Roth, director of government relations for the Club for Growth, agreed. “On economics, he would not be a good fit. I mean, he’s bad on taxes, he’s bad on spending.”
But former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) maintained that the considerations of a legislative body are not the same as they are for those on the outside. “The Republican Conference is different from political activists or commentators who are sometimes erstwhile friends,” said Lott, who labeled such critics “turkeys.”
Recent comments by Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.), chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, underscore that disconnect. “As far as Republicans are concerned, we welcome him with open arms,” he said on MSNBC last week. Lott said the GOP leadership “should aggressively pursue” Lieberman.
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