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Lieberman Off the Hook?
Talking Points Memo —
... The Obama transition team signals to TPM Election Central that Joe Lieberman is safe. "We don't hold any grudges," Obama transition spokesperson Stephanie Cutter tells us. ...
Obama Will Put No Pressure On Lieberman
Open Left - Front Page —
Greg Sargent becomes the first person to get the Obama campaign on record about whether Lieberman should keep his committee position or not. They claim to be staying neutral: ...
Obama camp OK with Lieberman
The Swamp —
... efforts to hold onto his Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs chairmanship may be gaining Joementum.
TPM Election Central is reporting that Stepanie Cutter, an Obama transition spokeswoman, is sending public signals suggesting that President-elect Obama would just as well let bygone be bygones with the independent senator from Connecticut who was a vocal Sen. John McCain supporter.
Here's an excerpt from a posting from Greg Sargent of TPM:
"We aren't going to referee decisions about who ...
Obama still making nice to Lieberman
AMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth —
It' s still not clear where this is headed. But what's sad is the degree to which Democrats let people step all over them. It's the root of the Republican argument that Democrats don't care about national security - the notion, the very true notion, that Democrats don't like to fight. The argument goes: If Democrats aren't willing to defend themselves, aren't willing to prove that they have even the teeniest bit of backbone and bite, then how will they defend the nation? Even if we get a 60-Senator majority, we won't break filibusters with a caucus that sees no price in ...
Latest on Lieberman
Political Animal —
... . That's not too big a surprise -- Obama's big on magnanimity -- and it's not the kind of announcement that's likely to have an impact. After all, there seems to be very little appetite for removing Lieberman from the caucus altogether. And what's Obama's opinion on letting Lieberman keep his committee chairmanship? He apparently doesn't have one . "We aren't going to referee decisions about who should or should not be a committee chair," Obama transition spokesperson Stephanie Cutter emailed me, in response to questions about Obama's stance on Lieberman's future. Cutter's ...
Obama team leaves Lieberman decision up to Reid
Daily Kos —
The Obama team finally speaks, after a couple of days of supposed behind-the-scenes lobbying on Lieberman's behalf: "We aren't going to referee decisions about who should or should not be a committee chair," Obama transition spokesperson Stephanie Cutter emailed me, in response to questions about Obama's stance on Lieberman's future. Cutter's comments are the first on-the-record indication of Obama's position on the politically fraught question of what to do about Lieberman. "President-elect Obama looks forward to working with anyone to ...
Obama Team on Lieberman: President-Elect Doesn't Hold Grudges
News —
... A spokeswoman for President-elect Barack Obama confirmed that Obama is open to having Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) caucus with Senate Democrats, even though Lieberman campaigned vigorously against him. "President-elect Obama looks forward to working with anyone to move the country forward," Stephanie Cutter wrote in an e-mail to TalkingPointsMemo . "We'd be happy to have Sen. Lieberman caucus with the Democrats. We don't hold any grudges." Lieberman's support for the Iraq war and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has made him a bete noire of liberal Democrats. ...
11/11: Lieberman Vs. The Netroots: The Sequel
Blogometer —
... the Obama camp to clarify whether or not Obama wants Lieberman to retain his committee chairmanship , but the Obama camp refused to take a position . ...
Lieberman Whip Counting
Open Left - Front Page —
Quite a few different interpretations of Obama's statement on Lieberman are floating around. Josh Orton's reading is best supported by the actual text, and also by Josh's experience in Reid's office. Either way, the statement is made, can't be unmade, and it is time to move on with our efforts to keep Lieberman out of the chairmanship.
The vote on Lieberman's chairmanship only seven days away. As such, it's time for some whip counting. First, let's at least count how many are needed to win:
There are currently forty-nine Democrats in the Senate right ...
Dem Caucus to Vote on Lieberman
Real Clear Politics - TIME.com —
... : The full Democratic caucus will vote on whether Joe Lieberman is allowed to keep his chairmanship of the Homeland Security committee at its caucus meeting next week, a leadership aide confirms to us. Previously, Reid's office had held this possibility out but hadn't made a final decision on whether to throw Lieberman's fate to the full Dem caucus for a vote. Somewhat complicating matters are comments from Obama spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter who told TPM that Obama doesn't "hold any grudges" and that the president-elect would be "happy to have Sen. Lieberman caucus with the ...
Lieberman's Limbo
Opinionator —
“President-Elect Barack Obama doesn’t ‘hold any grudges’ against Senator Joe Lieberman for opposing his presidential candidacy, and will not take any position on the question of whether Lieberman should be permitted to keep his plum chairmanship of the Homeland Security committee, an Obama spokesperson just confirmed to us,” reports Greg Sargent at Talking Points Memo.” ‘We aren’t going to referee decisions about who should or should not be a committee chair,’ ” Obama transition spokesperson Stephanie Cutter emailed me, in response to questions about Obama’s stance on ...
What's To Be Done With Treacherous Joe Lieberman Now That McCain Has Lost And Lieberman Has Come Crawling Back?
DownWithTyranny! —
... Obama has said he holds no grudge but certainly hasn't said he wants Lieberman to hold onto his chairmanship. Two of the most senior Democrats in the caucus, Chuck Schumer and Dick Durbin, have publicly come out and announced that ...
Does Obama's Statement Help Or Hurt Lieberman?
AMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth —
Greg Sargent at TPM Election Central looks at the issue of whether Obama's statements about Lieberman help or hurt Traitor Joe: The move is all but certain to take the steam out of any efforts to dislodge Lieberman from the committee, and hence to diminish his influence in some way in return for his support for McCain, his suggestion that Obama put troops in danger, and his claim that Obama hasn't always put the country first.Hey, what's a little accusation of treason among friends?
...
Lieberman and Congressional Democrats Are on the Same Page
Comments from Left Field —
... than his spokesperson yesterday suggested) — are going to choose Joe Lieberman to serve as their Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in the next Congress. If that happens, there will be one important silver lining: it will remind many people, who have understandably forgotten due to the euphoria last week, exactly what most Beltway Democrats are, what their priorities and beliefs are, and to whose opinions and concerns they do and do not pay attention. ...
Dear Democrats: If You Must Blame, Blame Obama
FiveThirtyEight: Politics Done Right —
... instead passed the caucus 42-13, something happened to whip that result into shape, and that something was Barack Obama. True the caucus might have voted to retain Lieberman on its own -- or it might not have. But Obama's signal last week to extend Lieberman a Get-Out-of-Jail-Free Card was the immediate cause of that decision. Conversely, Obama could probably have engineered the opposite result if he'd wanted. (Nor is this to dispute the characterization of the Senate Democrats -- and particularly the Majority Leader -- as being somewhat weak-willed, but the practical ...
11/20: How Are Obama's Cabinet Picks Playing?
Blogometer —
... instead passed the caucus 42-13, something happened to whip that result into shape, and that something was Barack Obama. True the caucus might have voted to retain Lieberman on its own -- or it might not have. But Obama's signal last week to extend Lieberman a Get-Out-of-Jail-Free Card was the immediate cause of that decision. Conversely, Obama could probably have engineered the opposite result if he'd wanted. [...] In our ...
