Senate Democrats reject Lieberman for FBI director

[octoberlib]

By BURGESS EVERETT and SEUNG MIN KIM 05/18/2017 06:18 PM EDT

President Donald Trump may be dramatically miscalculating how much support Sen. Joe Lieberman has among his former Democratic colleagues to become FBI director.

Some Senate Democrats hold a grudge against Lieberman for his rightward turn and opposition to some of President Barack Obama's agenda late in his Senate career. Others say even though they respect Lieberman, the FBI director should not be a former politician. And all Democratic senators interviewed for this story said the former Connecticut senator lacks the kind of experience needed for the post.

Republicans are lining up behind Lieberman, who left the Senate in 2013 after four terms. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) called him a "person of unquestioned integrity and that's what we need." Added Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who has spoken to Lieberman about the job: "If the president picked Joe Lieberman he’d be doing [the] country a good service and I think the FBI a good service."But Republicans seem to be overstating Lieberman's Democratic support. Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas) predicted Lieberman would get 100 votes, a near impossibility.

But Lieberman’s relationship with Democrats is damaged. After he left office, he urged senators in his own party to reject Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran, infuriating Democrats. And his relationship with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Graham — the trio were known as the “three amigos” — tilted the Senate in a more hawkish direction during the first four years of Obama’s presidency. In 2008, Lieberman endorsed McCain over Obama for president.http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/18/joe-lieberman-fbi-director-senate-democrats-238570

[Warren DeMontague]

1. Yeah, no thanks.

Rumply moralizing right-wing fucko.

If it were a blowjob between two consenting adults, I'm sure ol' Joe-mentum would be all over it in terms of breathy outrage.

[onit2day]

50. Besides the fact he killed the Public Option in the ACA

He is not really a democrat but a member of the tainted trio of war mongers. He has no experience or qualifications for the job of FBI director except he is easily controlled by the cons. He has a perverted sense of justice since he is incapable of relating to anyone who is not wealthy.

[calimary]

54. And he turned his back on the party that saw fit to embrace him as vice president on Al Gore's

ticket. Eight years after Gore/Lieberman, there he is at the republi-CON convention, addressing them as their keynote speaker, endorsing John McCain over Barack Obama. And when he ran for reelection to the Senate in 2006, he was primaried, but then abandoned his party to go independent. He won another term, but by then he was starting to show so many more leanings toward the CONS that he gave it up by 2012 - when he proved extremely unpopular with his Connecticut Democratic constituents. That's why we've since had the terrific Chris Murphy in that seat, thank goodness.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Lieberman

He always claimed it was for the good of the country, but he just started leaning too far to the wrong end of the spectrum, and I'm not surprised his service in the Senate didn't last. But when he made that speech at that convention, and sided with the GOP nominee over the party that supported him, continued to open its doors to him after he spurned them, and sought to bestow the vice presidency upon him, that was certainly it for me. He seemed to morph into a public servant who cared more about himself staying in power than about his constituents. I worked hard to support the Gore/Lieberman ticket. Put my faith in him as well as in Al Gore. And I eventually found I could not ever trust him again. Evidently that's what the voters in Connecticut thought, too.

An elephant isn't the only creature that never forgets.

[sandensea]

66. Hence his well earned nickname:

Traitor Joe.

[Warren DeMontague]

59. I had forgotten his barftastic turn at the '08 GOP convention, even.

[onit2day]

69. The man proclaimed John Hagee as the new Moses

Believes 144K Jews must convert to Christianity for Jesus to return to Jerusalem. He's a whack job. Trump always picks the worst person for the job. Always

[SharonAnn]

63. He's not a person a real Democrat can support.

[Agschmid]

2. Good.

[Chemisse]

3. He sucked badly even before he went over the cliff for McCain.

There is no way he is or could be objective. He is slime.

[Duppers]

43. +100

[Ken Burch]

60. What he did in 2006, running as an indy after losing the primary, was unforgiveable.

And Trump thinks the party Holy Joe screwed over would let him have a job where he can launch "investigations&quot and "Comey" our nominee right before the NEXT election)?

[Me.]

4. You'd Think, For Once

They'd do their homework. They thought Dems would get behind the Comey firing, now they misjudge this.

[mopinko]

17. they figured he was a member of the club.

that no senator would vote against another senator.
wrongo.

[Me.]

19. That's What I Mean

One or 2 questions would've revealed that he's regarded as a turncoat

[MyOwnPeace]

20. They don't

have enough experience or clues to have ANY IDEA of what they should do next!
They are tied-up hound dogs that have finally been cut free and are running at - well, they have NO CLUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[LiberalLovinLug]

57. Also I think its a political move to corner the Dems

So that if the Dems reject Lie-berman, the GOP can counter all the bad press the GOP has that it is in disarray and say "See how the Democrats can't even support a pick even if its from one of their own ranks!". And if he gets appointed they will double down and use this every time Joe comes out and says "nothing to see here folks" for his law firms client Trump, which is very possible. They will say "look how unwilling to compromise the Democrats are, they can't even come together for support for one of their recent colleagues and one-time Democratic VP nominee"

[mopinko]

58. i think they are stupid enough to think that is how it will work.

but fershrisakes, the guy is 75. he is gonna serve till he is 85? please.

and the only way this comes in out of left field is because he is a trumpster.

[Demsrule86]

34. Can we stop Lieberman...I hope so.

[eleny]

5. K&R with much thanks for some goold news today

[rzemanfl]

6. Before I get accused of ageism I will disclose I am about to turn seventy.

Lieberman is 75. He would be at least 85 at the end of a ten year term.

So again I ask WTF?

[hatrack]

7. Also, learn to fucking TALK, Frog-Voice

Lieberman. Jesus Christ on a pogo stick.

[vanlassie]

8. I seem to remember some comedian doing Lieberman.

With this whiny voice... who was that?

[MyOwnPeace]

23. O!M!G!

Can you imagine what Jon Stewart would be doing with all of this?
Between Joe Lieberman, Lindsay Graham, Kelly, Spicer, and, of course, Cheeto himself, I'd be up past 1:00 AM every night, still laughing!

[vanlassie]

24. Wait. Was it a DOG cartoon?

[vanlassie]

41. It was Jon Stewart!

http://www.cc.com/video-clips/s00dxy/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-the-d-c-

[BeyondGeography]

26. He has the face of a melted clown

Stole that from somewhere, don't know where. Spot on.

[NYC Liberal]

40. Jon Stewart always compared him to Droopy Dog

3-minute mark: http://www.cc.com/video-clips/fb6to2/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-john-mccain--the-person-he-is

[vanlassie]

42. Hahaha!

Beat me, barely!

[Salviati]

53. Jon Stewart always used the Droopy Dog voice when mocking lieberman.

[ThoughtProvoker]

9. Hmm....

I had realized he had taken such a turn right lately. Interesting.

[tblue37]

10. And he campaigned for McCain vs. Obama in 2008. nt

[Thrill]

11. They should. He's a weasel

[larwdem]

12. birds of a feather

both are traitors

[Phoenix61]

13. Yeah!!!

He is not even close to being a good option.

[Goodheart]

14. You really have to ask yourself why Cheeto would pick a 75 year old has-been?

And, of course, you can give yourself an easy answer: this is one of those deals... just like the Comey firing... where he's stupid enough to believe that Democrats will fall for his self-serving maneuvers. If Lieberman is nominated he's tainted, it's as simple as that.

[Ilsa]

35. "That fossil is older than me!" nt

[MedusaX]

15. Gee, he only has a tiny conflict of interest...

It isn't as if his law firm has Trump as a client ...

Oh, wait... it is exactly like that...

https://qz.com/987062/donald-trumps-top-pick-for-fbi-director-joe-lieberman-works-for-a-law-firm-that-represents-trump/

[flotsam]

16. Remember Obamacare's public option?

During debate on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as the crucial 60th vote needed to pass the legislation, Lieberman's opposition to the public option was critical for its removal from the resulting bill.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Lieberman

[MurrayDelph]

46. Which was more than a little douchebaggy

His wife works for a healthcare logging firm. A public option would have cost them (and him) money.

[yardwork]

62. Then why are Hillary and Obama blamed for that?

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

18. Thank goodness.

[Leghorn21]

21. ...couple o' sweet tweets:

@morninggloria

a sentence that begins "joe lieberman emerges" should finish with the phrase "from bog" or "from pile of old tires." *not* "as frontrunner"


@mtracey

In a time of such division and turmoil it's heartening to know that we can all still unite in disdain for Joe Lieberman.

[Samantha]

44. Count me in

I can't stand the man. When I heard he was being considered, I could not believe it. When Trump said he was the preferred candidate, I couldn't help but think he could not have made a worse choice. Now that I have said that, I am sure he will dig up someone worse....

Sam

[irisblue]

22. Sen Sherrod Brown, Ohio, in the Politico article

was pretty clear he would be a no vote. WTG!

[tiptonic]

25. Mole

He was a mole for the republicans, his entire career. Enough said..

[Cha]

27. LIEberman for FBI Director.. even sounds

ridiculous. Wth would he know about it?

[VigilantG]

28. Lieberman is from Trump's go-to law firm, FFS!

[MyNameIsKhan]

29. When will this weasel go away, he was the one why we do not have public option...

[Demsrule86]

33. Stupak who actually tried to keep abortion coverage out of the ACA and his buddies

in the house derailed any shot at single payer in the house...what Lieberman did was stop medicare for those above 50 or 55 which is bad enough...it would have made a big difference in premiums to have those folks under Medicare...he is a tool. But we have no power...those who couldn't abide 'emails' have left us in this predicament.

[MyNameIsKhan]

38. thanks for your correction... anyhow this guy is not trust worthy...

[Demsrule86]

48. I am not arguing...he is untrustworthy and not qualified...he is a Trojan Horse.

I don't see how we can stop him though if Trump wants this...and Lieberman will be Trump's guy in the FBI.

[Hoyt]

30. We'll probably end up with Giuliani or something. I'd rather have a career type, not politician.

[Demsrule86]

32. Giuliani would be way worse than LIberbman and is in involved in the scandal as well.

[Hoyt]

36. That's my point. If we are going to get a politician, Lieberman is probably as "good" as we'll get.

[Demsrule86]

37. I agree with you...we won't get any better out of Trump and people who think we can stop the GOP if

they are united are wrong. My worry is that Lieberman is not up to the job in terms of terrorism...putting aside the Trump investigation. The fact that Lieberman works in a firm with lawyers who represent Trump is not good.

[Eliot Rosewater]

51. It all comes down to who will commit treason, who wont. Trump group are all

guilty of foreign espionage, maybe treason.

Obviously.

So whoever he picks is either easily willing to sell his soul or not. Joe is a complete ass, but not sure if he would sell his soul to this narcissist child.

[Hoyt]

55. That's a good point. Wish we could have all the vetting in public so Trump won't ask

them whether they are willing to support espionage/teason/election fraud, or even worse.

[Alice11111]

65. I can't stand Lieberman, but there are worse ones he could

Pick. Gulianni is much more aggressive
Lieb will follow orders. He is not qualified or capable though. BFF w McCain.

[Demsrule86]

31. I don't like Lieberman...and four years in the 80's as Connecticut's

AG does not cut it for an agency like the FBI...we need law enforcement. Consider terrorism...I can't imagine that Lieberman could handle that...but I don't see any way to stop the GOP from putting him in as FBI director.

[WoonTars]

39. Good. Hope they hold their ground. Fuck Joe LIEberman.

...

[Demsrule86]

49. We can't stop him...anymore than we could stop Devos...

we are out of power... we can make him illegitimate and watch him like a hawk...for he surely will attempt to save Trump.

[JI7]

45. I would Rather have Former Senator Lugar who is a republican .

[JCanete]

47. Good, I hope some former ones are on that page too after campaigning for him

against his primary opponent...looking at you Boxer.

[Panich52]

52. Heard comnentator also use "integrity" as Dem opinion of

Lieberman. Certainly not a word I'd use to describe the DINO.

[Lucky Luciano]

56. Capo Joe. nt

[mark fromelko]

61. Remember how he campaigned WITH McCain in '08?

Eff off, Joe!

[onecent]

64. He is ALSO 75 years old!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[bucolic_frolic]

67. Weasel

Trump will pick him, suits the goal of undermining head of every agency

[SunSeeker]

68. Fuck no, Traitor Joe.