Anti-Liebermanism is the liberalism of fools

[ProSense]

Thursday, July 20, 2006

The Liberalism of Fools

The Moose denounces the swiftboating of Joe.

Snip...

Now the left is engaged in a swiftboating of Joe Lieberman. It is an attempt to falsely portray him as right wing Bush supporter. It is a vile lie. The truth is that Joe Lieberman is in the mainstream of a Democratic Party that could become a majority party. But does that party exist anymore?

With apologies to August Bebel, anti-Liebermanism is the liberalism of fools.

As the Moose has pointed out, by any reasonable standard, Joe is a liberal Democrat in good standing. Yes, he supports the war, but it is a blatant misrepresentation to suggest that he is anything but a liberal. (The good folks at the must read Lieberdem did some marvelous research on this question - here)

Snip...

Truth will not deter the left wing practitioners of swiftboating. Just as their right wing brethren sought to make a coward out of a war hero, the left wingers seek to make a right winger out of a long-standing liberal.

And here is a message for those moderates who are refusing to vigorously support Joe - they are coming after you next. Limousine Liberal Lamont is merely a tool for the nutroots to help achieve their ultimate objective. The goal of the activists and the celebrated nutroots is to move the party to the left on critical issues such as national security and trade. And the ultimate result will be that Democrats will only be able to visit the White House on a tourist pass.

http://bullmooseblogger.blogspot.com/2006/07/liberalism-of-fools.html

Speaking of swiftboating: Limousine Liberal Lamont is merely a tool for the nutroots?

[Mass]

1. Another Republican defending Lieberman?

[ShortnFiery]

2. Whoa! The dreaded "Limousine Liberal" label most often used

by RW Republicans or the neo-liberal DLC. I smell WARMONGERS! :devil:

[Totally Committed]

3. "The Moose" is a whackadoo....

I could not possibly care less what he thinks. In all, I can't believe he's being this poersistent with this garbage. Honestly!

TC

[hatrack]

4. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ . . . ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ . . .

Oh, and did I mention? ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ . . .

[Autonomy]

5. I'd vote for Lamont

if I lived in CT. Good try, though. Nice name-calling.

[creeksneakers2]

6. Amazing how the DLC and RW propaganda match

If Lieberman is such a true liberal, why are so many in the RW media defending him?

[calico1]

14. Funny thing, isn't it?

:eyes:

[ladjf]

7. Joe, in every possible way, has been acting as though he was

a loyal Republican. You don't have to go any deeper than that. What's wrong with replacing him with a Democrat?

[Cha]

36. I know..it's like we're not suppose

to be able to tell there's a fucking spy in our midst! Get all these republicons to tell us we're crazy and we're suppose to buy it! What's up with that?

[Pithy Cherub]

8. Bully mouse is wailing into the wind and barking at trees again!

The all NOT powerful bully moose is finding it's hard out there to motivate the mythical middle. Passion and inspiration are not found in the middle of the donut. Lamont is a Democrat who appreciates and followed the rules. BullyMouse champions authoritarianism and wants to declare joementum a winner without benefit of Democracy or an election. Joe is not entitled to a senate seat - he has to do it the old fashioned way, earn it. Joementum spent his time lavishly sucking up to the incompetent bush on some of the most critical issues of our life time. Maybe Joe can be his co-writer on missives to the missing middle after Ned Lamont wins on August 8th.

[Seabiscuit]

13. There's nothing but hot air in the middle of the donut. n/t

Joe & Moose make that perfectly clear.

[Seabiscuit]

9. Lots of labeling & namecalling; no substance, no evidence.

Moose is a complete foaming at the mouth nutcase.

[IndianaGreen]

29. Bullmoose: "America's eventual success in Iraq."

He is also as deluded as Holy Joe and George Bush.

[populistdriven]

10. Joe shoved his tongue down *'s throat and liked it

He is tainted meat. He has the stench of * on his breath.

There was no campaign to 'swift boat' him. It was not necessary. Joe did it to himself.

Joe got caught leaving the whore house of * many times. I got tape of it.

[ret5hd]

11. So go vote for him...

If joe or zel or biden are true democrats, then i guess i ain't.

And likewise, if I'm a democrat, then joe and zel and biden ain't.

[AX10]

12. Vote Lamont! Which I can do because I live in CT.

The BULLSHITMOOSE is a Republican.

[MarkDevin]

35. That makes two of us!

:hi:

[Cha]

37. Luckies! How

historic for you all to be able to vote for a Democrat for the Democratic seat from Connecticut!

[MarkDevin]

39. When Lamont first announced his candidacy six months ago...

...who could've guessed that his campaign would not only attract national attention, but that a BBC film crew would come here to make a documentary about his race against Lieberman?

[Cha]

48. Cool!

:D

[calico1]

49. I did not know that.

Do you have any idea when its going to air?

[calico1]

50. Three!

:hi:

[EST]

15. From the blog-little else needed

"About the Bull Moose

The Bull Moose is an unofficial blog sponsored by the Democratic Leadership Council. Although the Bull Moose has a deep affinity for the New Donkey, he is an independent in the tradition of Theodore Roosevelt's Progressive Party of 1912."

The Bull Moose advocates a progressive politics of national greatness that promotes a strong national defense, economic justice, political reform and national service. The Moose hopes that Democrats, Republicans and Independents who share this vision will join together to forge a new politics that defies the current partisan polarization."

[Donna Zen]

16. If only...

If only the DLC was willing to challenge the rightwing as easily as they vilify the rank and file Democrats.

If only the DLC was willing to defend Democratic ideas as easily as they support the apologists for bush.

If only the DLC was willing to listen to the actual vs their invented reasons people are angry about Lieberman.

But they aren't. Why? Because they have no interest in who we are, what we stand for, and what we want. Lieberman has undermined Democrats. He of course has voted for policies that his constituents do not support, which would be grounds enough for a primary challenge. (Let me say that again...Primary Challenge) Bullmoose refuses to hear our grievance: We work to uncover and bring to light the abuses of the bush administration, only to have people like Lieberman prance around the Sunday shows, and squash the story. Whether it be Katrina-FEMA, Abu Graeb, or the war in Iraq, Lieberman has consistently softened or killed the news, and thus, created a warm-fuzzy whoops for for bush. And so it a Democrat (and often Democrats) who does not represent the rank-and-file that gets quoted on the evening news.

If only we would rid ourselves of this nullifying virus within the Democratic party. Ah...but that is what they, the DLC, are really afraid of. A successful challenge of Lieberman might force them to hear us. Sticks and stones bullmoose...sticks and stones.

[Crunchy Frog]

17. I only just noticed that Bull Mooses inititials are BM.

That seems appropriate.

[bemildred]

18. More name calling and horseshit.

Notice the constant stream of pejorative terms?
We must have them worried.

[Ringo84]

19. Re:

the mainstream of a Democratic Party that could become a majority party. But does that party exist anymore?

We can only become mainstream if we embrace RW values? Forget it. I'd rather our party remain the minority for decades than give in to RWers.
Ringo

[sellitman]

20. 3 JEWISH votes for Lamont in my household.

My son will cast his 1st vote against a man who threw it all away.

Joe has stuck out.

STRIKE ONE- Holy Joe started to piss off this household when he got up on his soapbox to rail against his good friend Bill Clinton during Monica-gate. Pompous ASSHOLE he was!

STRIKE TWO- Supporting the Occupation (War?) Of Iraq (Lots of substories involved here but this is his main transgression)

STRIKE THREE- Spport for Dimson's EXTREME Right Wing Court appointees.


YER OUTTA THERE Looser!

[NYCGirl]

51. Don't forget Holy Joe publicly telling Gore to "give up" during the

2000 election grab.

[ihelpu2see]

21. Still voting for Lamont. He did well in the debate and many conservatives

will join me in voting for him in Nov...

[Hippo_Tron]

22. Bull Moose doesn't know all that much history or he just leaves it out

Here's a list of Senate incumbents being unseated in primaries. BTW, these all happened before the phenomenon that Bull Moose calls the "nutroots".

2002: Bob Smith (R-NH) – lost to John Sununu (GOP retained seat in November)

1996: Sheila Frahm (R-KS)* - lost to Sam Brownback (GOP retained seat)

1992: Alan Dixon (D-IL) – lost to Carol Moseley Braun (Dems retained seat)

1980: Donald Stewart (D-AL) – lost to Jim Folsom Jr. (GOP picked up seat); Mike Gravel (D-AK) – lost to Clark Gruening (GOP picked up seat); Dick Stone (D-FL) – lost to Bill Gunter (GOP picked up seat); Jacob Javits (R-NY) – lost to Al D'Amato (GOP retained seat)

1978: Maryon Allen (D-AL)* - lost to Donald Stewart (Dems retained seat); Paul Hatfield (D-MT)*; lost to Max Baucus (Dems retained seat); Clifford Case (R-NJ) – lost to Jeffrey Bell (Dems picked up seat)

1974: J. W. Fulbright (D-AR) – lost to Dale Bumpers (Dems retained seat); Howard Metzenbaum (D-OH)* - lost to John Glenn (Dems retained seat)

1972: David Gambrell (D-GA)* - lost to Sam Nunn (Dems retained seat); B. Everett Jordan (D-NC) – lost to Nick Galifianakis (GOP picked up seat)

1970: Ralph Yarborough (D-TX) – lost to Lloyd Bentsen (Dems retained seat)

1968: Ernest Gruening (D-AK) – lost to Mike Gravel (Dems retained seat); Thomas Kuchel (R-CA) – lost to Max Rafferty (Dems picked up seat); Edward Long (D-MO) – lost to Thomas Eagleton (Dems retained seat); Frank Lausche (D-OH) – lost to John Gilligan (GOP picked up seat)

1966: Donald Russell (D-SC)* - lost to Ernest Hollings (Dems retained seat); Ross Bass (D-TN) – lost to Frank Clement (GOP picked up seat); A. Willis Robertson (D-VA) – lost to William Spong (Dems retained seat)

1964: J. Howard Edmondson (D-OK)* – lost to Fred Harris (Dems retained seat)

1962: Maurice Murphy (R-NH)* - lost to Perkins Bass (Dems picked up seat)

The way people talk about this race it's like primary challenges didn't actually happen before the netroots. Primary challenges have been around pretty much since there were primaries and will continue to be around no matter what happens with the netroots.

[ProSense]

26. Interesting! Thanks for posting! n/t

[jonnyblitz]

30. good post!!

I appreciate you gathering this info. this is why I like DU. :thumbsup:

[theanarch]

40. a question:

1966: A. Willis Roberston (D-Va)...that wouldn't happen to be Marion "Pat" Robertson's old man, would it? I know Pat "666 KKKlub" Robertson's father was a Democratic senator, but always thought he represented W.Va.

[Name removed]

23. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Moochy]

31. Ancient times

Those were ancient times.. ancient times my friend!

*chortle*

[LincolnMcGrath]

32. How you doing Moochy?

:hi:

[Moochy]

33. Very good!

Who amongst us doesn't like summer fun in the sun? B-)

[kentuck]

24. We didn't leave Joe - Joe left us.

he forgot his roots and what his Party has fought for - and what he himself had fought for in the past. But, Joe lost it somewhere...

[IndianaGreen]

25. Former McCain and Christian Coalition hatched man, Bullmoose

aka Marshall Whittman, is at it again smearing long time Democrats for daring to replace the Bush kisser.

[IndianaGreen]

27. Hey, I was one of those shouting ""Dump the Hump."

Humphrey was a cheerleader for the war crimes the US was committing in Iraq, referring to that conflict as "America's greatest adventure."

[Lydia Leftcoast]

28. He says "move to the left on...national security and trade"

as if that's a BAD thing. :eyes:

[Cha]

34. Hey, bullmoose!

Fuck you, bullshitmoose.

[MarkDevin]

38. I just love out-of-state Republicans lecturing CT Democrats on how to vote

When you have a Democratic politician being endorsed by the likes of O'Reilly, Hannity and now this guy, it forces one (OK, one with a clue) to ask: What's wrong with this picture?

[PassingFair]

41. "a tool for the nutroots to help achieve their ultimate objective."

:rofl:

Yes, donate with me, Children of the Nets.
"Nutroots" Puppetmasters, Unite!

ChaCHING!

$19.00 for Ned Lamont.

Enablers ON NOTICE!

The people WILL have representation.
Even if we have to primary your
complicit *sses out in every state,
one by one.

[zulchzulu]

42. Loserman is a main reason why Bush and PNAC are in power

Why Gore selected him has confounded me for years. Lieberman was an AWFUL VP choice. His Holier-than-thou whiny schtick was at best corny and mostly an utter disaster for someone within a grasp of being President.

There was NO WAY the South was going to vote for a Jew that HAS to take Saturdays off. There was NO WAY that the Democratic base a little to the left that was tired of holding their nose and voting for Clinton was going to embrace Lieberman.

That was then.

After he lost, he became a Bush shill on many levels and the evidence is clear that he would rather side with a Repug than be a loyal Democrat when the votes and public perception counted.

As for the nauseating strategy that Loserman is somehow a victim in all this, I merely ask Loserman to seriously drop out while he has some dignity left.

But he won't. And he will try to drag the Democrats down with him out of spite. Mark these words because after he loses to Lamont, he will be the picture-perfect Poor Sport with a LOT of whine-festered arrogance on the side.

[LaPera]

43. HaHaHa! Keep trying....Sounds like Rove rhetoric...

:rofl:

But have no fear, I'm sure conservative Lieberman is owed & will have the full benefits of the republican owned Diebold electronic voting machines...Just like McKinney's opponent had.

[LiviaOlivia]

44. Great Taibbi piece on the Bullmoose

JANUARY 11, 2005
MATT TAIBBI
NEWS & COLUMNS
New York Press


What about a (Democratic Party) Chairman who hails from the reddest of red states, a former Republican, ex-union official who worked with devout Christians and is Jewish and has well-defined ties to the McCainiac-independent voter? And all of the candidates express their appreciation of the power of the Internet, why not a Chairman who resides there? The Moose—what's not to like!

The antlered one could certainly give the donkey a well-placed kick in the behind and transform him into a reform animal. And the Moose certainly knows the adversary since he was once privy to the counsels of the DeLays, Santorums, Norquists and Reeds.

The Moose shouldn't make a hasty decision. Perhaps he should embark upon a listening tour of the blogosphere and hear from the Mooseketeers.

—Marshall Wittmann



How about it, Mooseketeers? Marshall Wittmann, the former legislative director for the Christian Coalition and also a veteran talking head of such excellent organizations as the Heritage Foundation and the Hudson Institute (which hypes him as "one of the nation's most quoted analysts"), offers himself as a candidate for the chair of the Democratic Party. Wittmann, you see, is now an operative at the Democratic Leadership Council—he got the policy operative spot that opened up when Al From and Bruce Reed were tipped off that their initial choice, Mobutu Sese Seko, had been dead for years. So they brought in Wittmann, whose chief credentials were that he used to stand guard for Ralph Reed at church rest rooms whenever the latter ducked out of evening mass to jerk off to Ranger Rick centerfolds.

Wittmann calls himself the "Bull Moose," and his blog, bullmooseblog.com(old?), is one of two blogs funded and maintained by the Democratic Leadership Council. The other, as previously noted in this space, is the no-less-loathsome newdonkey.com, maintained by the noted corporate whore and windbag, Will Marshall.

A moose, and a donkey. The Democratic Leadership Council, it seems, is a place where soulless 50-year-old men can dress up in Garanimals and e-gloat about shooting our votes into space. It is really too bad the guillotine has gone out of style.

The above passage from Wittmann came from his Jan. 6 entry, and invited his "Mooseketeer" readers to respond to his little bit of self-promoting whimsy at this address: [e-mail]. I encourage readers of this column to send their own letters. I wrote one. Here it is:

~snip~

Read Taibbi very funny letter at:

http://www.newyorkpress.com/print.cfm?content_id=11929

[Spirochete]

45. The Bullmoose? Sheesh!

"Hey Rocky - watch me pull a Neocon talking point out of my ass!" "Again?" "Nuthin up my sleeve..."

[leesa]

46. No room in the tent for those who support an illegal and immoral war.

[Douglas Carpenter]

47. " Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut reproached fellow Democrats

for criticizing President Bush during a time of war."

"It's time for Democrats who distrust President Bush to acknowledge that he will be the commander in chief for three more critical years and that in matters of war we undermine presidential credibility at our nation's peril," Lieberman said."

link:

http://edition.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/12/08/democrats.iraq/?section=cnn_latest

and this interesting comment from Sen. Lieberman while in Baghdad

"Time magazine Baghdad bureau chief Michael Ware on Morning Sedition this morning:

I and some other journalists had lunch with Senator Joe Lieberman the other day and we listened to him talking about Iraq. Either Senator Lieberman is so divorced from reality that he's completely lost the plot or he knows he's spinning a line. Because one of my colleagues turned to me in the middle of this lunch and said he's not talking about any country I've ever been to and yet he was talking about Iraq, the very country where we were sitting."

link:

http://atrios.blogspot.com/2005_11_27_atrios_archive.html#113328407009752558

[SaveElmer]

52. Bull Moose is right and wrong...

Lieberman is hardly being swiftboated. He is being rightly criticized for his abandonment of the Democratic Party...

However, though I would not consider Joe Lieberman a flaming liberal, neither is he conservative. His voting record shows him to vote with the Democratic position more than 80% of the time. He has an excellent environmental record among other things...

[Dr Fate]

53. I can never understand a word this guy says...

...must be all those corporate/GOP cocks in his mouth.

[alvarezadams]

54. Gawd

The DLC is every bit as much the enemy as the GOP, only worse inasmuch as it is a 5th column.

[Alcibiades]

55. He's not a Connecticut Democrat

Connecticut can and should do better. Why should we have the equivalent of a Georgia Democrat in the Senate from what is today one of the most liberal of states? Especially when Lieberman spends most of this time flacking for failed Bush administration policies.