Lieberman: Sure, I'd Filibuster A Health Care Reform Bill With A Public Option

What do you do to the person who already has zero percent chance of being re-elected? Well, say goodbye to that chairmanship I guess...looks like they should have taken that from him in January after all.

Impossible. Reid said Lieberman is with the dems on everything but the war.

I wonder if Obama and the Dems at large are regretting supporting him in his election? You know, since he's always giving them the finger.

Oh Joe, how we hate you. You must feed on the nation's contempt for you.

And once again, Lieberman declines to provide a substantive reason for his opposition.

Good job CT electorate.

It better be that Lieberman is just bargaining. If he really votes for a filibuster, he better be out on his ear before the day is done.

Amazing that his guy was within a few hundred Florida votes of being Vice President. Even more amazing that he could be President right now if there had been a successful Gore Administration.

"He's with us on everything but the war."

Famous last words.

Does this have anything to do with his wife being a lobbyist for the medical industrial complex?

Why hasn't the Democratic leadership stripped him of everything under the sun?

He's a liability to the party's intentions and goals now, and in Connecticut, because of this statement, he's now got officially zero chance of another successful re-election.

Joe Lieberman (I-CT) in all likelihood just announced the end of his Senate career. The whole thing is baffling.

He needs to attention-whore himself for a while now that President Snowe has been turned out of office, but my guess is that the right combination of carrots and sticks can be found. I doubt he really wants to be remembered as the deciding vote against cloture on this bill.

Thanks Connecticut voters for givign us this evil, rotten, snake in the grass!

"As written, congressional health care legislation would require the public option--whether administered by a government, or by an outside body--would be financed by premiums, and unable to draw on federal funds. "

Hilarious stuff, ole Joe doesn't let pesky reality to get in the way of his sounb bite. I'm glad you pressed him on his counterfactual notion that this is an entitlement and would cost to much on the debt. In fact it won't cost a dime. But this jackal's wife is a health care lobbyist, and he's bought and paid for by insurance cos in his state.

To think that Gore picked this assclown as VP, a freaking heart beat away, sends chills down the spine.

What a schlub!

LOSERman is still bitter and jilted about 2006. His main purpose in the senate is to aggravate democratic constituents. He is a sad, bitter man who's time is up. All Dem's need are 50 + 1 votes---period. I can't believe that a$$ actually called himself a democrat at one time...WOW!

2012 cannot come soon enough.

I think Joe is more concerned with Israel than the United States. He has no problem sacrificing our soldiers to protect what he sees as Israeli interests. Lieberman is a way-over-the-top hardliner who will do whatever he can to prevent Obama from negotiating a fair settlement for the Palestinians. He'll go along with the Dems only if he gets something for Netanyahu.

If beauty is truth, then Joe's picture says it all.

"I think a lot of people may think that the public option is free. It's not. It's going to cost the taxpayers and people who have health insurance now, and if it doesn't it's going to add terribly to the national debt..."

Could somebody please explain to me how a public option that would require the payment of premiums is going to add to the public debt?

Providing health insurance to the needy will, but that's true whether a public options exists or not. Of course, if we used Medicare vs. Medicare Advantage as a gauge, the public option is the cheaper way to go.

Does Lieberman have a point, or is he just lying at the behest of the insurance companies?

Strip his ass of Homeland Security chair, strip him of all committee assignments and deny him any and every perk imaginable.

If Harry Reid does not strip him of his chairmanship, it is time to dump Harry Reid!

This is Nuts! Lieberman's simply Nuts! He needs to resignand just go away! Nuts to Lieberman! Lots of em!

Don't blame me, I voted for Lamont. Hope all you wingnut Lieberman-lovers are happy. I can't wait til 2012 so I can vote against this pompous, preening, miserable little man.

i had already lost all respect for Lieberman...
Everytime I think it can't get any lower,
oops there it goes
plummeting down , down, down,
Joe is solidly in' less respect then zero' territory.
i'll stop now before i resort to namecalling.

Lieberman is a nasty little weasel....he wants something.

Connecticut is the hub for the insurance industry. Lieberman has no chance for reelection in 2012. He's a loser, a traitor, and a pawn for industry. BOOOO!!

Let Leiberman join with the Republicans and threaten a filibuster - Dare the Republicans to do it... They have neither the nerve nor the inclination to face upcoming elections without any reform to the Health Insurance Industry... It would be political suicide for the Republicans... No Republican Leader in the Senate has voiced any actual support for a filibuster...

The "Phantom Filibuster" is a joke anyway, and the filibuster needs to be eliminated from the Senate rules regardless...

Why are Democrats so afraid of this ancient, and rarely used dinosaur - THE FILIBUSTER??? Let the Republicans do it and show the American public what they are really interested in... CALL THEIR BLUFF - because that it what it is!!!

I post the following article for review:

DAVID E. RePASS

Published: March 1, 2009
PRESIDENT OBAMA has decided to spend his political capital now, pushing through an ambitious agenda of health care, education and energy reform. If the Democrats in the Senate want to help him accomplish his goals, they should work to eliminate one of the greatest threats facing effective governance — the phantom filibuster.

Most Americans think of the filibuster (if they think of it at all) through the lens of “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” — a minority in the Senate deeply disagrees with a measure, takes to the floor and argues passionately round the clock to prevent it from passing. These filibusters are relatively rare because they take so much time and effort.

To reduce deadlock, in 1917 the Senate passed Rule 22, which made it possible for a super majority — two-thirds of the chamber — to end a filibuster by voting for cloture. The two-thirds majority was later changed to three-fifths, or 60 of the current 100 senators.

In recent years, however, the Senate has become so averse to the filibuster that if fewer than 60 senators support a controversial measure, it usually won’t come up for discussion at all. The mere threat of a filibuster has become a filibuster, a phantom filibuster. Instead of needing a sufficient number of dedicated senators to hold the floor for many days and nights, all it takes to block movement on a bill is for 41 senators to raise their little fingers in opposition.

Historically, the filibuster was justified as a last-ditch defense of minority rights. Under this principle, an intense opposition should be able to protect itself from the tyranny of the majority. But today, the minority does not have to be intense at all. Its members have only to disagree with a measure to kill it. Essentially, the minority has veto power.

The phantom filibuster is clearly unconstitutional. The founders required a super majority in only five situations:
1)veto overrides...
2)votes on treaties,
3)constitutional amendments,
4)convictions of impeached officials and
5)expulsions of members of the House or Senate.

The Constitution certainly does not call for a super majority before debate on any controversial measure can begin.

And fixing the problem would not require any change in Senate rules. The phantom filibuster could be done away with overnight by the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid. All he needs to do is call the minority’s bluff by bringing a challenged measure to the floor and letting the debate begin.

Some argue that this procedure would mire the Senate in one filibuster after another. But avoiding delay by not bringing measures to the floor makes no sense. For fear of not getting much done, almost nothing is done at all. And what does get done is so compromised and toothless to make it filibuster-proof that it fails to solve problems.

Better to risk a filibuster — an event that, because of the great effort involved, would actually be rare — than to save time and accomplish little or nothing.

It also happens to make a great deal of political sense for the Democrats to force the Republicans to take the Senate floor and show voters that they oppose Mr. Obama’s initiatives. If the Republicans want to publicly block a popular president who is trying to resolve major problems, let them do it. And if the Republicans feel that the basic principles they believe in are worth standing up for, let them exercise their minority rights with an actual filibuster.

It is up to Mr. Reid, as Senate Majority Leader... He can do away with the super majority requirement for virtually all significant measures and return majority rule to the Senate....

...With the daunting prospect of having to mount a REAL (emphasis added) filibuster to demonstrate their opposition, Republicans may become much more willing to compromise...

All I can say to your Party is : GROW A SPINE AND STAND-UP FOR SOMETHING or do you fold to the wishes of a sole Senator and pass a BAD BILL ???

And on the way, strip Lieberman of his chair just for good measure...

It is amazing that the Democratic Caucus let this man keep his Chair after what he did during the Presidential Election, and then he has the audacity and unmitigated gall to object to a procedural issue...

I don't often agree with Senator Lieberman's positions, but he is most refreshing in his willingness to stand by his conscience and his independence.

The Senate would be a much more productive place if more held their views with the honesty and integrity of Lieberman.

What a pitiful scumbag.

Last thought: TPM is wrong about this.

Over the past few weeks I've noticed a lot of stories that are really just speculation -- something TPM didn't seem to get into. Is TPM trying to copy the Huffington Post playbook? I hope not.

Josh, better check this one out. Is Brian Beutler "going to press" with too many stories built around one quote? I don't know, but something doesn't seem right -- call it "editor's instincts".

Just spoke to an aide in Lieberman's office- he said the news outlets are incorrect and that Lieberman will vote for cloture with the rest of the Dems.

So then Politico is lying, if we believe Lieberman's office

Lanny Davis call your office please.

Just a complete disgrace both him and Lieberman.

The Democrats continue to appease guys like Joe and so called moderate republicans so that they may get a vote here or there. It doesn't work. The old boys network should have backed out of the way and let the party go all out to defeat Joe in November. He's more worried about his image on FOX than anything else. I think Obama and Rahm are more conservative not because they want to build a 'consensus,' but because they are just really more centrist than any of us are willing to accept. Serious progressives need to start thinking about how we can build a 3rd party that means something. It may take a few elections but I really believe it's the only way we'll ever get the money out of politics and have true reform in finance and healthcare. Yeah I voted for Obama because I was led by my heart and I was so upset from the last 8 years. I bought into the 'hope and change' message and that he would bring us transparency, true healthcare reform and reform lobbyist practices in Washington not to mention coming down on torture, and closing Gitmo. When single payer reps were told to get lost and were not even allowed to participate in healthcare discussions at the white house or congress it made me sick and of course so did the appointment of Geithner and Summers.

Time to wake up America! The new Emperor has no clothes. Deal with it and start thinking how we can apply the same great energy for Obama and transfer it to candidates who will really deliver even if its a 3rd party and our new mantra should be 'Won't get fooled again!'

IT'S TIME!!! Kick his butt so far out of the caucus he doesn't know where he has landed. It was a mistake in January to leave any power in his lap and his time is up now.

If this guy has the balls to be in the Democratic Caucus, and STILL Filibuster the PO and HCR, I say, go right ahead.

The shit storm that would be laid on his head as a result would make him wish he was never born. If not by the Democratic Leadership per se, then definitely by the activist base of the Party. The attack ads would NEVER stop.

Hell, ANY Senator that puts themselves there, is going to get the same. Their careers as Democrats would definitely be over.

Not worried.

joe Lieberman will rather vote for a useless war in iraq that is costing us a trillion dollars and countless lives than a healthcare reform bill that costs 900bill max over 10 years and saves lives?

a**h*le

What can you say? Lieberman is a walking, talking scrotumhead.

CT, you should all be very very ashamed of yourselves.

This is an emotional issue for many Americans. This so-called “public option” in Government run health care presents serious challenges for us. As Consumers we should be able to compare the cost and quality of health care services. How much is a specific surgery at one hospital, as compared with another? http://www.friendsoftheuschamber.com/media/

It's been recently found that only around 2% of the currently uninsured in this country would actually be covered by a so-called public option. When it came to spending billions on the war in Iraq, Joe Lieberman voted in favor of it. However, when it comes to spending billions of dollars for health care, he has decided that the nation cannot afford it. How's that for a misguided case of values? Sen. Lieberman enjoys the best health care that our nation can provide, since he is a member of a private club - a.k.a. the U.S. Senate. If he's willing to give up his own health insurance, then he can go ahead and filibuster the health care reform bill just passed by the House and headed for the Senate.