Democratic Senators to vote on Lieberman's fate

[Ogre Mage]

According to Talking Points Memo, the full Democratic caucus will vote on whether Joe Lieberman is allowed to keep his chairmanship of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.  Keep in mind this strictly is a vote on whether to allow him to keep his committee chairmanship, not a vote to expel him from the caucus.

http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/11/its_official_full_dem_caucus_w.php

For those who are represented by Democratic Senators, how do you think your senators will vote?

My guess is that Patty Murray will vote to take away Lieberman's chairmanship.  She is in the Senate Leadership and I have seen indications that the rest of the leadership (Reid, Durbin, Schumer) are in favor of removing Lieberman from the post.  I can't see any reason why she would not join them, especially as there are rumors that she could benefit if Lieberman is removed:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008360377_webmurray06m.html

Maria Cantwell I am less certain about.  As far as I know she isn't close to Lieberman but she doesn't have a personal grudge against him either.  She did endorse Ned Lamont after he defeated Lieberman in the 2006 Democratic Primary.  My guess is that she will decide at the last minute after carefully calculating what is the best move for herself politically.

[Ogre Mage]

Interesting update on this -- apparently Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders and Joe Lieberman will not participate in the vote.

But the 6 newly elected Democratic Senators will:  the two Udalls, Warner, Shaheen, Hagan and Merkley.

So far as I can tell, Obama has not tipped his hand on this.  His spokesperson said that he is fine with Lieberman staying in the caucus, but as for the chairmanship, the incoming Administration is not taking a position.

[Ogre Mage]

I don't understand what leverage Lieberman has or thinks he has.  He is no longer needed for the majority and the Republicans cannot offer him a chairmanship in exchange for defecting.  If the Democrats strip him of the Homeland Security and Government Oversight chairmanship and give him a lesser one, how is he going to get a better deal if he walks?  It looks like a bluff and a pretty poor one at that.

At this point, Lieberman appears completely untrustworthy.  The Government Reform committee is to some degree the Internal Affairs of the Federal Government, it is an important chairmanship for one who has proven so untrustworthy.  Lieberman abused the power position he enjoyed when he controlled the balance of power in the 51-49 Congress.  But now things have changed.

For some of the right-wingers here defending Lieberman, I wonder what you would have done if Chuck Hagel had not retired.  He was quite critical of McCain during the campaign, although at least he did not speak at the DNC.  Would you have welcomed him back into the caucus with all his committee chairmanships intact had he won reelection?

[Ogre Mage]

I like Lieberman so I personally disagree with kicking him out. It also seems like a very dumb move strategically from Obama's perspective.

We need to distinguish between "kicking him out of the caucus," which everyone agrees is needless and no senator supports or is voting on, and not rewarding him with the chairmanship of the committee that conducts oversight of the executive branch.

Yes.  If Lieberman were chairman of, say, the Agriculture Committee or the Banking & Housing Committee I would shrug my shoulders and move on.  But him running the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee is courting disaster.  I would feel the same if he were in charge of the Judiciary Committee.

[Ogre Mage]

I know someone else who voted against Lieberman but I can't say

Tell us the state this person is from

If I did, it would give it away totally and I could get in trouble.  But it's not someone juicy or anything like Blanche Lincoln would be.

Did Lieberman get to vote for himself?

No.  He was excluded from voting.