Why do so many of you Democrats dislike Joe Liebermann?

[The Vorlon]

There is something wrong with a party where Al Sharpton gets more votes for President than Joe Liebermann.

[The Vorlon]

I like Joe for much the same reason I like a lot of the other maverick senators.

There is too much group think in both parties.

All my favorite senators are open to new ideas even if they are not the official party position.

Here is a list of Senators even remotely open to new ideas.  (some more remotely than others) The rest are pretty much groupthink animals.

Alexander, Lamar - (R - TN)
Allen, George - (R - VA) 
Bayh, Evan - (D - IN)
Chafee, Lincoln - (D - RI)   
Coleman, Norm - (R - MN)
Collins, Susan - (R - ME) 
Conrad, Kent - (D - ND)   
Dayton, Mark - (D - MN)
DeMint, Jim - (R - SC)   
DeWine, Mike - (R - OH)     
Graham, Lindsey - (R - SC)   
Gregg, Judd - (R - NH) 
Hagel, Chuck - (R - NE) 
Hutchison, Kay - (R - TX) 
Johnson, Tim - (D - SD)   
Kyl, Jon - (R - AZ)
Lieberman, Joseph - (D - CT)   
Santorum, Rick - (R - PA) 
Shelby, Richard - (R - AL)   
Smith, Gordon - (R - OR)   
Snowe, Olympia - (D - ME) 
Sununu, John - (R - NH)   
Talent, James - (R - MO)
Thune, John - (R - SD)
Wyden, Ron - (D - OR) 

[The Vorlon]

I like Joe for much the same reason I like a lot of the other maverick senators.

There is too much group think in both parties.

All my favorite senators are open to new ideas even if they are not the official party position.

Here is a list of Senators even remotely open to new ideas.  (some more remotely than others) The rest are pretty much groupthink animals.

Alexander, Lamar - (R - TN)
Allen, George - (R - VA) 
Bayh, Evan - (D - IN)
Chafee, Lincoln - (D - RI)   
Coleman, Norm - (R - MN)
Collins, Susan - (R - ME) 
Conrad, Kent - (D - ND)   
Dayton, Mark - (D - MN)
DeMint, Jim - (R - SC)   
DeWine, Mike - (R - OH)     
Graham, Lindsey - (R - SC)   
Gregg, Judd - (R - NH) 
Hagel, Chuck - (R - NE) 
Hutchison, Kay - (R - TX) 
Johnson, Tim - (D - SD)   
Kyl, Jon - (R - AZ)
Lieberman, Joseph - (D - CT)   
Santorum, Rick - (R - PA) 
Shelby, Richard - (R - AL)   
Smith, Gordon - (R - OR)   
Snowe, Olympia - (D - ME) 
Sununu, John - (R - NH)   
Talent, James - (R - MO)
Thune, John - (R - SD)
Wyden, Ron - (D - OR) 

I see you've assigned the "correct" party lables to the senators you grudgingly respect, ex. Susan Collins (R-ME) vs Olympia Snowe (D-ME). It's even better that John McCain isn't on your list at all. 

Friendly suggestions: replace Hagel (McCain-NE) with Domenici (R-NM); Conrad with Ben Nelson (D-NE); Dayton with Salazar (D-CO), and your list will be perfect.

Salazar is very bright.  But he has no record yet of actually being a senator, but he and also Baraka O'Bama show great potential to bridge gaps and reach out.  Give those two a "not yet rated" stamp.  Campaign rhetoric is one thing, actual votes in the Senate is another.

Ben Nelson is also a good senator, he's actually a moderate Republican despite the party label, but a good and decent fellow.

Dominichi is a tad to dogmatic for my taste.

Hagels "ok" but yes he has a streak of McCain in him, unfortunately.

[The Vorlon]

What do ya think of Feingold, Vorlon?  Other than that you'll never vote for him   Off topic, but I'll go out ever so slightly on a limb and say he'll be a real dark horse in '08.

Feingold is a decent, hardworking, honorable man.

I think he is wrong on a vast number of economic and foreign affairs issues, mostly correct on a lot of social issues.

he is, however, rather set in his views and idealogy and a tad too dogmatic for me. => even on issues I actually agree with himon, I find him harsh and grating