Word: democratizers
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Lieberman, who was Al Gore's running mate in 2000, is technically not a Democrat anymore. He left the party in 2006 after losing a primary to challenger Ned Lamont but continued to caucus with the party after winning in the general election as an independent. But he has gone rogue before, straining his relations with the Democrats, most notably when he endorsed Republican John McCain for President and vociferously campaigned for him - often sharply criticizing Barack Obama. Soon after, his Senate Democratic colleagues voted on whether to allow him to stay in their caucus. With the support of Obama...
Reid in fact is actively trying to tamp down those rumors, telling outside groups to lay off Lieberman, according to Reid's senior adviser Jim Manley. Reid "has never been a big fan of Democrat-on-Democrat violence like that," Manley says. "He believes in trying to work within the process to get the votes." Reid, who spoke to Lieberman by phone on Nov. 10, says he's "confident that we'll work something out," and many observers are betting that Lieberman is merely bluffing...
...raise the same issue with Lieberman's Democratic colleagues in the Senate, and they look uncomfortable. "He's a Senator, he's got a right to his opinions," says Arlen Specter, a Pennsylvania Democrat (as of April, when he switched from the Republican Party). "We'll work it out." "There's a long ways to go" before considering punitive measures, says Patty Murray of Washington. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, who also voted in January to expel Lieberman, is similarly cautious: "Let's see what happens. Nobody should be filibustering health care - either vote it up or vote it down." Says...
Lieberman is by no means the only Democrat who is not happy with the public option, though he may be the only one who comes from a relatively liberal state. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, for example, all have strong reservations about a government-run alternative to private insurers. But Lieberman is the only one who has stated flat-out that he would join a GOP filibuster of the bill to prevent it from getting an up-or-down vote. And unlike his other moderate Democratic colleagues, he has claimed...
Furthermore, while this amendment was politically imperative in the House, it could prove to be a Pyrrhic victory for Democrats and proponents of health insurance reform should the resurrection of the abortion question scuttle reform efforts in the Senate. Prior to Stupak, the controversy surrounding a potential public health insurance option was the primary cause for concern for moderate Democrats in both chambers of Congress. Now, however, abortion has also been added to the list of potential reasons for moderates to vote against the legislation, complicating reform’s chances of passing in the Senate.Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska...