Meet, again, Joe Lieberman. The 2000 Vice Presidential candidate is now the most powerful man in America. If Lieberman says no on ObamaCare and sides with the Republicans on this issue, guess what? No health care bill. Forget Olympia Snowe, it is now the Joe Show.
Lieberman key to ObamaCare hopes in Senate.
With Nancy Pelosi’s Saturday night vote on a bill that is perhaps the largest piece of legislation in U.S. history, health care now moves to the Senate. The stalled Senate bill will take center stage now. Harry Reid will be pressured to get to a final vote shortly, before the American people learn what HR3962 is really all about. Sure, it provides some health care, but boy does it give the Federal government, and by extension Democrats, a bucketload of new power over the American people.
Lieberman’s role as a true moderate Democrat (he is actually an Independent that caucuses with the Democrats) has put him in the odd position of being the final vote President Obama will need to wrangle to overcome a potential filibuster. Lieberman has been cautious over supporting measures that intrude too far into the lives of ordinary Americans. H.R. 3962, and its Senate counterpart, will do just that.
Many with a progressive bent are already calling for the metaphorical head of Mr. Lieberman. They may want to re-think that position as Mr. Joe now holds all the cards. “Good luck with that”, as they say, as Lieberman almost never backs down from his principals. The left already “primaried” Lieberman and got whacked.
What would satisfy Lieberman enough to vote for ObamaCare? At present he ain’t talking, but I doubt it will be a $5 million earmark to rename highway I95 in Connecticut “Joe Lieberman Freeway.” Too bad for the Democrats it isn’t Robert Byrd!
Stand fast Joe, things are about to get ugly for you.
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John Romano is the publisher and editor of Yes, But However!, a musician, a former political correspondent for BBC Radio London, and a serial web entrepreneur. Follow him on twitter: twitter.com/yesbuthowever or John Romano on Google+John Romano article archive.
