Breathing Life Into "Joementum"

I wonder how many of us realize the vital service that Bob Geiger is performing over at The Huffington Post for those who still hold out hope for the Democratic Party (and by the way, as Hendrik Hertzberg said, it is NEVER the “Democrat” Party).

According to Geiger based on his attempts to get an answer from our Democratic senators, these are the individuals who support Ned Lamont as the party’s candidate for the U.S. Senate from Connecticut.

Daniel Akaka (HI)
Evan Bayh (IN)
Joe Biden (DE)
Barbara Boxer (CA)
Robert Byrd (WV)
Maria Cantwell (WA)
Hillary Clinton (NY)
Mark Dayton (MN)
Christopher Dodd (CT)
Dick Durbin (IL)
Russ Feingold (WI)
Dianne Feinstein (CA)
Tom Harkin (IA)
Ted Kennedy (MA)
John Kerry (MA)
Herb Kohl (WI)
Frank Lautenberg (NJ)
Patrick Leahy (VT)
Bob Menendez (NJ)
Patty Murray (WA)
Barack Obama (IL)
Jack Reed (RI)
Harry Reid (NV)
Jay Rockefeller (WV)
Charles Schumer (NY)
Debbie Stabenow (MI)
Ron Wyden (OR)

These are the people who either are unaware of the importance of the Lamont vs. the usurper Joe Lieberman question or are still trying to modulate/triangulate/formulate an answer by huddling with their consultants because they seem to be incapable of thinking for themselves.

Max Baucus (MT)
Jeff Bingaman (NM)
Kent Conrad (ND)
Byron Dorgan (ND)
Tim Johnson (SD)
Carl Levin (MI)
Blanche Lincoln (AR)
Barbara Mikulski (MD)
Bill Nelson (FL)
Paul Sarbanes (MD)

I know Sarbanes is on his way out, but still...

And these are the individuals who seem to truly believe that the Senate is their own little club and the expressed wishes of the majority of the Democratic voters in the state of Connecticut are utterly irrelevant.

Tom Carper (DE)
Daniel Inouye (HI)
Mary Landrieu (LA)
Ben Nelson (NE)
Mark Pryor (AR)
Ken Salazar (CO)

I did some checking into these people to try and obtain some reason for their mystifying behavior.

I already posted on the fact that Carper is becoming as odious a Democrat as Lieberman turned out to be. As for Landrieu, it’s hard for me to dislike someone who said and did good things in the aftermath of Katrina (even going so far as threatening to punch Dubya), and her voting record isn’t too bad either. To say any sense of loyalty she has is misplaced is a huge understatement.

As for Mark Pryor, I seriously think there should be some high-level discussion concerning whether or not he should continue as vice chair of the DSCC based on his support for Lieberman. I must admit, though, that I can’t find much in his voting record to contest other than the fact that he voted for the Iraq War, but so did a lot of other Democrats. Ditto for Ken Salazar, though it would have been nice if he had bothered to support the filibuster of “Strip Search Sammy” Alito when it mattered (along with Pryor and Landrieu also).

This brings us to Ben Nelson; he supported CAFTA along with Mark Pryor and many of the Lieberman “undecideds” mentioned above. He also supported Alito; opposed preventive health care services that reduce unintended pregnancy (including teen pregnancy), reduce the number of abortions, and improve access to women's health care (here); and voted to allow drilling in the ANWR, among other low moments in his Senate career.

(Actually, if Carper is truly trying to replace Lieberman as the Number One Repug Senator Disguised As A Democratic Sheep, Ben Nelson is going to continue to give him a run for his money.)

Update 8/30: I'm sure there are a lot of good people in Nebraska, but after reading this post, I have to say that the place sounds like "The Twilight Zone" to me (the choices are Nelson and a Repug "Club For Growth" flunkie?).

The one name on this list that truly shocks me is Sen. Daniel Inouye of Hawaii. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not well-versed in the politics of that region, but how a man who lost a limb in battle (the first Japanese American to serve in the House and Senate, as noted by Sourcewatch – Inouye has more integrity in his hangnail than Lieberman would ever have in his entire person), how a man who served on both the Watergate and Iran-Contra investigating committees could support some political chigger like Lieberman is sad and baffling.

I tried to provide more background on the six individuals who are on the wrong side of this issue (who stand in direct opposition to a strong statement of dissent with the status quo issued by the voters of Connecticut) and obtain some clue as to their actions. I don’t think I’ve been as successful as I would like, but at least I hope I’ve shown that, to varying degrees, they’ve done good work in the past and may yet again in the future.

And concerning Lieberman, I sincerely hope they all find spines and come around to doing the right thing.

Update 8/29: Thank you, Senator Inouye (one down, five to go).