CT-Sen: Joe Lieberman a Centrist Debunked

The idea Joe Lieberman is a centrist seems to be the topic of the day around the internets. Kos says:

So is Lieberman a "centrist"? Well, in the DC formulation of the word, sure. He's well-entrenched in the DC establishment, he's a corporate lobbyist's wet dream, he cheerleads military adventures abroad without shouldering any of the hardship, and he's quick to abandon party loyalty (and principles) for an opportunity to earn kudos from George Bush and Sean Hannity.

Under any rational definition of "centrist", Lieberman wouldn't qualify.

But really, there is nothing rational about DC or it's media establishment.

Joementum looks at Joe Lieberman's record:

While we're on the subject of voting records lets take a look at some of Joe's highlights:

• Voted YES on limiting death penalty appeals. (Apr 1996)
• Voted NO on spending international development funds on drug control. (Jul 1996)
• Voted YES on prohibiting same-sex marriage. (Sep 1996)
• Voted NO on Balanced-budget constitutional amendment. (Mar 1997)
• Voted YES on school vouchers in DC. (Sep 1997)
• Voted YES on authorizing use of military force against Iraq. (Oct 2002)
• Voted YES on loosening restrictions on cell phone wiretapping. (Oct 2001)
• Voted NO on raising the minimum wage to $7.25 rather than $6.25. (Mar 2005)
• Voted YES on implementing CAFTA for Central America free-trade. (Jul 2005)

(source: issues2000.org)

From this we can fairly conclude that Joe: wants you dead, supports the international drug trade, is a homophobe who doesn't want a balanced budget, has given up on public schools, is a republican, doesn't value your privacy, thinks workers shouldn't be given a living wage and, thinks textile factories in America should go out of business.

Holding Lieberman accountable is far from tilting at windmills, as William Yardley points out in the New York Times:

Ned Lamont has already shown that his candidacy should be taken seriously. On May 19, a third of the delegates to the Democratic state convention voted to endorse him instead of Senator Joseph I. Lieberman. [...]

"Once you scratch and sniff, you realize he would be a very credible senator, and that makes him a very credible candidate," said George Jepsen, the immediate past chairman of the Democratic State Central Committee. "If he was a nut, Joe wouldn't have a problem. But he's intelligent. He's accomplished. There are no personal warts. He teaches in the Bridgeport public schools. How many people of his pedigree and background go do that?"

Mr. Jepsen, who supported Senator Lieberman in past races, has not taken a public position in the primary. He is among many Democrats, however, who predict that voters who are angry with Mr. Lieberman are likely to turn out in great numbers in the primary. The senator, he said, is "genuinely threatened on Aug. 8."

Lieberman must be worried, just check out his new ad. The movement of Reform Democrats against the DLC is for real, otherwise Lieberman wouldn't be changing his tune.