Lieberman and the Democrats

Joseph Liebermann's leadership of a senatorial committee is going to be put to a secret vote by the Democrats in caucus. The National Review blog points up the irony of the Democrats taking a secret vote when they are pushing to remove secret voting for unions in the workplace, but that is not my focus here.

I am sure we will hear griping by Republicans and conservatives about how unfair and how unbecoming this is to a group of people pretending to promise bipartisanship; they can not be bipartisan even when it comes to a former Demo Vice Presidential candidate who supports nearly every Democratic position. Of course, Joseph Liberman did not support Barak, but instead John McCain and Joe Liberman dissents on many foreign policy issues. Yes, Joe Lieberman is independent, but we know to which party his loyalties belong.

However, anyone who knows how party politics works knows this vote is well warranted. Politics is a team sport and politicians or party officials who take the ball and go home are likely to be ostracized by their teammates.

I have been among the leadership of the local GOP. We had a prominent member (ex-chair) who endorsed and prominently supported a Democrat for Congress. No one on the executive committee was at all happy with that situation and we voted to keep him off the executive committee for one year. I voted for the measure.

So, I expect Joe Lieberman to be stripped of his committee leadership positions, I expect he will continue to caucus and support the Democrats (for the most part), I expect many on my side of the debate will condemn the move, and I expect to tell everyone how shocked I am.

Update.
Yes, I guessed wrong on this.