Joe Lieberman Bows Before Special Interests on Healthcare Reform

If there are descending circles of hell, then there must be descending circles of infamous behavior in politics.

In Washington, bowing before a special interest is bad, but almost all elected officials, from time to time, have to do it. Ditto with partisan or ideological myopia. Or carting pork home to hungry constituents.

So who qualifies for the lower circles of hell?

How about a politician who abandons interests, party, and constituents, and screws things up for the rest of us just to stroke his ego? How about Joe Lieberman?

If Politico and TPM are correct, the senator from Connecticut, who for many years professed to be a Democrat who believed in liberal causes like universal healthcare, is now threatening to join a Republican filibuster to kill the Democratic healthcare bill.

And the reason being given is that Lieberman wants to kill a provision—that he himself has proposed for years and endorsed as recently as three months ago!

The best that can be said, I guess, is that Lieberman is acting on behalf of the big insurance companies that are headquartered in Connecticut.

If so, maybe he is just a liar, for having told us all these years that allowing needy folks to buy into Medicare is a good idea.

The alternative option is that the senator is throwing a hissy fit—that this is an act of mendacity and self-aggrandizement.

How ugly. American families may remain one serious illness away from losing their homes, or savings, or the chance to send their kids to college because a politician needs to oil his ego.

Anyone want to tell me I'm wrong?

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