Lieberman never intended to quit the Democratic Party, he just ran as an independent because he lost the primary to another Democrat. Since he’s going to keep on functioning as a Democrat in all but name anyway, why not just rejoin the party?
Last night on MSNBC one of the talking heads mentioned that Lieberman had been told (by the Democratic leadership) he’d regain his senate senority if he won.
After they pissed on him because of his Iraq war stance, he should tell them to shove it, but I have a feeling that won’t happen.
The OP is asking a good question. Can he put the -D back after his name, or is he stuck with the -I until the next election? I asked that in a few Lieberman threads in GD, but I don’t think I ever got an answer.
There’s nothing that I’m aware of that prevents members of Congress from changing parties any time they want. Ben Nighthorse Campbell is one I remember switching sides several years back, and whats-is-name, Jeffers, went independent and gave the Senate to the Dems for a couple of years.
My question is, is there anything stopping the Republicans, should Lieberman jump ship, from giving him seniority perks as if he’d been an R all along? If so, then his “I’m doing it for the seniority” business strikes me as pretty hollow.
He’d be punished back home if he’s seen as switching to the GOP. Had he actually run as a Pubbie, I’m sure he’d’ve lost. So, unless she wants to commit poltical sepuku, he needs to stick with the Dems.
I was thinking more in terms of Senate rules or precedents. I seem to remember the Pubbies offering a number of Senators some pretty sweet deals if they’d defect, some time around Clinton’s second election.
And when did the Democratic leadership “piss on” Joe? They supported him quite vocally (and financially) in the primary. Once he lost the primary, they were obliged to support the Democratic nominee, as it should be.
I don’t know what happened to Wayne Morse’s seniority. He was elected as a Republican from Oregon (there weren’t any Dems in Oregon in 1950), switched to Independent two years later and two years after that became a Democrat. In the last two years of his first term he built a fomidable Democratis machine and was easliy reelected.
I’m with Otto– I’m wondering how long before Lieberman drops that I after his name and goes back to D. The change in affiliation wasn’t due to an ideological dispute with the party itself (the way Jim Jeffords changed from R to I), merely an artifact resulting incidentally from a primary election and of no significance in itself.
Once a democrat always a democrat. The Dems are pretty pissed he pulled that stunt.
Not “Jeffers.” Jim Jeffords of Vermont, who’ll be retiring at the end of this session of Congress.
Only because they feared it would get a Republican elected. Once it was clear the Lieberman would win as an Independent, they got over it.