The Windsor Democratic Town Committee voiced their displeasure last week with US Senator Joseph I. Lieberman and his decision to back Republican Senator John McCain during the recent presidential contest.
The voice vote to support the Democratic State Central Committee’s pending resolution to censure Lieberman at its Dec. 17 meeting was not unanimous, Windsor’s Democratic Town Chairman Leo Canty said in an emailed statement. However, a majority of the town committee members in the room supported it, he said.
“Most of the town committee felt we needed to say something officially to Joe Lieberman and make it clear we did not support or appreciate his words and actions,” said Canty. While Joe Lieberman was elected as an independent candidate he still caucuses with the Democrats in the Senate and is a registered Democrat as a voter.
The town committee understood that his status is quite fuzzy when it comes to what Lieberman really is, but they still felt compelled to lodge the censure since whatever political capitol he has left still came from his association with the Democratic Party.
“He was wrong in what he did and censure may not be a big price to pay but our voice needed to be heard,” said Canty. “There will surely be another vote on Joe Lieberman if he runs in 2012 and since candidates run on their records we wanted this to be included in the miserable record of performance Joe is amassing in this state.”
Senate Democrats in Washington DC voted to allow Lieberman to keep his chairmanship on the Homeland Security Committee and a few weeks ago while home in Connecticut on Thanksgiving break, Lieberman didn’t seem concerned with the pending state Central Committee resolution.
“That’s up to them, the members of the Democratic State Central Committee,” Lieberman said on Nov. 25. “They have a right to do whatever they want to do.”
He said he has some longtime friends on the Democratic State Central Committee, and that he understands that they were disappointed, and in some cases angered, by his support of McCain.
“Frankly I have some people on the Democratic State Central Committee who have never been great supporters of mine,” he said. However, he does regret the difficulties the situation has created for Democratic Party Chairwoman Nancy DiNardo, who is a longtime family friend.
“In some sense, I really regret the difficulties my personal independence politically has put Nancy DiNardo through, and I will do anything I can to help her and the Democratic Party of Connecticut as I always have,” he said. “I would ask them to judge me by my record.”
Below is the resolution Windsor’s Democratic Town Committee passed Thursday, Dec. 4
RESOLUTION REGARDING CENSURE OF SENATOR JOE LIEBERMAN
Resolved: That the Windsor, Connecticut Democratic Town Committee hereby censures Senator Joseph Lieberman for his lack of loyalty as a Democrat, as shown by numerous and repeated acts:
-Publicly and actively campaigning for John McCain and Sarah Palin, thereby undermining the efforts and campaigns of Democrats across the country;
-Undermining the core values and principles of the Democratic party;
-Vituperative comments directed against Barak Obama;
-And the absence of evidence of knowledge of why these actions were justifiable, caused offense and damage and lack of any real apology;
And whereas: These actions exhibit extraordinary disloyalty to the countless Democratic citizens and officials without whose hard work and support his career would not have been possible;
And whereas: These actions cannot be reconciled with the best interests or success of the Democratic party or with the greater good of the people of America;
We hereby express our strong displeasure with the repeated words and actions of Senator Lieberman.
Be it further resolved; That we urge the Connecticut State Central Committee, other Democratic Town Committees and Senator Dodd be made aware of this resolution, with a request that the other town committees and State Central either join in or issue similar resolutions and work to prevent further damage by Senator Lieberman to Democratic values and goals in the future.
