Gore defends Lieberman as ‘right on many of the issues’

By David Edwards and Muriel Kane
Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 -- 9:43 am
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liebermanprayerhands Gore defends Lieberman as right on many of the issuesIn a teaser Tuesday for her upcoming interview with former Vice President Al Gore, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow revealed that she had asked Gore about his 2000 running-mate, Sen. Joe Lieberman, who has been threatening to break with the Democratic caucus and filibuster any health care reform bill which includes a public option,

"Do you have any continuing relationship with him?" Maddow wanted to know. "Do you regret the sort of turbo-boost you gave to his career ... given how he has changed in his politics?"

"We're still friends," Gore replied, "and he was right and forceful on many of the issues that I felt were central, including global warming."

"I disagree with him on a lot of the issues that have become more prominent since then," Gore went on, "but I would urge people to wait until the denouement of this health care debate to see where it falls out. Because I do believe that Harry Reid is going to be successful in passing it fairly soon."

Despite Gore's optimism, Sen. Reid has not yet brought a final Senate version of health care reform to the floor, and ABC news reported on Tuesday that senior Congressional Democrats say "it is highly unlikely that a health care reform bill will be completed this year."

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Reid himself told ABC, "We are not going to be bound by any timetables. ... We are going to do this as quickly as we can."

A Wednesday article (sub. req.) at Roll Call, titled "Lieberman Holds the Power," suggests that Lieberman "is unlikely to face retribution" over his filibuster threat because Reid "needs his vote" on other issues.

Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE) told Roll Call that he recently spoke to Reid “about Sen. Lieberman’s role in all of this. Part of it was respect for [Lieberman’s] views. And the fact that he’s willing to vote to bring to the floor for debate and amendment legislation that he does not fully agree with, I think, is very constructive.”

Carper stated that although Lieberman is unwilling to support any form of public option, even one with an opt-out for states or a trigger, he might accept "a plan that could be adopted in ... many of the states in a way that is not government-controlled."

This appears to be a reference to health care cooperatives, an alternative that was proposed last summer by Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) as "a public-interest alternative, but consumer-controlled and not government-run." Critics of Conrad's proposal pointed out that small, local cooperatives would be unlikely to have sufficient bargaining power to contain costs or provide a viable option to private health insurance, and his idea failed to gain traction.

This video is from MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show, broadcast Nov. 3, 2009.



Download video via RawReplay.com

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Story comments are below...
  • notkeith
    WTF? Does Gore still, after all this time, after all the treachery, STILL have to defend his old VP candidate buddy? The dems would be far better if this shadow republican were thrown out of the democratic caucus - then, and ONLY then, will they be confronted with the fact that they have to work for the votes. At this point, they're living in a fantasy. They think they have this stoopid magical "60" number, when in reality they have fucks like Lieberman, and a bunch of DINOs. And the DINOs are beholden to either (1) FOX nooze viewers or (2) some behemoth corporation(s) that give them campaign donations like so much morphine drip.
    We are not a democracy, we're a corporate-owned fascist state, by definition. And Gore ain't helping.
  • Satan
    Americans have only themselves to blame for how they vote.
  • amadmatta
    Exactly the problem...he is RIGHT on the issues...we might as well boot him over to the rethugs!
  • Prattvictory
    Just like Gore was right on NAFTA. Not.

    Gore jumps on the global warming issue and now he's Jesus? Where was he fighting against the Supreme Court's seizure of the election? Gore and Lieberman are of a group of opportunists that go by the initials DLC.
  • donofcali
    Gore defending herr Lieberman is a great example of why Gore is a loser. Gore is a typical wimp dem; afraid of all things not tame and politically correct. He is the diametric opposite of Grayson.

    Just shut up, go back and climb under your rock Gore, we need ferocity not fear.
  • lorn
    Back in the day I saw the movie, bought the T shirt and lectured my right wing friends about global warming evil oil companies and all things Republican.

    Back then I also thought the Clintons were good people. Once you wake up to certain brutal truths about America (things like 9 11, our nuking of Japan, CIA drug running, Federal Reserve issues) you start to question everything.....or you should. Questioning people or ideas you supported for years is not easy, especially if you find answers that prove you followed the wrong person or idea.
    Take a second look at gw and Al Gore.
    In the 90's there were movements to save South American rain forest, US old growth forests, rivers, lakes and national parks. There were local movements all over the world doing good. The facts of the Gore doctrine are that funding, media attention and peoples participation in active regional environmental causes have suffered. Gore and his rich friends blow hot air and work hard for a world wide carbon tax that will allow big companies to pollute more (up with fascism!) and will hurt medium companies and cripple some people and private business.
    Gore is all for toxic GM food and insane policies that allow South American rain forests to be cut down and replaced with banana crops while still being classified as rainforest.
    The issues are far to great and complex to cover here, so open your eyes, suspend your loyalty to anything but the truth and google away. You will end up disappointed, but smarter.
    Peace.
  • jimbo92107
    I hated Al Gore after he refused to call for massive protests to defend his presidential victory in Florida. I still detest the man, but I admire his persistence in pursuing action to reduce CO2 emissions. CO2, apart from being an atmospheric insulator, also is just one of several chemical pollutants we are massively pumping into the air we breathe.

    Global warming isn't the only threat from air pollution, but deniers are using the pseudo-scientific propaganda catapulted by Big Oil's highly paid shills to obscure the real issue: Pollution. Our use of megatons of petroleum has resulted in a lot more than global warming. It has also produced megatons of toxic, acidifying oxides of nitrogen and sulfur. It has produced megatons of plastic waste. It has produced megatons of toxic chemicals that are poisoning our children and the environment they live in.

    Why is nature getting so sick? Pollution. What's the worst kind of pollution? Petroleum pollution. Global warming may be the biggest, most all-encompassing long-term threat, but there are plenty of others to choose from. Unfortunately, the "debate" over climate change has seized the stage from other, perhaps even more urgent problems caused by our insane experiment to see what happens when we saturate our environment with petroleum byproducts.

    If there is one hopeful note, it is that Al Gore's efforts to slow down this suicidal use of petroleum may have positive effects in many areas. In that respect, as usual, Al Gore is right.
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