My local newspaper reported today that Connecticut Independent Democrat Senator Joe Lieberman is raking in the money, despite not running for any office this year.
The three-term senator has infuriated scores of Democrats by backing President Bush’s war policy in Iraq and by regularly hitting the campaign trail alongside the presumptive Republican presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain of Arizona.
Moreover, Lieberman’s Reuniting Our Country PAC continues to reap contributions from out-of-staters who have been big donors to Republicans.
One of these donors is financier Lawrence DeGeorge and another is the runner and publisher of the conservative NewsMax Magazine and NewsMax.com. Also contributing is Pittsburg Tribune-Review owner Richard M. Scaife. Lieberman received $15,000 from the lot of them last quarter alone. They and other big donors have also contributed a lot of money to John McCain and the Republican institutions.
Based on all of this, sounds like Lieberman’s a Democrat in Name Only, doesn’t it? Not so fast, says the JI:
The Lieberman PAC that sent $15,000 to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in the first quarter, for example, contributed another $20,000 to Democratic candidate and party committees in the second.The latter included $5,000 contributions to the Connecticut Democratic State Central Committee and the Democratic Party of New Mexico, as well as to the re-election committees of Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Connecticut Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-3rd District.
Neither are exactly as hawkish as Lieberman, but neither are “bring them home tonight” Congresspeople. Here’s a recent article written by DeLauro and a speech by Levin before Congress questioned General Patraeus in April. Yet, Levin at least has also been critical of the surge and other parts of the war.
I think the more important donations are to the CT Democratic State Central Committee and Democratic Party of New Mexico. Lieberman has to know this money might not go to candidate that think like him on Iraq, but he did it anyway.
I think this goes to show that Lieberman is still a Democrat at heart; he’s just agrees with the Republicans more on a few issues.