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In reply to the discussion: WHY CAN'T PRESIDENT OBAMA GET ANYTHING DONE!!?1!! [View all]JoePhilly
(27,787 posts)Are you suggesting, Obama should have offered Lieberman SECDEF ... maybe SOS?
I can see it. Unless you think Lieberman wanted to be SEC of Agriculture. And of course, given when the ACA was being passed, Obama had people in these positions. So surely Obama just asks one of those currently in one of those top two positions to step down to make room for Lieberman. Obama puts one of the top three Iraq war cheerleaders in as SECDEF. Good plan. Other than the fact that this path doesn't work, it would have been fun to watch the freak out on DU when Obama announced SECDEF Lieberman.
The reality on Lieberman is that he was never voting for a PO (Paul Krugman just said the same thing about a week ago) and there is nothing you could offer him, or anything you could use to force him to vote yes. Did you know he recently took what will be a lifetime position at a conservative think thank? That's what he wanted. And in part, by voting no on this, he got it.
2) And as for Reid, you assume he'd want one of those positions ... and all indications are that he does not. You also ignore the fact that to take any such position, Reid would have to GIVE UP being the majority leader of the Senate. Which he seems to like.
Neither of those paths works. And screaming "Bully pulpit" isn't a plan.
Oh, and neither of the approaches you suggested applies any political force. Both are OFFERS of something. Offers that are easily rejected.
Where is the FORCEFUL option?
You'll have to try again.