NBTC Censures Senator Lieberman

NEW BRITAIN -The city's Democratic Town Committee approved a "resolution of no confidence" in Senator Joe Lieberman at its December meeting. The move came at the December 11th meeting held at City Hall.

The 12-point resolution, adapted from a more detailed censure resolution adopted by the Glastonbury Democratic Town Committee, won unanimous support at the New Britain meeting. It took issue with Lieberman's role in the 2008 campaign, including a speech at the Republican National Convention and months of campaigning on behalf of GOP nominee John McCain outside of Connecticut. The statement went on to oppose Lieberman's position on a range of issues including:

- Missed votes on increased funding for Homeland Security despite public statements supporting additional resources. "His absence in a debate on legislation to potentially increase security funding to Connecticut's cities meant the difference between the bill passing and losing." said one clause of the resolution;

- The vote to confirm Alberto Gonzales as Attorney General (the only Democratic senator from New England to do so) "in spite of Gonzales' support of torture, rendition and eavesdropping on US citizens";

- Support for the Military Commissions Act of 2006 that denies prisoners the right to habeas corpus, sanctions torture and protects members of the administration from prosecution for war crimes;

- The only Democrat to support the president's idea of private accounts. "Once it was clear that the issue had no traction, Joe Lieberman joined Democrats in opposing the President's plan," according to the resolution;

- Support for NAFTA and CAFTA --the free trade agreements approved without a process to negotiate worker rights, human rights and environmental safeguards;

- Unwavering support of the Iraq war, the greatest contributing factor to the growth in the national debt.

Democratic Town Chair John McNamara said Lieberman's expected pro-Democratic votes in the next Congress will be welcome. And he acknowledged Lieberman's recent statements that he would be in lockstep with the Obama administration on a new economic stimulus package after Lieberman retained the chairmanship of Homeland Security from the Democratic Senate caucus.

"The point of these censures and no-confidence votes, however, should be to send a message to Joe that we are looking for a new senator in 2012," said McNamara. "Going back on your commitments while hiding behind the cloak of 'bipartisanship' or, worse, opposing the nominee of your own party, give politics and politicians a bad name. Senator Lieberman has repeatedly turned his back on Democrats who made it possible for him to serve in the U.S. Senate in the first place."

The no confidence vote from New Britain Democrats did not come as a surprise. In 2006, the New Britain Town committee sent 24 of 31 delegates to the Democratic State Convention in support of candidate Ned Lamont over Lieberman, the largest block of votes opposing Lieberman's re-nomination for U.S. Senate.

The New Britain Committee will be sending its resolution on to state party leaders and to Senator Lieberman to express its concerns on his voting record and role in the 2008 campaign.