Mark Kennedy supports Lieberman, but what about Gutknecht ?

On May 8, 2006, I posted a comment in The Mankato Free Press Forum calling Congressman Mark Kennedy a Hypocrite. The reason was an email from the Congressman bemoaning the wasteful spending by Congress – but in it the complaint was based on a bill that Kennedy himself had voted in FOR !

Well, Kennedy the Hypocrite is at it again !

Mark Kennedy’s Press Release of Thursday, August 10th :
“There is so much at stake for our nation’s security, we must put politics aside. The arrests this morning in Great Britain make it clear that now, more than ever, this is an on-going battle and we need leaders in Washington who remain committed to doing what is right instead of what may be seen as politically advantageous. It’s in that spirit that I would like to offer my support for Sen. Joe Lieberman’s bid for the U.S. Senate from Connecticut. …”

Two points of hypocrisy in one press release.

First, issuing a press release that exploits the potential tragedy of enormous proportions for political publicity is disgusting.
Second, he’s supporting a Democrat that from his voting record indicates that there is very little in common.

In his May email, Kennedy stated :
“Many of our elected Republican’s have become too complacent, and the fervor of the “Republican Revolution” of 1994 needs to be rekindled. The reason for this complacency is that we have elected from our party, the status-quo candidates, who have been serving in government their entire careers.”
[Question : Could this last sentenace be a dig at Gil Gutknecht who at that time may have been considered a possible contender for endorsement ? ]

What the Democratic voters did in Connecticut is what Kennedy complained about … a 18 year Washington veteran lost touch with the voters and an alternative candidate was selected … someone outside of the status-quo.

What happened to the Ronald Reagan 11th Commandment - Thou shalt not speak ill of another Republican ? By Kennedy endorsing anyone other the Republican candidate, isn’t Kennedy being dishonest to his party? When John McCain was asked about this on This Week with George Stephanopoulos, McCain would not endorse Lieberman stating that he supported Republican candidates and implied that national figures should not interfere in Connecticut politics.

Lastly, look at some of the major issues. Using as a guide some national advocacy groups ratings, the Kennedy –v- Lieberman ratings are not even close.
NARAL ( Abortion ) Kennedy ( 0 ) Lieberman ( 75 )
Alliance for Retired Americans ( Social Security ) Kennedy ( 0 ) Lieberman ( 100 )
Disabled American Veterans ( Veterans ) Kennedy ( 75 ) Lieberman ( 20 )
FreedomWorks ( Taxes & Spending ) Kennedy ( 76 ) Lieberman ( 6 )

Many people associate Lieberman with his staunch support for the liberation of Iraq and steadfast insistence that troops need to stay in Iraq. Would Kennedy not support Gutknecht who has advocated reducing the number of troops in Iraq or Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel who on August 3 said “United States needs to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq within the next six months” ?

If Kennedy felt so strongly about Lieberman, why did he wait until after the Connecticut primary to endorse Lieberman?

I for one do not believe that Iraq will be the big issue that the Senate will deal with over the next term. Yes, Iraq is mega-important, but a majority of Democrats and Republicans Senators believe that America cannot pull out with leaving a vacuum for Iran and al Queda to fill. The big issue that Bush will push is Social Security reform … that is his legacy issue … a tectonic shift that alters who and how funding is applied will be the big vote in the 110th Congress … somehow I do you think that a RoveRobot Mark Kennedy and IndyDem Joe Lieberman will share the same vision?