Memo to Politicians: Seats Are Not Yours But "Owned" By the People

OK, I'm getting ticked. No, I mean more ticked than usual.

David Sirota reports that Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO) has given the finger to voters by saying that if fellow senator Joe Lieberman (questionable D-CT) does NOT win August's Dem primary), Salazar will actively support Lieberman anyway. While Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) have indicated they may do the same, only Salazar has come out and said, "Screw what the voters want."

It's not like Salazar and Lieberman have been long, long time colleagues. Lieberman's had 24 years in office (and some might say HIGH time for a change, especially given Lieberman's fondness for kissing Bush's royal tushie) but Salazar is a freshman in his first term. On that score, Dodd and Schumer have more right, I suppose, to consider Joe-mentum their guy.

But the thing is that these elected posts DO NOT belong to the candidate or to a party. While today's government sure doesn't act like it, these posts are held in trust as representatives of the American people as voted on by those who bother to show up at the polls (always abysmally small percentage-wise). If the people of Connecticut do NOT choose to re-elect Lieberman, who's been piss poor at representing the will of the people, than let me go out on a limb here and say Lieberman should go! It's not the place of some looney toon from Colorado to decide to keep him in office. Es verdad, Salazar?

Now, as may be apparent, I do not like Lieberman and I certainly do not respect Lieberman. I once did (and overall supported his bid for VP with Gore in 2000), but the boat sailed there some time ago when it became abundantly apparent that the only person Joe Lieberman is out to help is - yes, folks - Joe Lieberman.

But it wouldn't matter if I DID like Lieberman: the people of Connecticut (of whom I am no longer a member) get to choose. Not Lieberman. Not Salazar. Not Dodd and Schumer. And not even Hillary Clinton who - while initially saying she would support Lieberman regardless - has now gone on record as saying she won't support him if he fails (and whines) to get the Dem nomination from his state.