Reid enhances his own strength as a leader by carrying forward this pretty obvious bit of necessary party discipline. Look — we have both ends of Penn Avenue now, and a huge agenda of stuff to get done, and we should have very little interest in independent prima donnas out there dancing to their own tunes. Disciplining Joe is essentially lesson one in establishing the leader’s necessary power. Reid needs to make clear that while everyone will be heard and their points considered, Majority Position means moving as a majority party group. Yes, on some things it is best to construct bi-partisian coalitions — but that is not how a hard won majority acts given all the money and sweat equity party people have in winning in 06 and 08. And Joe was working for the other side on all this — so he is disqualified.

At some juncture — perhaps not this one — we need to make a strong case that Joe’s “moralism” is fake. If he is stripped of that veil, which he throws over everything where he finds disagreement, we reduce him to what he really is. He always puts on the face of nearly crying over the pathetic human condition — but it is fake. We need to find just the right situation for making that case.

I think even without the chairmanship, he will try to stay in the Democratic Caucus, largely for quite practical reasons. I doubt if his staff seriously wants to become real republican hill staffers. They don’t have lots of cache these days, and there are very few jobs on K-Street for them. For Former Democratic Hill Staffers, NPR is reporting starting salary at half a million. Joe has to consider his staff in this, at least for the six months to a year that it will take for them to land peachy jobs off the Hill.

The more I think about Joe’s position — he made a bid on a key job and power in a McCain Administration, and the bid failed — I am thinking he may look around for an offer outside the Senate, and resign and let the Republican Governor appoint his replacement. It would hurt the Dem’s (except we could have a special election in 2010) and with the proper job, Joe could get Rich. He would not have to chair an inconsequential committee, sit in the back row in the Senate, do penance for disloyalty. Maybe Fox News needs a new Chief Executive? Something like that…

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Will they do that again in 2012? If not Joe’s only chance of being re-elected is to become a republican.

FOOKIN NEBRASKA !!!

Fuck OFF and DIE joezoe

The problem is – or, rather, the good thing is – Obama would not. But it sure would make the road to 60 easier, wouldn’t it?