One of the major subjects on the blogs these days is Senator Joe Lieberman, the Democrat from Connecticut. While he is registered as a Democrat, he — as often as not — casts his vote against the Democratic line.
Now, every elected official should feel free to vote their conscience even if it means going against what your party believes, but that brings me to this question:
What is a Democrat and what is a Republican?
I'm not talking about the "issues", but credentials. If you were elected as a Democrat, do you have any responsibilities to the Democratic party? Does the Democratic party have any responsibilities to their elected members? What happens when a member of the Democratic party becomes a "Democrat in Name Only"? Is being Democrat just a name?
So that brings me to the big question:
Why can't the Democratic party say, "Listen, Mr. Senator: We're the Democratic party, and we know a Democrat when we see one, and we are sad to say, you are not a Democrat. We've all taken a vote, and we would kindly ask you to stop calling yourself a Democrat because... well... it's just not true."
Why can't they say that? Why can't the Democrats kick Senator Lieberman out of their party? I mean, it's pissy and spiteful, but isn't it allowed? Doesn't the Democratic party have any control over what it's members are allowed to believe, if the Democratic party is, in truth, primarily constructed of beliefs?
If anybody has an answer or even an opinion, put it in the comments section, as I'm genuinely interested in finding an answer to this.
UPDATE
Well, I guess that is what primaries are for, eh?
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