Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Michael Moore ‘holds Connecticut responsible’ for public option failure

By Daniel Tencer Progressive filmmaker Michael Moore has called for a boycott of the state of Connecticut if voters there don't start an effort to unseat Sen. Joe Lieberman.

"People of Connecticut: What have u done 2 this country?" Moore asked in a Tweet Wednesday afternoon. "We hold u responsible. Start recall of Lieberman 2day or we'll boycott your state."

Lieberman has been the focus of progressive anger since he announced late last week that he would vote against the Senate health care reform bill if the bill included a Medicare buy-in provision that would allow some people aged 55 to 64 to buy into the government-run seniors' health care program.

That provision was a compromise that Senate Democrats put forward in exchange from removing a public option for health care from the bill. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid removed that compromise from the bill on Monday night.

But there is one problem with Moore's call for a recall of the Connecticut senator: There is no mechanism to recall US senators, and Connecticut's own constitution doesn't provide one.

In calling for Lieberman's recall, Moore appeared to be following in the footsteps of House Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), who called for a recall of the independent senator on Tuesday.

“No individual should hold health care hostage, including Joe Lieberman, and I’ll say it flat out, I think he ought to be recalled,” DeLauro told Politico.

"Memo to Michael Moore and any other frustrated lefties out there: There is no such thing as a congressional recall. So until 2012, we're all stuck with Joe," writes Eric Kleefeld at TalkingPointsMemo.

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