The audience was also the program’s largest in nearly a decade.

Little Joy “Unattainable”

The Morning Benders “Crosseyed”

Tonight we have two California bands. Starting with a new video from Los Angeles, Little Joy, performing Unattainable, off their new CD, Little Joy. Followed by Berkeley’s, The Morning Benders, hillside performance of Crosseyed.

What’s on your mind tonight?

Sen. Joe Lieberman is an awful person who lacks principles. He won re-election in 2006 by pretending he was against the Iraq War. After spending a career advocating Democratic domestic policies, he spent the 2008 spouting conservative distortions of core Democratic principles. He is more motivated by personal pique than the public interest. He is dishonest and untrustworthy.

And it completely doesn’t matter that he kept his committee chairmanship.

What matters? Passing legislation that averts a climate crisis, provides health care to all, and modernizes our infrastructure.

We get those things done, we not only get the economy back on track.

We not only make clean energy and health care affordable and accessible to all.

We show that liberal progressive government can deliver, and we lock it in for a generation.

The chief threat to achieving these goals is falling short of the 60 votes needed in the Senate to cut off filibusters.

On any given issue, it is possible that getting the 60 vote supermajority will require scratching and clawing.

There’s not a lot of room for error, and it is myopic to unnecessarily alienate anyone that could be in the 60 — regardless of how much of a petulant jerk he or she is.

(And if we’re not doing business with petulant jerks, we won’t get 10 votes in the Senate, let alone 60.)

As Lieberman has shown that he is driven more by personal pique than principle, giving the baby his bottle is perfectly understandable, if decidedly unpleasant.

Because if Lieberman helps squelch filibusters on the big issues that matter, it is a very small price to pay.

Also, as a secondary matter, no one seems to think stripping Lieberman of his environmental subcommittee chairmanship is significant. But arguably it’s more significant than his Homeland Security committee chairmanship.

Again, global warming is one of the issues that truly matter. Lieberman’s subcommittee was the one responsible for global warming legislation.

And the legislation he drafted last year was insufficient to the challenge, yet it became the main global warming bill.

Now, he will not play a critical role in drafting global warming legislation. That’s a pretty big deal.

Today in a closed-door meeting, Senate Democrats voted 42-13 to allow Joe Lieberman (I-CT) to keep his chairmanship of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, despite his attacks on Barack Obama during the campaign season. Shortly afterward, Senate Democrats held a press conference during which they stood by Lieberman and surrounded him with their support. Some highlights of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-NV) remarks:

– “We’re looking forward, we’re not looking back.”

– “I understand anger. … I would defy anyone to be angrier than I was. But is this a time when we walk out of here and say, ‘Boy, did we get even?’”

– “I am satisfied with what we did today. I feel good about what we did today. I don’t apologize to anyone for what we did today.”

– “The question is, do I trust Senator Lieberman? The answer is yes, I trust Senator Lieberman.”

Watch the press conference:

The Clinton Considerations
President-elect Obama is considering appointing Sen. Hillary Clinton to be his Secretary of State. Henry Kissinger, who was Richard Nixon’s Secretary of State, thinks this would be a good idea: “I believe it would be an outstanding appointment,” Mr. Kissinger said when asked about the rumor at the World Economic Forum in India over the weekend. “If it is true, it shows a number of things, including great courage on the part of the President-Elect. “To appoint a very strong personality into a prominent cabinet position requires a great deal of courage.” (Henry should know.)

He claims not to know much about the discussions, but adds, “If I did, I wouldn’t tell you.”

Meanwhile, Mike Allen reports that the Obama team, “after all but offering SecState to Senator Clinton, is expressing EXASPERATION with the Clinton camp for the difficulty in getting a clean vet on President Bill Clinton’s many entanglements.”

However, Ben Smith says sources tell him that Sen. Clinton herself is conflicted about taking the job.

Ska legend, Prince Buster “Barrister Pardon”

This is it Democrats, the final day for all of us to stand up on behalf of our party and remind our senators of the change we just ordered. Joe Lieberman fought change with every tool in his box. It’s time we ratchet up our voice of encouragement.

Here’s how.

Join over 30,000 others and sign the Say No to Joe letter, which will be online until Tuesday morning.

Call your senators and call members of the Steering and Outreach Committee listed below:

Debbie Stabenow, Michigan - Chairwoman (202) 224-4822
Harry Reid, Nevada (202) 224-3542
John Kerry, Massachusetts (202) 224-2742
Daniel Inouye, Hawaii (202) 224-3934
Robert Byrd, West Virginia (202) 224-3954
Edward Kennedy, Massachusetts (202) 224-4543
Joe Biden, Delaware (202) 224-5042
Patrick Leahy, Vermont (202) 224-4242
Chris Dodd, Connecticut (202) 224-2823
Tom Harkin, Iowa (202) 224-3254
Max Baucus, Montana (202) 224-2651
Richard Durbin, Illinois (202) 224-2152
Kent Conrad, North Dakota (202) 224-2043
Carl Levin, Michigan (202) 224-6221
Herbert Kohl, Wisconsin (202) 224-5653
Barbara Boxer, California (202) 224-3553
Hillary Clinton, New York (202) 224-4451
Jeff Bingaman, New Mexico (202) 224-5521
Mark Pryor, Arkansas (202) 224-2353

Let the committee members know your letter will be delivered on Tuesday.

Send this information to anyone who wants a party with a touch of integrity behind their promise of change.

What’s on your mind tonight?

Colorado Independent reports that Focus on the Family “is poised to announce major layoffs to its Colorado Springs-based ministry and media empire today.” The layoffs come after the right-wing group spent more than $600,000 to defeat marriage equality in California. Praising the passage of Prop. 8, the group said that the measure “helps protect millions of children from radical indoctrination in the homosexual lifestyle.” The group also touted its involvement collecting signatures and gathering donations, patting itself on the back for being “integrally involved” in the fight against marriage equality.