On Tuesday night, Joseph Lieberman, a man who ran with Al Gore against George W. Bush in the 2000 election, endorsed Senator John McCain at the Republican National Convention. This very public switching of teams has many wondering how the Democratic Party will respond.

During his speech, Senator Lieberman stated that Barack Obama doesn’t have the experience it takes to be commander in chief. “Eloquence,” Lieberman said, “is no substitute for a record.” The former Democrat, now an independent, went on to criticize Senator Obama for his failure to fund the troops. And the hits kept on coming. You don’t have to be a Beltway insider to assume that many blue-staters were seething.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat from Nevada, expressed his displeasure with Lieberman’s speech. CNN reported that some from Obama’s campaign accused Lieberman of lying to Republican delegates when he claimed that Obama never reached across party lines.

Meanwhile, according to Roll Call, some sources within the Democratic Party predicted that Lieberman could “face punishment for party disloyalty” if the Dems win a majority in the Senate. Others insist that retribution isn’t in the cards. Hey, it’s just politics, not high school.

Should he be punished?