As I write this, I am perplexed as to how to identify the late Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman.
He died this week in New York at the age of 82 after a fall.
For writing purposes, should I stylize him as “Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut”? Or would you write “Senator Joseph Lieberman, I-Connecticut”?
This topic has bothered me for years. The problem became even more acute after Lieberman left the Senate in early 2013. I had the opportunity to mention Mr. Lieberman and write about the late senator. But the conundrum of what Lieberman was politically remains a mystery. And it proves his staunch independence, refusing to align too closely with any one political party.
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Voters sent Lieberman to the Senate as a Democrat in 1988. He defeated the late Sen. Lowell Weicker (Republican). Ironically, Viker later became governor of Nutmeg State as an independent.
Lieberman forged his own path in the Senate as a Democrat. A statement by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) about Mr. Lieberman’s death symbolized how frustrated Mr. Lieberman was with the house party.
“While we often disagreed about politics, no one ever doubted his love for his family, his home state of Connecticut, and his country,” Pelosi said.
Lieberman has drawn the ire of Democrats over his support for the Iraq War. He faced criticism for being too cozy with the Republican Party and President George W. Bush’s administration. This problem metastasized to Ms. Lieberman after 9/11. Democrats accused Lieberman of supporting the administration’s energy policies.
In 2006, Lieberman lost the Democratic nomination for Senate to future Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont (D). But Lieberman was undeterred. He ran for the Senate as an independent. In fact, he billed himself as an “independent Democrat.”
This was a rhetorical sleight of hand by Lieberman. He was actually independent. That’s how he got on the ballot. However, Lieberman established himself as someone who would not bend to party lines. However, he still considered himself politically a “Democrat.”
Shortly after Mr. Lieberman announced he was running as an “independent,” I struggled to characterize the senator for news purposes. One day, I ended up talking to someone from the Senate Secretary’s Office. Senators, of course, decide whether to caucus with the Republicans or Democrats. But the source explained to me that at the time senators had to tell that office how they wanted to be identified in publications such as the Congressional Record.
The senators could clearly identify themselves as Democrats, Republicans or independents, the person said. But “socialists” or “greens” were not out of the question.
Joe Lieberman, former Connecticut senator and 2000 vice presidential candidate, dies at age 82
I asked if the office was aware of the term “independent Democrat” that Mr. Lieberman used.
According to sources, it’s a nickname the agency has never heard of.
Lieberman was re-elected as an independent in the fall of the same year. However, he continued to caucus with the Democratic Party. It’s similar to what Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is currently doing. She was a “Democrat”, but in December 2022 she became an “Independent”. Sens. Bernie Sanders (Vermont) and Angus King (Maine) have always been involved in the Senate Democratic Caucus. However, neither of them called themselves “Democrats” when they became senators.
That has always been the problem with Lieberman’s political taxonomy. He was neither fish nor fowl. And his term “Independent Democrat” wasn’t even officially recognized by the Senate.
Former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) speaks on a panel hosted by the National Council of Iranian Resistance-U.S. Mission (NCRI-US) at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel in Washington, DC, on August 17, 2022. ). NCRI-US held a panel discussion to commemorate the 20th anniversary of its first press conference in 2002 on perceptions of the threat of Iran’s nuclear weapons program. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
That says a lot.
In fact, perhaps the best way to describe Lieberman isn’t “independent Democrat.” He was truly a “Lieberman.”
Mr. Lieberman began to take heat from the Democratic Party in September 1998.
President Clinton was embroiled in the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal. The president testified in a video affidavit that he had an “inappropriate physical relationship” with Mr. Lewinsky. Mr. Lieberman then criticized the president in a dramatic speech before the full Senate.
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“The president clearly had an affair with an employee half his age, and it took place at work, near the Oval Office,” Lieberman said. “Such behavior is not just inappropriate; it is immoral and harmful. It sends a message to America’s extended family about what is acceptable behavior.”
Lieberman’s speech shocked Washington. His colleagues viewed Lieberman as the conscience of the Senate. Lieberman’s words reflected what many others wanted him to say but he was unwilling to do. Or maybe he’s incompetent.
“This is wrong and unacceptable. There should be some public reprimand and accountability,” Lieberman said of the president’s actions.
Vice President Al Gore at the time was aiming to succeed Clinton in the White House. Mr. Gore was the clear frontrunner for his 2000 Democratic nomination. But Mr. Gore had a problem. He was vice president in the Clinton administration.
Lieberman’s speech about the president resonated with Gore. After all, Mr. Gore needed to put some distance between himself and the president he served. That’s exactly why he chose Lieberman as his running mate.
But even though Mr. Lieberman almost became vice president after the controversial 2000 election, the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) chose him as his running mate eight years later. The plan was to get him selected. Mr. Lieberman replaced Mr. McCain, the Republican standard-bearer, in 2008 when he campaigned against future President Obama. Remember, Obama was a Democratic senator from Illinois at the time. Mr. Lieberman also spoke on behalf of Mr. McCain at the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota.
There was also criticism after the election. Some Democrats wanted to kick him out of their caucus. Or at least strip Mr. Lieberman of his position as chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
Senate Democrats ultimately voted 42-13 to keep the gavel, even though they endorsed McCain as the presidential nominee.
“It’s over,” said the late Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nebraska).
Lieberman later said his colleagues welcomed him back to the team “in a spirit of reconciliation.”
But Lieberman remained a pebble in the Democratic Party’s shoe. He was one of the senators responsible for killing the so-called “public option” during the 2009-2010 health care reform debate. And just recently, on March 18th, seconds after your live report, Lieberman appeared on Fox. Mr. Lieberman reprimanded Senate Majority Leader Schumer (D.N.Y.) for harshly criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“In fact, I think this was an incident where a senior U.S. official took advantage of a friend. And you wouldn’t do something like this to a casual ally and certainly an enemy. But our closest ally “Are you going to show Israel, a democratic country, to the world and tell its people that they should expel their prime minister even though we’re at war?” Lieberman said, “This is a diplomatic line that should not be crossed.” “I’ve never seen anything like that before. It’s outrageous.”
Lieberman was difficult to categorize. As is usual with political animals, his species and genus were less clear than those of his contemporaries.
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Would you describe him as an “independent Democrat”? That’s close to it.
However, he was best classified simply as “Lieberman.”
FOX News’ Brooke Cart contributed to this report.
