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Joe Lieberman

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Joseph Lieberman
Junior Senator, Connecticut
In office
January 1989–Present
Preceded byLowell Weicker
Succeeded byIncumbent (2007)
Personal details
BornConnecticut for Lieberman (if Democratic primary loss)
DiedConnecticut for Lieberman (if Democratic primary loss)
Resting placeConnecticut for Lieberman (if Democratic primary loss)
Nationalityamerican
Political partyDemocrat,Independent Connecticut for Lieberman (if Democratic primary loss)
SpouseHadassah Lieberman
Parent

Joseph Isadore "Joe" Lieberman, (born February 24, 1942) is a Democratic U.S. senator from Connecticut. Lieberman was the first Jew nominated for Vice President of the United States by a major political party. In 2004, Lieberman campaigned for the Democratic nomination for President, but upon conceding the 2006 Democratic primary election, announced that he will seek the office as an independent.

Lieberman defeated moderate Republican Lowell Weicker to win election to the United States Senate in 1988 and was re-elected in 1994 and 2000. Like Bill Clinton and Dick Gephardt, Lieberman served as chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council, a group of Democrats that states the goal of "reshaping American politics by moving it beyond the old left-right debate."[1]

Because of his hawkish foreign policy stance and his emphasis on bipartisan solutions, Lieberman is a politician that has been hard to classify in left-right terms. With respect to his continued support for the Iraq War, Lieberman's record is generally in line with Republicans.[1] In 2005, Lieberman received a 90% rating from the National Committee for an Effective Congress.[2] He also received a lifetime rating of 17% from the American Conservative Union.[3]

On August 8, 2006, Lieberman conceded the primary election to Ned Lamont.[4]

Early life and career

Lieberman was born in Stamford, Connecticut to Henry Lieberman (b. Apr, 3, 1915 - d. Jan 3, 1986), the son of Polish Jewish immigrants and Marcia Manger (b. Nov. 1, 1914 - d. Jun. 25, 2005) of Austrian Jewish background. The Liebermans owned Hamilton Liquor Store, which the couple operated until Henry Lieberman’s retirement in 1977.[2] The couple has a son, Joeseph Isadore, and two daughters, Rietta Miller and Ellen Lieberman. Joe Lieberman attended Stamford High School and was elected as president of his senior class in 1960.[3] He received his BA in Politics and Economics from Yale University in 1964 and his LLB law degree from Yale Law School in 1967. While at Yale, Lieberman was the chairman of the Yale Daily Newsin his senior year. In 1963, he traveled to Mississippi to help African-Americans register to vote. [4] After graduation from law school, he worked for a New Haven based law firm, Wiggin & Dana LLP.

Lieberman was elected to the Connecticut State Senate in 1970 as a "reform Democrat," where he served for 10 years, including the last 6 as Majority Leader. He suffered his one defeat in Connecticut elections in the Reagan landslide year of 1980, losing the race for the Third District Congressional seat to Republican Lawrence Joseph DeNardis, a state senator from suburban Hamden with whom he had worked closely on bipartisan legislative efforts. From 1982 to 1988, he served as Connecticut's 21st Attorney General and emphasized consumer protection and environmental enforcement.

Personal life

Lieberman met his first wife, Betty Haas, at the congressional office of Senator Abraham Ribicoff (D-Conn), where they worked as summer student interns. They married in 1965 while Joe Lieberman was in law school. They had two children – Matt and Rebecca. Betty, a Reform Jew, later worked as a psychiatric social worker. In 1981, the couple divorced. During an interview with the New York Magazine, when asked about the divorce, Lieberman said, "one of the differences we had was in levels of religious observance," he says. "But I'm convinced if that was the only difference, we wouldn't have gotten divorced."[5] In 1982, he met his second wife, Hadassah Freilich Tucker while he was running for attorney general of Connecticut. Freilich is the child of a Holocaust survivor. According to Washington Jewish Week, Lieberman called her for a date because he thought it would be interesting to go out with someone named Hadassah. (Hadassah is also the name of the Women's Zionist Organization of America.)[6] They married on March 20th, 1983.[7]Since March 2005, Hadassah has been working for Hill & Knowlton, a lobbying firm based in New York City, as a senior counselor in its health and pharmaceuticals practice. Previously, she held senior positions at Saint Raphael Hospital in New Haven, the American Committee for Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO), Pfizer, National Research Council, Hoffmann-La Roche, and Lehman Brothers. Joe and Hadassah Lieberman have a daughter, Hana. Lieberman also has a stepson from Hadassah's previous marriage, Ethan Tucker. Matt Lieberman graduated from Yale University in 1989, and from Yale Law School in 1994. He is the Head of School of Greenfield Hebrew Academy in Atlanta, GA. Rebecca Lieberman graduated from Barnard College in 1991, and from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1997. Ethan Tucker graduated from Harvard College in 1997 and was a rabbinical student at the Jewish Theological Seminary.

Lieberman never served in the military. A spokesperson told the Hartford Courant in 1994 that Lieberman received an educational deferment from the Vietnam War draft when he was an undergraduate and law student from 1960-67. Upon graduating from law school at 25, Lieberman qualified for a family deferment as he was already married and had one child, Matt. The draft ended in 1973.[8]

Between 2000 and 2004, the Liebermans' income ranged from $266,600 to $499,735. In their joint 2005 federal tax return, the couple's total income in 2004 was $366,084, which includes $146,608 from Joe Lieberman's job in the Senate and $76,950 from Hadassah Lieberman's job with Hill & Knowlton. The couple reported another $91,446 in income from speaking and consulting fees – largely earned by Hadassah – and $27,000 in capital gains earnings. They paid more than $60,000 in taxes. They made $13,127 in charitable contributions and received a $5,241 tax refund. Lieberman underpaid his federal taxes in 2002, resulting in a $739 penalty.[9]

Senate tenure

Lieberman was first elected to the United States Senate as a Democrat in 1988, by a margin of 10,000 votes. He scored the nation's biggest political upset that year, after being backed by a coalition of Democrats and unaffiliated voters with support from conservative Republicans, who were disappointed in three-term Republican incumbent Lowell Weicker's liberal voting record and personal style. Lieberman ran especially well in blue collar conservative areas of the 5th District, where Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis was swamped. During the campaign, he received support from the hard-line Cuban-exile community who were unhappy with Weicker, who was known as a supporter of Fidel Castro. Lieberman has since remained loyal to the anti-Castro cause.[10] Six years later, Lieberman made history by winning by the largest landslide ever in a Connecticut Senate race, drawing 67 percent of the vote and beating his opponent by more than 350,000 votes. In 1998, Lieberman was the first prominent Democrat to publicly challenge Bill Clinton for the judgment exercised in his affair with Monica Lewinsky. [11][12] However, he voted against removing Clinton from office by impeachment. In 2000, while concurrently running for the vice presidency, Lieberman was elected to a third Senate term with 64 percent of the vote easily defeating the Republican Philip Giordano.

When control of the Senate switched from Republicans to Democrats in June 2001, Lieberman became Chairman of the Governmental Affairs Committee, with oversight responsibilities for a broad range of government activities. He is also a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee and chair of its Subcommittee Clean Air, Wetlands and Private Property; the Armed Services Committee, where he chaired the Subcommittee on AirLand Forces and sits of the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities; and the Small Business Committee. When Republicans gained control of the Senate in January 2003, Lieberman resumed his role as ranking minority member of the committees he had once chaired.[13]

Vice-Presidential campaign

File:Goreconvention.jpg
Joe Lieberman gained national recognition when Al Gore picked him as running mate in 2000.

In August 2000, the Democratic nominee for president, Al Gore, selected Lieberman to be his vice-presidential running mate. Lieberman was the first Jewish candidate on a major party ticket. The announcement of Lieberman's selection resulted in an increase in support for Gore's campaign.[14]

Like Democratic VP candidates Lyndon Johnson in 1960, and Lloyd Bentsen in 1988, Lieberman's Senate term was due to expire during the election cycle. He decided to stage a run to maintain that seat.

Lieberman later criticized Al Gore for adopting a populist theme during their 2000 campaign, and stated he had objected to Gore's "people vs. the powerful" message, believing it was not the best strategy for Democrats to use to win the election.[15]

Presidential campaign

On January 13, 2003, Lieberman announced his intention to seek the Democratic nomination as a candidate in the 2004 presidential election. Describing his Presidential hopes, Lieberman opined that his historically hawkish stance would appeal to voters. Although he placed second in Delaware a few weeks later, on February 3, 2004, Lieberman withdrew his candidacy after failing to win any of the five primaries or two caucuses held that day.

In December 2003, Al Gore, endorsed Howard Dean's presidential candidacy saying, "This is about all of us and all of us need to get behind the strongest candidate (Dean)". Gore did not call Lieberman to apprise him of the endorsement. Ironically, Lieberman received an increase in campaign donations after Gore's endorsement of Dean. citation needed

Political positions

Domestic policy

Affirmative Action

In a 1995 speech before the National Press Club, Lieberman said, "this business of deciding by group, the argument that some make that some groups are genetically less able than others. That's an un-American argument." Affirmative action programs "must change because they are inconsistent with the law and basic American values of equal treatment and opportunity." He also stated that he was "against group preferences".[16] In 1996, he expressed support to the California's Proposition 209, which will eliminate state and local government affirmative action programs in the areas of public employment, public education, and public contracting to the extent these programs involve "preferential treatment based on race, sex, gender, color, ethnicity, or national origin".[17] Since 2000, he rescinded his support for the proposition, saying that he expressed support "without understand[ing] the intent of Proposition 209",[18] and renounced any support for Proposition 209.[19]

In the 2000 campaign, Lieberman assured the black voters, "I have supported affirmative action, I do support affirmative action, and I will support affirmative action because history and current reality make it necessary."[20]

In 2003, Lieberman criticized Bush's Afirmative Action policy.[21] In 2004, he reiterated his support, "I support affirmative action programs, including in appropriate instances consideration of race and gender in government contracting decisions, when the affirmative action program is designed to remedy the effects of past discrimination."[22]

Lieberman has stated he wants to increase subsidies for women-owned non-profit business.[citation needed] He also voted yes on setting aside 10% of highway funds for minorities & women.[citation needed]

Education

Lieberman championed experimental voucher programs, letting parents use federal money to send children to public or private schools of their choice. Al Gore says vouchers would undermine public education. [23] His position has been criticized by members of the Congressional Black Caucus and several state teachers unions.[24][25]

Lieberman has called Bush's "No Child Left Behind" plan a "progressive piece of legislation" which has been insufficiently funded. He said, "A month after he signed the law, President Bush under funded it by $6 billion less than was promised in the legislation. This is creating greater pressures on our schools to perform and educate our kids - which is appropriate - but without giving them sufficient resources to make it happen."[26] He has repeatedly criticized the administration to this effect.[27]

Entertainment industry

Lieberman has long been an outspoken critic of the entertainment media[28]

On November 29, 2005, Lieberman co-sponsored the Family Entertainment Protection Act, which was introduced by Hillary Clinton, S.2126. The act is intended to protect children from what he says is inappropriate content found in video games. He has denounced the violence contained in video games and has attempted to regulate sales of violent video games to minors, arguing that games should have to be labeled based upon age-appropriateness.[29] Regarding Grand Theft Auto, he said, "The player is rewarded for attacking a woman, pushing her to the ground, kicking her repeatedly and then ultimately killing her, shooting her over and over again. I call on the entertainment companies--they've got a right to do that, but they have a responsibility not to do it if we want to raise the next generation of our sons to treat women with respect."[30]

Environment

Lieberman co-sponsored 1990 Clean Air Act, introduced legislation in 1991 to give consumers more information about the dangers of pesticides, and has championed the need to address global warming. [31] Lieberman has stated we have to accept some American responsibility for global warming. Lieberman voted yes on banning drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Liberman voted yes on reducing oil usage by 40% by 2025 (instead of 5%). Lieberman voted against Gale Norton as Secretary of Interior, and voted for funding for greater risk assessment by the EPA. Lieberman has even gone as far as saying he wants to raise mileage standard to 40 mpg.[32] In 2005, Lieberman voted for the administration backed energy bill that would benefit the booming oil industry.[33] Facing criticism, Lieberman called the bill imperfect but good for Connecticut, citing the saving of $800 million Connecticut electricity customers.[34] Lieberman has been a vocal critic of Bush's environmental policy.[35][36][37][38]

Flag desecration

Lieberman has voted against movements to create an amendment in the constitution that would prohibit flag burning.[39]

The "Gang of 14"

On May 23, 2005, Lieberman was one of fourteen moderate senators, dubbed the "Gang of 14," who forged a compromise on the Democrats' use of the judicial filibuster, thus avoiding the Republican leadership's implementation of the so-called "nuclear option". Under the agreement, the Democrats would exercise the power to filibuster a Bush judicial nominee only in an "extraordinary circumstance," and three of the filibustered Bush appellate court nominees – (Janice Rogers Brown, Priscilla Owen and William Pryor) – would receive a vote by the full Senate, which resulted in their confirmation. Lieberman refuse to support a filibuster against Supreme Court Justice nominee Samuel Alito. [40]Alito was confirmed by the United States Senate on January 31, 2006 by a vote of 58-42, becoming the Court's 110th Justice. Lieberman voted against the Alito confirmation in the final Senate vote.[41] On the John Roberts nomination as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Lieberman believed that Roberts doesn't seem to be the kind of right-wing candidate the "Gang of 14"feared the president would select. Lieberman thinks Roberts is a "decent guy." But he said it was too early to reach further conclusions.[42] Roberts was confirmed by the United States Senate on September 29, 2005 by a vote of 78-22, becoming the Court's 17th Chief Justice. Lieberman voted for the Roberts confirmation. [43]

Gay rights

Lieberman voted no on a constitutional ban of same-sex marriage.[44] In 2003, in response to the Massachusetts ruling that sanctions gay marriage, Lieberman stated, "although I am opposed to gay marriage, I have also long believed that states have the right to adopt for themselves laws that allow same-sex unions," and "I will oppose any attempts by the right wing to change the Constitution in response to today's [Massachusetts Supreme Court] ruling, which would be unnecessary and divisive."[45]

In 2004, Lieberman scored a rating of 88 out of 100 by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), one of the largest civil rights organization working to achieve gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equality."[46] Lieberman cosponsored the Domestic Partners Benefits and Obligations act of 2003, which provided the same benefits to domestic partners of federal employees and spouses of federal employees currently have.[47] In 1996, Lieberman cosponsored the Employee Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.[48] Lieberman voted in favor of the Early Treatment for HIV Act of 2003, which provided Medicaid treatment for people with HIV.[49] Lieberman has adopted a non-discriminatory policy in employment decisions, which include sexual orienation and gender.[50]

In 1993, Lieberman joined 11 other Democrats in voting for the Improving America's School Act of 1993, S.1513, which contained an amendment by Jesse Helmes that prohibited federal funding for schools that encouraged or supported homosexual behavior.[51] Also in 1993, Lieberman joined 29 other Democrats in prohibiting HIV positive imigrants from entering the country. [52]

Gun control

Lieberman received an "F" rating from the National Rifle Association and a 90% from the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. [53] He has sought to ban guns in schools and places of worship. He has voted against prohibiting most lawsuits against gun manufacturers, but cast another vote that would immunize gun manufacturers from lawsuits over gun violence. He has voted to require background checks at gun shows and against allowing guns to be sold without trigger locks.[54]

In 2000, he opposed Al Gore's position to require a license to purchase a new handgun. Although they disagreed on this issue, Gore asked Lieberman not to change his position.[55].

Health care and reproductive rights

Lieberman supports stem cell research. During the 2004 campaign, he said, "The day I walk into the Oval Office, the first thing I'm going to do is rescind the Bush administration restrictions on [embryonic] stem-cell research."[56] He has criticized Bush's recent veto of stem cell research.[57]

Lieberman has been critical of Bush's Medicare plan, arguing that in its current state, it does not provide sufficiently for our nation's elderly.[58][59]

On April 29, 2005, Lieberman introduced S. 975, the Project BioShield II Act of 2005, to provide incentives to increase research by private sector entities to develop medical countermeasures to counter bioterrorism threat. The bill seeks to grant liability protection for these drugs and an extension of patents to companies that produce drugs needed in case of a bioterrorism attack.[60]

Lieberman was a vocal opponent of efforts to remove the feeding tube sustaining the Terri Schiavo. Lieberman joined efforts by Republican Florida Governor Jeb Bush's and the Republican congress to circumvent state and federal court rulings siding with the husband, Michael Schiavo.[61]

Lieberman has a 95% pro-choice voting record in 2005 (one minus on the Roberts nomination to the US Supreme Court), and 100% pro-choice voting record in the year 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2004, according to NARAL.[62] [63] During the 2000 Presidential campaign, he promised to not to support legislation that was being introduced in Congress to override the FDA decision on RU-486. He has supported requiring minors to have parental consent before having abortions at federally subsidized clinics. He voted against banning some late-term procedures known by its opponents as "partial-birth abortion". [64] Lieberman said that Orthodox Judaism considers abortion to be a personal matter, although many Orthodox Jews disagree.[65]

In March 2006, according to the The New Haven Register, when asked about the approach of the Catholic hospitals on contraceptives for rape victims, Lieberman said he believes Catholic hospitals that refuse to give contraceptives to rape victims for "principled reasons" shouldn’t be forced to do so. "In Connecticut, it shouldn’t take more than a short ride to get to another hospital," he said.[66]

Social Security

Lieberman cosponsored a resolution urging the Congress to reject the President’s Social Security Commission's report.[67]

Lieberman described the debate as "This is an ongoing problem, and we'd be wise to deal with it." He told The Hartford Courant in January of 2005 when asked about Social Security, "if we can figure out a way to help people through private accounts or something else, great."[68]

Although Lieberman praised Linsey Graham (R-SC) for trying to fashion a bipartisan social security plan, he ultimately voted against the Bush Social Security plan.[69]

Tax, labor, and business

Lieberman voted against much of the Bush tax plan,[70] but in the 2004 Democratic Presidential Primary, he criticized the desire of most Democrats to repeal all or almost all of Bush's tax cuts, arguing that "tax cuts are an important tool of fiscal policy to get the economy going again".[71]

Lieberman has criticized Bush's economic policies and huge deficits.[72]

He helped defeat the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) proposal of requiring the reporting of the costs of stock options as a business expense during the mid-nineties. During an interview with PBS after the Enron scandal, Lieberman defended his position, saying, "it was a good action". [73][74]Facing the growing stock option scandals, Lieberman ackowledged that "clearly a disproportionate per cent of the options went to a small percentage of executives. That was disappointing."[75]

Lieberman criticized the Bush administration when it attempted to cut programs that cost jobs in Connecticut.[76] He was successful in keeping Connecticut bases from closing. [citation needed]

Lieberman is one of only 4 Senate Democrats to side with Republicans in 1995 in voting to limit punitive damage awards in product liability cases. [77]

In Feburary, 2005, breaking ranks with the Democrat majority, Lieberman voted for the Class Action Fairness Act of 2005, S. 5, which is a bill to curtail the ability of plaintiffs to file class-action lawsuits against corporations in federal courts. The bill was backed by the White House and business groups as an essential tort reform measure that would reduce what they said was a debilitating number of frivolous lawsuits. The bill was opposed by consumer advocacy groups and trial lawyers who argued that many valid claims against corporations would be dismissed, leaving consumers without legal recourse.[78][79]

Foreign policy

Iraq War

Lieberman sponsored S.J.RES.46, the Senate version of H.J.RES.114, that is, the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002, also called the Iraq Resolution.[80]

Lieberman defended his support of the Iraq Resolution; in a November 29 2005 op-ed piece for The Wall Street Journal, he praised the efforts of the U.S. military in the occupation of Iraq and criticized both parties:

"I am disappointed by Democrats who are more focused on how President Bush took America into the war in Iraq almost three years ago, and by Republicans who are more worried about whether the war will bring them down in next November's elections, than they are concerned about how we continue the progress in Iraq in the months and years ahead."[81]

Later, on December 7th, 2005, Lieberman said, "It is time for Democrats who distrust President Bush to acknowledge that he will be Commander-in-Chief for three more critical years, and that in matters of war we undermine Presidential credibility at our nation’s peril. It is time for Republicans in the White House and Congress who distrust Democrats to acknowledge that greater Democratic involvement and support in the war in Iraq is critical to rebuilding the support of the American people that is essential to our success in that war. It is time for Americans and we their leaders to start working together again on the war on terrorism. To encourage that new American partnership, I propose that the President and the leadership of Congress establish a bipartisan Victory in Iraq Working Group, composed of members of both parties in Congress and high ranking national security officials of the Bush Administration."[82]

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid rebuked Lieberman, saying, "I've talked to Senator Lieberman, and unfortunately he is at a different place on Iraq than the majority of the American people." House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi added, "I completely disagree with Lieberman. I believe that we have a responsibility to speak out if we think that the course of action that our country is not making the American people safer, making our military stronger and making the region more stable."[83] Lieberman responded, "I've had this position for a long time – that we need to finish the job."[84]

Lieberman's defense of the administration resulted in speculation that he is attempting to position himself to replace Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld or another high-ranking government official, but Lieberman has denied having any desire for this.[85] In 2005, media reports suggested that Lieberman might replace Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld;[86] Lieberman responded with, "It's a total fantasy, there's just no truth to it." [87]

On June 22, 2006, Lieberman voted against two Democratic amendments to the annual defense appropriations bill, including S. 2766, calling for a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. S.2766 did not set a withdrawal deadline, but urged President Bush to start pulling U.S. forces out of Iraq in 2006. Both amendments were defeated in the Senate, 60-39. [88]

Free trade

Lieberman supported the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and continues to do so.[89] During the the 2004 Democratic presidential in South Carolina, he said, "though it's cost some jobs, has actually netted out 900,000 new jobs that were created by NAFTA".[90] Lieberman also voted for the Central America-United States-Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) in 2005.[91][92]

Lieberman is also the co-author of the US-China Relations Act that would create new incentives in bilateral relations with China. He voted for the U.S./China World Trade Organization (WTO) Accession agreement in 2000.

Israel

In 2002, Lieberman sponsored a pro-Israel US Senate Resolution (S. Res. 247) regarding the Middle East Conflict, "expressing solidarity with Israel in its constant efforts to fight against terror".[93]

Lieberman currently ranks fourth on the list of candidates receiving money from pro-Israel PACs in 2006, according to The Center for Responsive Politics. "As of July 10, the most recent figures available, Lieberman had received $66,500 for the PACs out of $8.5 million raised." According to the Associate Press, in 2000, Lieberman received $83,000 from pro-Israel PACs when he ran for his Senate seat.[94] While generally refraining on commenting on foreign policy during the Senate race in 2006, he reaffirmed his strong support for Israel, “when there are groups attacking innocent civilians, it is the right of Israel and all peace loving people to protect themselves”.[95]

Homeland Security

The Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, while Lieberman was chairman, first proposed forming the Department of Homeland Security, in 2001. The bill contained provisions that would establish a university research center for domestic security, most probably at Texas A&M University; would allow many businesses that have left the country to avoid federal taxes to contract with the new department; and would provide legal protection to companies that make ingredients for vaccines.[96]

Geneva Conventions

Lieberman supports the Alberto Gonzales policy memo on the application of provisions of the Geneva Conventions. He believes "the decision was, in my opinion, a reasonable one, and ultimately a progressive one." He agrees with Gonzales in describing certain provisions of Geneva Conventions, specifically "that a captured enemy be afforded such things as commissary privileges, script advances of monthly pay, athletic uniforms and scientific instruments” as "quaint". He also agrees with the legal decision that al Qaeda's members "were not entitled to prisoner of war status."[97] In 2006, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld that "at least" Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions is applicable to combatants "in the territory of" a signatory of the Conventions.[98]

During an exchange with Donald Rumsfeld in the 2004 senate hearing on the Abu Ghraib scandal, Lieberman denounced the abuses as "immoral" and deserve apology. Then he added, "I cannot help but say, however, that those who were responsible for killing 3,000 Americans on September 11th, 2001, never apologized. Those who have killed hundreds of Americans in uniform in Iraq working to liberate Iraq and protect our security have never apologized."[99][100]



2006 re-election campaign

Main article: Connecticut U.S. Senate election, 2006

Lieberman is running for re-election to his Senate seat in the 2006 election. Upon losing to challenger Ned Lamont in the Democratic Primary on August 8, 2006, Lieberman announced that he would continue campaigning for the senate seat as an "Independent Democrat".[101]

Democratic Primary

Endorsements

People
Organizations
  • AFL-CIO and affiliated labor organizations endorsed Lieberman.[110][111] However, Connecticut AFT, the second largest AFL-CIO union in Connecticut, endorsed Lamont (see below).
  • Human Rights Campaign, one of the largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) equal rights organizations in the United States, has endorsed Lieberman.[115]
Newspapers
  • The Washington Post, saying that he "has been faithful to the fundamental values that most Democrats associate with their party".[118]
  • On June 14, 2006, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee chairman Charles Schumer said that the DSCC might endorse Lieberman even if he runs as an independent, if Lieberman agrees to vote for Democrat Harry Reid for majority leader if elected.[120]

Primary opponent

Ned Lamont, a wealthy Greenwich businessman, is opposing Lieberman in the Democratic primary election. Lamont is the great-grandson of Thomas W. Lamont, former chair of J.P. Morgan & Co., and has contributed $1.5 million to his primary campaign, pledging an additional million dollars. Lamont is running primarily on opposition to the Iraq war and tries to distinguish himself from Lieberman on issues including opposition to the Patriot Act, his support of the right to same-sex marriage, support for universal health care,[121] support of universal availability of pre-kindergarten public school, his opposition to capital punishment, and Lamont's pledge not to accept money from lobbyists.

General election

Republican opponents

Alan Schlesinger hopes to become the next Senator from Connecticut. His positions include guaranteed social security, planning for economic difficulties with the Medicare programs, Seasonal Employee visas to stem illegal immigration, eliminating the deficit by 2010, tax reform and bringing the troops in Iraq home soon.[5]

The Hartford Courant reported on July 21 that Schlesinger had been sued by two New Jersey casinos for gambling debts;[6] his use of an alias while gambling at the Foxwoods Casino had been a previous controversy.[7]

In addition, State Rep Diana S. Urban of North Stonington filed paperwork to run as an independent candidate, and if she garners the necessary signatures, will be on the November ballot as well. Urban terms herself a "Republican in the Lincoln/Teddy Roosevelt ilk."[8]

The Bush Kiss

File:Bushkisseslieberman.jpg
President Bush leans close to Lieberman at the 2005 State of the Union.

Following his 2005 State of the Union address, President Bush, while shaking lawmakers’ hands, abruptly grasped Lieberman’s head in both hands and leaned in close to his cheek. [122] The incident became known as "the kiss." At first, Lieberman staff humorously referred to the embrace as "some kind of Yale thing."[123] However, political backlash arose among Lamont supporters and other critics of Lieberman, and Lamont backers used the incident in a campaign button: "The Kiss: Too Close for Comfort."[124] Lieberman has since denied the kiss took place. "I don't think he kissed me, he leaned over and gave me a hug and said 'thank you for being a patriotic American,'" Lieberman told Time magazine.[125]

Campaign timeline

Early in the race, Lieberman led by 46 points according to a May 2 Quinnipiac Poll. A June 8 Quinnipiac Poll showed that Lamont had gained, but Lieberman still carried a double-digit lead.[126] In a June Rasmussen poll, Lieberman led by 6 points, but the margin of error is much larger and the sample taken is much smaller when compared to the Quinnipiac polls. In the second round of the same Rasmussen poll, this time polling if Lieberman ran as an independent, Lieberman still would win with 44 percent of the vote, compared to Lamont's 29 percent. On July 20, a Quinnipiac University poll found Lamont in a statistical tie with Lieberman, 51 - 47 percent among likely Democratic primary voters. The same poll showed Lieberman decidedly beating Lamont and Schlessinger in a three-way race 51-27-9.[127] An August 3 Quinnipiac Poll, showed Lamont leading by 13 points over Lieberman.[128]

Some Democrats, believing that a contested Democratic primary would drain resources from other races and that Lieberman helps the Democratic ticket in November, discouraged the Lamont candidacy prior to the Democratic state convention and have continued to back Lieberman. Former Democratic State Chairman John Droney compared the Lamont challenge to "cannibalism"[citation needed] and Senator Harry Reid asked Lamont not to run.[citation needed]

On May 19, Lieberman received 67 percent of the vote at the state Democratic convention, and Lamont received 33% of the vote, thereby qualifying for an August 8 Democratic primary.

On May 20, Connecticut Republicans nominated former Derby, Connecticut Mayor Alan Schlesinger to run in the November election.

On June 12, Lamont began airing radio ads promising to endorse Lieberman if he loses the Democratic primary, and challenging Lieberman to do likewise and foreclose an independent run for the Senate.[citation needed]

On June 16, Lieberman released a web-based ad on his campaign site aimed at Lamont's support from Lowell Weicker. Produced by political consultant, Carter Eskew, the animated ad was a sequel to a 1988 spot portraying Weicker as a sleeping bear - this time, Lamont is Weicker's "bear cub". The narrator of the ad asks, "Remember Lowell Weicker? Well, bears never forget. He's never gotten over losing his Senate race to Joe Lieberman, but instead of coming out of hibernation, he's sent his bear cub, instead. Ned Lamont."

On July 3, Lieberman announced that he would take out petitions to appear on the November ballot should he lose the August 8 primary stating:

I'm a loyal Democrat but I have loyalties that are greater than those to my party, and that's my loyalty to my state and my country.

He stated that he would continue to sit as a Democrat in the Senate even if he was defeated in the primary and elected on an unaffiliated line, and expressed concern for a potentially low-turnout August 8th primary.[129]

On July 6, a debate between Lieberman and Lamont was held. News organizations characterized Lieberman as "very agressive", "combative," "super-aggressive and sometimes rude"[130] "often interrupting Lamont" to which Lamont retorted, “This isn’t Fox News, sir.”[131][132][133][134][135]

On July 9, Lieberman released an ad which, according to an e-mail to constituents, parodies one of Lamont's ads and features a fake bumper sticker claiming that "all Lamont has to say is 'No More Joe'."[136] Factcheck.org said that using "false campaign material and passing it off as authentic [seemed] at odds with the ad's praise of Lieberman's 'principles'."[137]

On July 10, the Lieberman campaign officially filed paperwork allowing him to collect signatures for the newly formed Connecticut for Lieberman party ballot line.[138]

On July 24, President Bill Clinton campaigned with Senator Lieberman in Waterbury, Connecticut:[139]

[We Democrats] don't agree on everything. We don't agree on Iraq...the real issue is, whether you were for it or against it, what are we going to do now? And let me tell you something, no Democrat is responsible for the mistakes that have been made since the fall of Saddam Hussein that have brought us to this point. I don't have anything against Joe's opponent. He seems like a perfectly fine man. But I know that on the issues that I believe are critical to our future, Joe Lieberman's past is good evidence of his future...He is a good man, a good Democrat, and he'll do you proud."

On July 28, Lieberman started airing a TV ad featuring an endorsement he received from Bill Clinton when he campaigned for Lieberman in Waterbury. [140]

On August 8, Lieberman conceded the Democratic nomination to Lamont 52 percent to 48 percent. He has pledged to run as an independant in the upcoming election. [141]

Religion

Lieberman is an Orthodox Jew. He was not very observant in 1965 and his first wife is a Reform Jew. Since 1967 death of Lieberman's grandmother, who was a a deeply religious immigrant, Lieberman found renewed interest in terms of religious observance. His second wife, Hadassah, is an Orthodox Jew, who is more conservative than him. "Hadassah calls herself my right wing", says Lieberman. " In Lieberman's 1988 upset of GOP incumbent Senator Lowell Weicker, his religion was mostly discussed in terms of his inability to campaign on Saturdays. But that changed when Gore chose Lieberman as the running mate.[142] "He refers to himself as observant, as opposed to Orthodox, because he doesn't follow the strict Orthodox code and doesn't want to offend the Orthodox, and his wife feels the same way," said a Lieberman press officer who spoke on condition of anonymity. The Liebermans keep their home Kosher and observe the Sabbath. Nonetheless, some Orthodox Jews have voiced their concerns about their omissions, such as Hadassah's infrequent covering of her head.[143]

Lieberman has said that there is currently "a constitutional place for faith in our public life."[144] Lieberman attends Kesher Israel Congregation in Georgetown, Washington, DC and Beth Hamedrosh Hagodol - B'nai Israel, The Westville Synagogue, New Haven, Connecticut.

Publications

Lieberman is the author of five books: The Power Broker (1966), a biography of the late Democratic Party chairman, John M. Bailey; The Scorpion and the Tarantula (1970), a study of early efforts to control nuclear proliferation; The Legacy (1981), a history of Connecticut politics from 1930-1980; Child Support in America (1986), a guidebook on methods to increase the collection of child support from delinquent fathers, and In Praise of Public Life (2000), a spirited defense of public life that draws on personal experience.

References

  1. ^ http://www.dlc.org/ndol_ci.cfm?kaid=86&subid=85&contentid=893
  2. ^ http://www.vote-smart.org/issue_rating_detail.php?sig_id=004217M
  3. ^ http://www.acuratings.org/2005all.htm#CT
  4. ^ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14228351/
  5. ^ http://www.schlesinger2006.com/index-3.html
  6. ^ http://www.courant.com/news/politics/hc-gamble0721.artjul21,0,6857313.story?coll=hc-headlines-politics/
  7. ^ http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-schlesinger0713.artjul13,0,749884.story?track=rss
  8. ^ http://www.courant.com/news/local/statewire/hc-13013133.apds.m0734.bc-ct--traijul13,0,2899521.story
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Template:Incumbent U.S. Senator box
Preceded by Attorney General of Connecticut
1983–1989 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Democratic Party Vice Presidential candidate
2000 (lost) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs
2001–2003 		Succeeded by
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