5 Reasons to Miss Joe Lieberman
It’s just days into the 113th Congress and there’s already a shadow over the Hill.
Lawmakers come and go, and that’s the nature of the political beast. But missing in the halls of the Capitol is a senator who had served in the upper chamber since 1989.
And it’s hard not to miss Joe Lieberman, the 70-year-old Democrat-turned-independent from Connecticut, who retired last week.
“When I started here in the Senate, a BlackBerry was a fruit and tweeting was something only birds did,” Lieberman quipped in his farewell speech last month.
He reminisced about how he first stepped in the chamber as an intern nearly 50 years ago, in the summer of 1963 — “inspired, like so many of my generation, by President John F. Kennedy and his call to service.”
“And although I would never have admitted so publicly back then, because it was so presumptuous, I came away from that experience with the dream that I might someday, somehow, return to serve in this place,” Lieberman said. “Well, I have been blessed to live that dream. And that is what America is about.”
When he ended his terms in the Senate, Lieberman had made a number of foes out of party-mates who were supposed to be his friends, simply for believing that a caucus meeting didn’t mean one left his personal convictions at the door.
A few things to miss about Lieberman:
He put his friends before party. “The Three Amigos” was a cutesy way to refer to Lieberman, Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), but the brothers in national security policy really were an example to the rest of the chamber. When McCain ran for president in 2008, he nearly tapped Lieberman as his running mate. But more importantly, he had the support of his friend no matter what.
Boy, did he have the support: Lieberman spoke for his buddy at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn. “In the Senate, during the 3 1/2 years that Sen. Obama has been a member, he has not reached across party lines to … accomplish anything significant, nor has he been willing to take on powerful interest groups in the Democratic Party to get something done,” Lieberman told the excited GOP delegates.
In return, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) threatened to strip Lieberman of his Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee chairmanship. Lieberman — clearly the most qualified for that job — mostly survived the petty retribution attempt, keeping his chairmanship but getting kicked off the Environment and Public Works Committee. There’s just something about a politician who will lay down his chairmanship for the sake of a friend.
He stuck it to the party and stayed independent. After besting anti-war Democratic chosen one Ned Lamont as an independent in 2006, Lieberman remained cordial with the Democratic caucus — yet kept that “I” after his name. He somewhat caucused with the Dems, but after what they did to him in 2008 he stopped attending caucus lunches or strategy sessions. Of course, he was still subjected to silly tantrums like when Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), presiding over the upper chamber one day in 2009, cut off a Lieberman speech by both casting the objection for the senator’s request to continue and approving it as presiding officer. McCain, of course, took to the floor in defense of his friend. “That’s how the comity in this body has deteriorated,” McCain told reporters afterward. “We got to stop – we got to stop this kind of behavior. I’ve never seen anything like it. And I hope that I don’t see it again.”
Yawn, I am tiring of anyone who chose the labor of politician since Ronald Reagan. Let’s move on. Give me a cliff to jump from.
Ronald Reagan was the last real American in politics. He is to be missed. Other than him, there is nobody.
Nobody.
Least of all Joe Lieberman, who was a major shill for killing both the unborn and the Serbian people.
I suppose he is still alive because the Lord does not love the death of the unrighteous. In other words, only the good die young, and he’ll be around for awhile.
Say what you will about little Joey, you’ve got to admit he’s a walking, talking, living, breathing argument in favor of short term limits. 50 years of feeding at the public trough is loathsome.
Huh? I would say the reverse.
At any rate, here’s the problem with term limits. They end up giving power to the unenlected – staff, lobbyists, civil service, because the elected are trying too hard to catch up. This we have learned from our experience in the States.
Yup, the problem isn’t term limits, it’s the overreach of the Federal government. If the Feds (Congress) stuck to their Constitutionally limited role -AND- started cutting the govenment down to size -AND- quit delegating those powers they actually do have to the bureaucracy to execute without meaningful oversight then Congress wouldn’t need years to get oriented.
But that’s all a pipedream…
Yes, I’ve been blogging for a very long time, and I have the answer to that issue too!
Thanks, Bridget, for reminding us of this great and good person — a man of dedication to his country, high honor, principles and morality, which, unfortunately, are rare qualities among our political leaders and representatives today.
At least Lieberman was a Democrat you could actually reason with and have an intelligent conversation with. When a political party is reduced to electing people like Al Franken, there isn’t a lower level of professionalism it can sink down to. Franken was, is, and always will be a disgrace and it’s only fitting that the Democrats elected him. Although Lieberman is a Democrat, at least you could cut a deal with him. Now Congress is so polarized, nothing short of a civil war will change the way those people behave.
Thank you for that beautiful article. (The ADL is becoming more and more irrelevant.) Sen. Lieberman attended my wife’s synagogue in Washington (Jack Lew is in my sister’s.)
I think he was a good example in the Senate, but he partly got away with it because he had not much of a religious education. That’s why he could get asked about things like Homosexual Rights and give an answer that is clearly false in Judaism. He was actually defended for this by the Jewish Press, as they stated he had no choice. But when he ran for VP it was embarrasing. He said he “knew how the game was played” and basically put his priniples in a blind trust (to steal from Trudeau) unti lafter the election. I understand what he was doing, and why, but when I saw him standing next to murderous anti-semite Al Sharpton and shake hands with the genocidal head of NARAL – well, I’ll just say that did not sanctify God’s name. But aside from that interragnum, I think he was great.
When he was running for VP, a religious couple who happened to have the same names as he Joe and his wife (that is, a different Joe and Hadassah Lieberman)wrote a book against his candidacy.
Mkz1:
We both know that the orthodox community is split between “black hat” and “modern”, and that many of those in the first group appear (to this set of shomer Shabbath eyes) to have lost all tolerance for others of the people of Israel. I suggest to you that Lieberman occupied a role familiar to the 19thC world and earlier in his relationships outside the community, that of “court Jew” or the public face of Jews, to use a phrase from old Europe. As such, your comment “but when I saw him standing next to murderous anti-semite Al Sharpton and shake hands with the genocidal head of NARAL – well, I’ll just say that did not sanctify God’s name..” is way out of line. You have forgotten the difference between the private and the public role.
This is not the place to debate this with you in more detail. But I am sure that if you consult a suitable eminent authority you can find textual precedents for what I am talking about.
If wanted to lower myself to your level, I would point out to you that Zyklon B does not distinguish between those who pray with “kavannah” (spiritual intensity), those who merely recite, and those who do not pray at all.
I wish Senator Lieberman a long life and many great grandchildren.
Good for Joe. If more Democrats in the House and Senate were cut from his cloth, we might have a budget today and Obama would not have a rubber stamp. He’s one of the last who has respect for those who don’t agree with him.
I wouldn’t vote for him, but damn, I can’t help but like the man.
At some point, the sooner the better, decent, civilized Democrats of all persuasions ought to withdraw their support from an indecent, uncivilized party. Habit or expediency are poor excuses.
In this age of Obumbles, does there exist any courageous, civilized, honest and PATRIOTIC Democrats?
I cannot recall any honorable Democrat in this House of Cards. Each one of them is a lying, anti-Constitutional traitor.
“I leave this chamber as full of faith in the dream called America, as when I stood here nearly a quarter of a century ago to take the oath of office for the first time.”
As Senator, Mr. Lieberman lived a life of privilege. Doors opened for him, powerful people sought his ear. He will have one of the best retirement packages known on earth. I ask, after a quarter of a century, what did he do for America? How does his contribution, status, and income compare to others who contributed? Did he keep us out of war? Did he help win our wars? Is our economy stronger for his policies? What did he do to keep our governmental spending in balance with its income? The Senate has not passed a budget in three years, what role did he play in this debacle? Do people share his judgment,” full of faith in the dream called America”. Is it as vibrant as when he first took the oath? For an average American, their wealth has not risen one dollar since that day. Almost none did as well as he did, and he did it on their backs.
He leaves a chamber filled with skilled talkers. A chamber which has less turn over than the Russian Duma. But what are their accomplishments?
I do not know the man, do not judge him, but I have little regard for the organization which paid him for decades. They, both parties, fail our nation. They are, for a generation, gutless wonders.
The Knesset will be saddened by his departure from the Knesset.
I am sure another dual national will take his place.
U.S.A. 1776-2001 Dead and destroyed
Thanks Gang
You are a nasty piece of work, aren’t you?
I suppose the “dual nationality” to which you refer is Roman Catholic? USA and the Papal State? (like the Kennedys come to think of it!)
Probably the last gentleman in the Democrat Party. I didn’t like his politics, but he is a decent man.
Are there any left in that bunch?
hit your ass on your way out, Joe
you voted for obamacare, stupid
and you weren’t even a democrat
you didn’t have to do it, you jerk
you were a mealy-mouth coward
you of course wont have to worry
your congressman’s cadillac care
will keep you healthy and comfy
while death panel glue factories
tend to the rest of us old timers
so screw you joe, screw you joe
and good riddance, pious fraud
that you are, get outta here Joe
Lawmakers do indeed come and go….just not often enough.
There are no reasons to miss Joe Lieberman & I hail from CT. I admired him before 2000. He voted with conviction & I respected him for that even though I disagreed with many of his political beliefs. When he ran with Gore I thought maybe he just might add some common sense to the platform’s defense policy which he was noted for. Instead he wimped out. He’s just a common political hack who should have left a long time ago.
That said, the dingbats in CT voted for another useless & dim-witted(Chris Murphyreally is not very bright, for God sakes he is a public school teacher——- & it has nothing to do with him being a democrat although there is a high positive correlation to it.), way far-left Democrat to take Lieberman’s place.———-I got to get out of here!!
Just because Lieberman was not a horse’s a**, like so many other Washington Democrats, doesn’t mean we should admire him. He could’ve killed Obamacare in his committee–but, of course, he didn’t. He has supported and helped every major Democrat tyrant for the last 50 years. Just because he’s a nice guy–so what? So is Joe Biden.
And, more’s the pity, his successor is Chris Murphy, one of Pelosi’s automatons from the House. Murphy is an eel who’ll toe the party line from now until he retires in 50 years. He’s the youngest member of the Senate at 39. Connecticut’s given us Blumenthal and now Murphy. Hacks both. God help us all.
Joe’s lynching by the D party gives proof to the fact they are allergic to morality, truth and doing the right thing- and they proved themselves haters of G-d and Israel at their convention- His public flogging, a warning to those who would dare try to be righteous- I see here so many who vilify this man and they sound so similar to the Huffpot and Kos crowd- What’s a USA Jew to do? from the left and from the right- there is no place to stand for Jew that will please either side- I found I could no longer stand with the D party after 9-11 and I am not proud to stand on this side when I read these comments- and it’s not just this article’s comments- the jewhate (oh yeah we must call it the PC approved anti Israel now) is thick in many conserv & GOP especially libertarian circles.
Every day I see the growing popularity of the oldest of old slanders and libels, and the disappearance of the former shame that would come with airing such views. As a Jew I am daily blamed by GOP’ers for 0bama being voted in.
I thanks the author for this positive spin on Lieberman, praise him for the things he did do right- He paid the price for following his conscience. many Jew like me pay too- our family, our friends our jobs are all extreme left liberals- and yet we have no home, no welcome, no place over here on the right either. I suppose it is good there is an ISRAEL- as push can turn to shoving (into ovens) even here in good old USA.
Joe was as out of touch with the main stream as was John. Both men have really come to the end of the line, and would best go off into the meadow gracefully.