Lieberman belongs among U.S. heros
We learn in our American history classes about heroes like George Washington, Thomas Edison, Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr. Each of them accomplished great things while they were alive and, decades after they pass on, they are remembered for their bravery, integrity and courage. We generally don’t often think of people presently in public life as heroes until years after their death. But I believe that there is one popular figure that, love him or hate him, is not appreciated enough for his bravery, integrity and courage.
The man I am talking about is a democrat. He has run for president and even made a presidential ticket for the democrats. Joe Lieberman ran for vice-president as Al Gore’s running-mate in 2000. Lieberman even made history as the first Jewish person on a presidential ticket of either major party. And, in 2000, the democrats loved Lieberman. What’s not to love about him? He’s progressive on social issues and economic issues while moderate on foreign issues.
After a warm reception running for vice-president in 2000, Senator Lieberman decided to press his luck with a Presidential bid. In 2004, Lieberman ran for the Democratic nomination, but had to withdraw his nomination after receiving well under 5% in almost every poll. When he withdrew he endorsed Howard Dean, the most popular Democrat running, and by far the most liberal Democrat.
Then 2006 came around and it was Lieberman’s turn to run for re-election again. Senator Lieberman has always easily won his re-elections as a Senator dating back to 1988, but this time he was facing some fierce competition. This competition didn’t come from the the Republican Party. It came from his own party. A Connecticut businessman named Ned Lamont decided to challenge Lieberman solely because Lieberman voted for the War in Iraq in 2003. In no time, democrats from all over the country flew in to support Lamont’s campaign to defeat the former vice-presidential candidate. Even leading democrats like Hillary Clinton and John Kerry, both of whom voted for the War in Iraq, were holding fund-raisers for Ned Lamont. The Democratic National Committee led by Howard Dean, whom Lieberman endorsed for president in 2004, decided to fund Lamont’s campaign with money from the Democratic Party.
The cards were stacked against Lieberman as he suffered a loss in the Democratic Senate Primary to Ned Lamont. The only way for Lieberman to stay a senator was to run as an independent and defeat the same party that he ran for president for just two years prior.
With support from the Republican National Committee, Senator Lieberman was able to maintain his Senator status. After winning election for the first time in his life as an “independent”, Lieberman decided to caucus with Democrats giving them a one vote majority in the Senate.
None of that makes Lieberman a hero. Not even with the insurmountable odds that he overcame to get where he is today. Although, what Senator Lieberman did last week does make him a national hero. Despite Lieberman’s criticisms of President Bush’s handling of the War in Iraq, Lieberman tried to put to rest his fellow Democrats talk about cutting off funding for the troops. Lieberman told the nation that if Democrats cut off funding for the troops then he will switch parties giving Republicans a majority in the Senate.
The way that he puts it, “I am 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.” Whether or not we support the war, we should always support the troops. It’s good to know that there are American heroes in the Senate supporting the American heroes in the military.
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Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Mar 2 2007. Filed under Opinion.
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