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Joseph Isadore Lieberman (born February 24 1942) is a politician from Connecticut, United States. Lieberman was elected to the United States Senate in 1988 and is in his third term as a U.S. Senator from Connecticut. As the Democratic nominee for Vice-president in 2000, he was the first Jewish-American to win a plurality of the popular vote, with over half a million more votes than the Republican Vice-presidential candidate Dick Cheney, but he was defeated in the Electoral College by a vote of 271 to 266. Lieberman is currently campaigning as the "Connecticut For Lieberman" party candidate for the United States Senate in the November 2006 elections. Lieberman created the independent political party after losing the 2006 Democratic primary election to Ned Lamont.
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Early life and career
Lieberman was born in Stamford, Connecticut to Henry Lieberman (April 3 1915 — January 3 1986), the son of Polish Jewish immigrants and Marcia Manger (November 1 1914 — June 25 2005) of Austrian Jewish background. The Liebermans owned the Hamilton Liquor Store, which the couple operated until Henry Lieberman’s retirement in 1977. Along with Joseph the couple had two daughters, Rietta Miller and Ellen Lieberman. Joe Lieberman attended Stamford High School and was elected as president of his senior class in 1960. He received his BA in Politics and Economics from Yale University in 1964. He was the first member of his family to graduate college. After graduating, he attended Yale Law School receiving his LLB law degree in 1967. In 1963, he traveled to Mississippi to help African-Americans register to vote. After graduation from law school, he worked for a New Haven-based law firm, Wiggin & Dana LLP.
Lieberman was elected as a "reform Democrat" to the Connecticut Senate in 1970, where he served for 10 years, including the last six as Majority Leader. He suffered his first 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.
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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, who is also Jewish, later worked as a psychiatric social worker. In 1981, the couple divorced. When asked about the divorce in an interview with New York Magazine, Lieberman said, "one of the differences we had was in levels of religious observance," adding, "I'm convinced if that was the only difference, we wouldn't have gotten divorced."
In 1982, he met his second wife, Hadassah Freilich Tucker while he was running for attorney general of Connecticut. Hadassah Lieberman 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, which is Hebrew for Esther, the heroine of the Jewish holiday of Purim, is also the name of the Women's Zionist Organization of America). Since March 2005, Hadassah Lieberman has worked for Hill & Knowlton, a lobbying firm based in New York City, as a senior counselor in its health and pharmaceuticals practice. She has held senior positions at the Hospital of Saint Raphael 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, Hani. 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.
She is married to Jacob Wisse. 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.
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.
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Religion
Lieberman is an Orthodox Jew, though he was less observant in 1965 when he married Betty Haas, a Reform Jew. Since the death in 1967 of Lieberman's grandmother, a deeply religious immigrant, he found renewed interest in religious observance. His second wife, Hadassah, is also an observant Orthodox Jew. "Hadassah calls herself my right wing," says Lieberman.[ In Lieberman's 1988 upset of GOP incumbent Senator Lowell Weicker, his religious observance was mostly viewed in terms of inability to campaign on Shabbat. This changed when Gore chose Lieberman as the running mate; a Lieberman press officer who spoke on condition of anonymity said:]
The Liebermans keep a kosher home and observes the Shabbat. Nonetheless, some Orthodox Jews have voiced concerns about the Liebermans' omissions, such as Hadassah's infrequent covering of her head.[Goodstein, Laurie. Modern Orthodox (Sen. Lieberman) New York Times August 19, 2000.]
Lieberman has said that there is currently "a constitutional place for faith in our public life."[Gold, Matea. Lieberman and religion seem to be an easy mix. Los Angeles Times August 28, 2000.] He attends Kesher Israel Congregation in Georgetown, Washington, DC and Beth Hamedrosh Hagodol - B'nai Israel, The Westville Synagogue, New Haven, Connecticut. He also attends Congregation Agudath Sholom in Stamford, CT.
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Senate tenure
In 1988, Lieberman defeated moderate Republican Lowell Weicker to win election to the United States Senate and was re-elected in 1994 and 2000. Like Bill Clinton and Dick Gephardt, Lieberman served as chair of the Democratic Leadership Council, a group that has now been overtaken by conservative, corporatist Democrats with the goal of shifting the Democratic party away from traditionally populist and pro middle class positions.
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 moderate voting record and personal style. Lieberman ran especially well in conservative areas of the 5th District, where Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis received fewer votes than George H.W. Bush. 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. 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. 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 Air Land 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.
As Senator, Lieberman is Ranking Member and former Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which is responsible for assuring the efficiency and effectiveness of the Federal Government. In addition, he is a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee; Senate Armed Services Committee, where he is Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Air Land Forces and sits on the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities; and the Small Business Committee.
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Vice-Presidential campaign
In August 2000, Lieberman was selected as the nominee for Vice President of the United States by Al Gore, the Democratic Party nominee for President. Lieberman was the first Jewish candidate on a major political party ticket. The announcement of Lieberman's selection resulted in an increase in support for Gore's campaign.
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. Like both Johnson and Bentsen, he decided to stage a run to maintain that seat. Unlike them, Lieberman's decision would have affected control of the Senate if Lieberman had become Vice President, which would have required a swing of only 269 votes in the Florida Presidential race. In that case, Republican Connecticut governor John G. Rowland would have been able to name a replacement.
Some questioned the strategy of having Lieberman run for both offices, saying that it "threatens his party's chances of winning a Senate majority."
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.
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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. He acknowledged to the Hartford Courant that his support for the war in Iraq was a large part of his undoing with voters.
Lieberman's former running candidate Al Gore did not support Lieberman's Presidential run, and in December 2003 endorsed Howard Dean's candidacy, saying "This is about all of us and all of us need to get behind the strongest candidate Dean."
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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". and renounced any support for Proposition 209. 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."
In 2003, Lieberman criticized Bush's affirmative action policy. 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."
Lieberman has stated he wants to increase subsidies for women-owned non-profit business., and he voted yes on setting aside 10% of highway funds for minorities & women.
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Consumer Protection
Lieberman was one of four Senate Democrats to side with Republicans in 1995 in voting to limit punitive damage awards in product liability cases.
In February, 2005, breaking ranks with the Democratic 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.
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Education
Lieberman championed experimental voucher programs, letting parents who could afford the tuition to use federal money to send children to public or private schools of their choice.
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." He has repeatedly criticized the administration to this effect.
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Entertainment Industry
Lieberman has been critical of the entertainment media. 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. 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." He voted for the Communications Decency Act.
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Environment
Lieberman co-sponsored the 1990 Clean Air Act, introduced legislation in 1991 to give consumers more information about the dangers of pesticides, and has addressed the need to limit global warming.
Lieberman has stated that the US population has to accept responsibility for global warming, and voted "yes" on banning drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Lieberman 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. Lieberman voted for the administration-backed Energy Policy Act of 2005; facing criticism, Lieberman called the bill imperfect but good for Connecticut, citing a saving of $800 million for Connecticut electricity customers. Lieberman has been a vocal critic of Bush's environmental policy.
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"Gang of 14"
On May 23, 2005, Lieberman was one of fourteen 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 refused to support a filibuster against Supreme Court Justice nominee Samuel Alito. 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. On the John Roberts nomination as the Chief Justice of the United States, Lieberman believed that Roberts did not seem to be the kind of right-wing candidate the "Gang of 14" feared the president would select. Lieberman said he thought Roberts was a "decent guy." But he also said it was too early to draw further conclusions. 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.
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Gay rights
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."[Human Rights Campaign. Bush vs. Kerry on GLBT Issues! (PDF) Retrieved October 10, 2006.]
Lieberman voted no on a constitutional ban of same-sex marriage.[ 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."][Gay Marriage Enters The Race. CBS News November 19, 2003. Retrieved October 10, 2006.]
Lieberman cosponsored the Domestic Partners Benefits and Obligations act of 2003, which provided the same benefits to domestic partners of federal employees as spouses currently have.
In 1996, Lieberman cosponsored the Employee Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.[The Library of Congress. S.2056 Retrieved October 10, 2006.] Lieberman voted in favor of the Early Treatment for HIV Act of 2003, which provided Medicaid treatment for people with HIV.
In August, 1994, Jesse Helms (R-NC) and Bob Smith (R-NH) proposed an amendment, S.AMDT.2434, to Elementary and Secondary Education Reauthorization (ESEA) - S.1513 - that would prevent federal funding for schools that "implement or carry out a program or activity that has either the purpose or effect of encouraging or supporting homosexuality as a positive lifestyle." [American Library Association Washington Office. CLOTURE VOTES PASSES SENATE--FINAL ESEA VOTE EXPECTED. Retrieved October 10, 2006.][The Library of Congress. ??][The Library of Congress. S.1513 Retrieved October 10, 2006.] Lieberman voted for the amendment.[United States Senate. U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 103rd Congress - 2nd Session. Retrieved October 10, 2006.] He voted for prohibiting HIV-positive immigrants from entering the United States and against a measure to grant domestic-partner benefits to District of Columbia employees.[Pleased, not thrilled - vice presidential candidate Joseph Lieberman and gay issues. The Advocate September 12, 2000.][Clymer, Adam. House, Like Senate, Votes To Ban H.I.V. Immigrants. The New York Times March 12, 1993.][United States Senate. U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 103rd Congress - 1st Session. Retrieved October 10, 2006.][The Library of Congress. S.AMDT.39 Retrieved October 10, 2006.]
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Gun control
Lieberman received an "F" rating from the National Rifle Association and a 90% from the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.
He was one of 84 senators who voted in favor of the Vitter Amendment which prohibited the federal funding of the confiscation of legally-owned firearms during a disaster.
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Health care and reproductive rights
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. 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, a pill that prevents conception. 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". Lieberman said that Orthodox Judaism considers abortion to be a personal matter, although many Orthodox Jews disagree.
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Social Security
Lieberman cosponsored a resolution urging the Congress to reject the Bush Administration Social Security Commission's report.
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Tax, labor, and business
Lieberman voted against much of the Bush tax plan,
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Other
Lieberman has voted against amending the Constitution to make it constitutional to criminalize flag burning.
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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.
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 U.S. Senate Resolution (S. Res. 247) regarding the Middle East Conflict, "expressing solidarity with Israel in its constant efforts to fight against terror".
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 Associated Press, in 2000, Lieberman received $83,000 from pro-Israel PACs when he ran for his Senate seat. 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."
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.
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." 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.
During an exchange with Donald Rumsfeld in the 2004 senate hearing on the Abu Ghraib scandal, Lieberman denounced the abuses as "immoral" and deserving 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."
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Bush kiss
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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. The incident became known as "the kiss." At first, Lieberman staff humorously referred to the embrace as "some kind of Yale thing." However, political backlash arose among Lamont supporters and other critics of Lieberman. Lamont backers used the incident in a campaign button: "The Kiss: Too Close for Comfort" and a large papier-mache sculpture which stalked Lieberman on the campaign trail. 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. After Lieberman's defeat in the Democratic primary, an editorial claimed Bush's sign of affinity cost him the election, and referred to the smack as "the kiss of death."
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Primary
Senator Joe Lieberman sought the Democratic Party's renomination for U.S. Senate from Connecticut in 2006 but lost to Ned Lamont, a Greenwich businessman.
In July, Lieberman announced that he would file papers to appear on the November ballot should he lose the 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. On July 10, the Lieberman campaign officially filed paperwork allowing him to collect signatures for the newly formed Connecticut for Lieberman party ballot line.
On August 8, 2006, Lieberman conceded the Democratic primary election to Ned Lamont, saying, "For the sake of our state, our country and my party, I cannot and will not let that result stand," and announced he would defy the will of the voters as well as the Democratic National Committee and run in the 2006 November election as an independent candidate on the Connecticut for Lieberman ticket, against both Lamont and the Republican candidate, Alan Schlesinger.
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November election
On August 9 2006, Lieberman announced his intention to run as an "independent Democrat" in the upcoming November election.[Lieberman concedes to Lamont, vows to run in November. CNN August 10, 2006. Retrieved October 10, 2006.] He petitioned to run on the ticket of Connecticut for Lieberman party, saying that this was a technicality and that he would continue to caucus in the Senate as a Democrat.[Associated Press. Connecticut Groups Push to Remove Lieberman From Ballot. The Washington Post August 22, 2006.]
Polls after the primary showed Lieberman ahead of Lamont by 5 points; polls since then show Lieberman leading by varying margins. Schlesinger barely registers support and his campaign has run into problems based on alleged gambling debts.
On August 9 2006, Hillary Clinton affirmed her pledge to support the primary winner, saying "voters of Connecticut have made their decision and I think that decision should be respected",[Fouhy, Beth. Clinton Reiterates Pledge to Back Lamont. The Washington Post August 10, 2006.] and Howard Dean called for Lieberman to quit the race, saying he was being "disrespectful of Democrats and disrespectful of the Democratic Party".[Nagourney, Adam. PRIMARY IN CONNECTICUT: NEWS ANALYSIS; A Referendum On Iraq Policy. New York Times August 9, 2006.]
On August 10, in his first campaign appearance since losing the Democratic primary, referencing the 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot, Lieberman criticized Lamont, saying:[Healy, Patrick and Medina, Jennifer. Lieberman Goes on the Offensive, Linking the Terror Threat to Iraq. New York Times August 11, 2006.]
Lamont and some other Democrat consultants said that Lieberman was sounding like Bush. Lamont said, “That comment sounds an awful lot like Vice President Cheney’s comment on Wednesday. Both of them believe our invasion of Iraq has a lot to do with 9/11. That’s a false premise.”[ Lieberman's communications director replied that Lamont was politicizing national security by "portraying Lieberman as a soul mate of President Bush on Iraq".]
On August 17, 2006 the National Republican Senatorial Committee stated that they would favor a Lieberman victory in the November election over Democratic nominee Ned Lamont. The NRSC has stated that they are not going so far as to actually support Lieberman, however.[NRSC Takes Lieberman. Retrieved October 10, 2006.]
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani praised Lieberman at a South Carolina campaign stop on August 18, saying he was "a really exceptional senator."[First Read. MSNBC.com. August 17, 2006.] Other Republican supporters of Lieberman include New York Mayor Bloomberg, Jack Kemp, Fmr. Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and Senator Susan Collins of Maine.
Five Democratic Senators have maintained their support for Lieberman, and Lieberman has also received the strong support of former Senator and Democratic stalwart Bob Kerrey, who has offered to stump for him in the fall.[Kerrey for Lieberman. Retrieved October 10, 2006.] Democratic minority leader Harry Reid, while endorsing the party nominee, Lamont, has promised Lieberman that he will retain his committee positions and seniority if he prevails in the general election.
On August 28, Lieberman campaigned at the same motorcycle rally as GOP Congressman Christopher Shays. Shays told a crowd of motorcycle enthusiasts, "We have a national treasure in Joe Lieberman."
Mel Sembler, a former Republican National Committee finance chairman, helped organize a reception that raised a "couple hundred thousand dollars" for Lieberman, who was personally in attendance. Sembler is a prominent Republican who chairs I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby's legal defense fund.[Associated Press. Top Republican co-hosted fundraiser for Lieberman. International Herald Tribune. September 21, 2006.] New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) will hold a fundraiser for Lieberman at his home in November, co-hosted by former mayor Ed Koch (D) and former Senator Alfonse M. D'Amato (R).[Medina, Jennifer. In Connecticut Iraq Debate, Vague Policy Prescriptions. New York Times. September 18, 2006. pg. B3.] Koch called Lieberman "one of the greatest Senators we've ever had in the Senate."[Lieberman Stumps In New York, With Koch By His Side. NY1 News, October 3, 2006.]
The Rasmussen poll shows Lieberman leading by ten points.[Connecticut Senate: Lieberman Lead Reaches Double Digits. Retrieved October 10, 2006.] A University of Connecticut poll shows Lamont trailing Lieberman by only eight points.[Ned Chips Away at Joe's Lead. Retrieved October 15, 2006.]
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Published works
Lieberman is the author of six 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, In Praise of Public Life (2000), and An Amazing Adventure (2003), reflecting on his 2000 vice presidential run.
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Notes
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Official sites
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Voting records
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Interviews
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Contributors
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