The political significance of Joseph Lieberman

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  U.S. electoral politics in general

  The U.S. presidential election of the year 2000

Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-CT)

The MoJo Wire. Mother Jones article on Joseph Lieberman's 1993 sellout to the USX corporation and his position on hazardous industrial wastes.

Oppose Anti-Iraq Senate Letter

Arab American Institute Action Alert, 25 September 1998. Letter showing Joseph Lieberman's advocacy of U.S. genocide in Iraq.

ACLU Rating for Senator Lieberman, Democrat, Connecticut

ACLU's voting score card in Sessions 104 and 105 of Congress. Joseph Lieberman stood against the ACLU on most issues.

A Special Report on Sen. Joseph Lieberman--"Behind The Mask,"

V.P. Candidate's Role As Virtuecrat, Dangerous Record On State-Church Issue & "Tipper Stickers" Raises Concerns. American Atheists, #798 - 799, 7 August 2000. Behind Joseph Lieberman's mask are unsavory associations. Joseph Lieberman's presence on the Democratic ticket is part of continuing strategy by the party to incorporate "values" and religion in their public image, something which has become High Art for their Republican counterparts.

A Democrat who can red-bait Republicans

By Al Hart, Solidarity4Ever, 7 August 2000. Lieberman is a member of the rightist Democratic Leadership Conference (DLC) and a consistent free trader. He has made a name for himself in the Senate as an Orthodox Jewish Democrat who likes to line up with Christian Conservative Republicans on so-called "moral issues." He left a very bad taste in the mouths of many Connecticut voters at the time of Lieberman's run against the liberal Sen. Lowell Weiker.

Bad for the Jews, Bad for the Country: Joseph Lieberman has strayed from the best aspects of Jewish tradition

By Rabbi Michael Lerner, in BeliefNet, 7 August 2000. Joseph Lieberman is likely to accelerate the process in which the two major parties seem to be merging into one pro-business, pro-wealthy, elitist, and morally tone-deaf governing force.

Senator Often Stands to Right of His Party

By David E. Rosenbaum, The Record, 8 August 2000. Joseph I. Lieberman has often taken positions at odds with Vice President Al Gore and the Democratic Party on school vouchers, affirmative action, regulation of managed care, capital gains taxes and product liability. Usually votes with the Party, but when he has opposed the Clinton administration, Mr. Lieberman has invariably taken a more conservative stance, often the one held by Republicans.

Joe Lieberman - Irony and Hypocrisy

Mid-East Realities, 8 August 2000. Joe Lieberman and Al Gore were two of the 10 Senators of the Democratic party who voted to make war on Iraq and who have pressed to maintain the genocidal "sanctions" on that country. When the actual policies he has advocated are examined in cold fact he has been one of the primary advocates of modern-day genocide, of neo-apartheid in the Holy Land, and of a rampant American militarism whose day of reckoning is yet to come.

Lieberman on secrecy

From Steven Aftergood, Project on Government Secrecy, Federation of American Scientists, 8 August 2000. While Joseph Lieberman has spoken out against secrecy, he has opposed secrecy reform on several occasions.

Senator's Reform Efforts Sometimes Get Results

By Helen Dewar and Eric Pianin, Washington Post, 9 August 9 2000. Lieberman, unable to get legislation though, takes on the role of conscience of the Senate, with a passionate interest in issues involving morals and cultural values. However, despite his call for overhauling campaign finances, he's been an aggressive participant in the current system. When Lieberman occasionally dissents from the Democratic Party line, it has invariably been to take a position to the right of his party. Many find Joe Lieberman easy to ignore, especially when, as some have said privately, he gets a little sanctimonious or politically self-serving.

Perspectives on Sen. Lieberman's Policies

From the Institute for Public Accuracy, 9 August 2000. Identifying Sen. Lieberman as a moral hero only makes sense when we narrow our vision of 'morality' to the sphere of sexual ethics and abandon the Biblical insistence that social justice is the core of ethical life. It is indeed a shame that a person with Lieberman's policies is the first Jewish person to be on a major ticket, given how much American Jews have contributed to social justice throughout the years.

Lieberman criticized for support of military spending

By Diane Scarponi, Associated Press, 9 August 2000. Peace activists critical of Sen. Joseph Lieberman's support of the defense industry - a major Connecticut employer since the Civil War - say his hawkish record may drive left-leaning Democrats to Green Party candidate Ralph Nader. There is no other Democrat within shooting range of Joe Lieberman with the weapons lobby. Talk of Lieberman's high moral standards does not wash with his defense record.

Media, political "churn" over Lieberman pick continues along with state-church questions

American Atheists, 9 August 2000. Lieberman's professed religiosity could end up being "problematic", but it is part of a broader Democratic Party strategy. A Gore policy advisor told reporters that the party "is going to take back God this time."; Lieberman is the perfect man for the job. There is growing scrutiny about Lieberman's record on First Amendment issues. Lieberman is using religiosity to woo voters, and he has a poor record on capitol hill regarding the separation of church and state."

A Passing Exploration of Privatization

By John Mintz, The Washington Post, 10 August 2000. Lieberman once favored exploring the idea of partially privatizing Social Security but late last year suddenly came to agree with V.P. Gore. Significantly, this reversal came right after Gore policy adviser Elaine Kamarck asked him and about 20 other Democratic leaders to make statements criticizing Bush's Social Security proposal.

Holy smoke and mirrors: The Rise of centrist theocrats

By Norman Solomon, Creators Syndicate, 10 August 2000. It's always dangerous when politicians claim to be doing God's will. So, as the novelty fades from Al Gore's selection of Joseph Lieberman, journalists should ask some probing questions about the ticket's conspicuous piety.

Joe Lieberman fails first big moral test

Mid-East Realities, 10 August 2000. But even though Senator Lieberman went to some pains to tell us how proud he is as a Jew, what a strong supporter he is of Israel, not a word from the Senator about one of the most blatantly racist and bigoted comments to be ever uttered about an entire people by one of the major religious figures in Israel.

ACJ Urges Senator Lieberman to Reconsider his Position

American Committee on Jerusalem Press Release, 11 August 2000. Analysis of Lieberman's position on the Jerusalem issue.

Al Gore, The Jews and the Liberal-Left

By Dave Silver, 11 August 2000. Lieberman has received a very positive response not only leaders of major Jewish organizations, but also a broad spectrum of liberal and Left people. Who is this moral Jew that is so compatible with the policies and practices of the ruling class? No illusions that the Democratic Party can be "reformed" and be part of a people's solution rather than the problem.

Lieberman pontificating on the evils of Hollywood

Reuters, 15 August 2000. Democratic vice presidential candidate Joseph Lieberman accused Hollywood on Sunday of corrupting the nation's children and corrupting its culture, singling out Walt Disney Co. Lieberman, has been an outspoken critic of the film industry, and some in Hollywood were less than enthusiastic when Gore tapped the two-term senator as his running mate.

Lieberman Stirs Concern Among Blacks

By Thomas B. Edsall and Hamil R. Harris, The Wasington Post, 15 August 2000. Some African American Democrats, who have questioned his stands on affirmative action and education and suggested he may cost the party support in a key constituency.

Lieberman Rallies Delegates

By David S. Broder, The Washington Post, 16 August 2000. Lieberman, promised their administration would help all Americans "claim the limitless possibilities of their own God-given lives." His rhetoric was reassuring to African Americans and other liberals who had questioned some of his senatorial stands on school vouchers and affirmative action.

Lieberman a close ally of Miami's Cuban exiles

By Anthony Boadle, Reuters, 11 August 2000. Democratic vice presidential candidate Joseph Lieberman is a firm opponent of relaxing the pressure on Cuba. He voted for the 1992 Cuban Democracy Act and the 1996 Helms-Burton Act tightening the embargo. Lieberman joined Republican politicians to delay the return to Cuba of six-year-old Elian Gonzalez, and he has consistently supported funding of the controversial U.S.-government's Radio and TV Marti stations that broadcast to Cuba. Lieberman and Gore have identical views on the goals of U.S. policy on Cuba.

Al Gore, The Jews and the Liberal-Left

By Dave Silver, 11 August 2000. Can we say that the selection of Joseph Lieberman is a blow to anti-semitism and white racism? No, for Gore and Clinton were architects of the Democratic Leadership Council which moved the Party's "middle" to the Right to keep pace with the perceived movement of their constituency to the Right.

Comments on Lieberman Stir Old Tensions

By Lynne Duke, Washington Post, 20 August 2000. Example of how the capitalist media focus on religion displaces discussion of any real issues; a focus on a few ambivalent statements implicitly dismisses the Black vote as a whole.

Does Joe Lieberman Really Hold the Moral High Ground?

By David Morse, in the San Francisco Chronicle, 23 August 2000. Politically, it is hard to argue with Lieberman's choosing to distance himself from Clinton and Gore's subsequent choice of Lieberman. But whether this places Gore and Lieberman on the moral high ground is highly questionable. Let us not confuse the media's insatiable hunger for scandal with morality; let us not reduce morality to sex.

Lieberman Caught in Political Bind

By Dan Morgan, Washington Post, 26 August 2000. Big pharmaceutical companies and health insurers have been among the most generous donors to Connecticut Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman and the centrist Democratic political organization he co-founded four years ago. But lately the Democratic ticket he joined in Los Angeles has been biting the hand that funds him.

Lieberman Urges 'Place for Faith' in Public Life

By Ceci Connolly, Washington Post, 28 August 2000. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, choosing a black church, today delivered an impassioned appeal for a return of faith to public life. He focused on linking strong moral beliefs with political leadership. Lieberman adept at using faith as a rhetorical avenue to discuss the American dream, mass culture and civil rights.

Church-state watchdog group urges Lieberman to curtail religious rhetoric of presidential campaign

Americans United for Separation of Church and State press release, 29 August 2000. Urges Lieberman to reduce his use of religious campaign rhetoric. "Religion is taking on a progressively larger role during this campaign and candidates' personal faith is being presented to the public with increasing regularity,"

Lieberman Urged to Rethink Conn. Race

By William C. Mann, Associated Press, 3 September 2000. Lieberman's decision to run for the Senate in Connecticut while he also runs for Vice President.

Where Would Senate Be Without Lieberman?

By Helen Dewar, Washington Post, 4 September 2000. If Democrats pick up four Senate seats, there would be a 50-50 tie, which a Democratic vice president would break. However, if Lieberman is elected Senator from Connecticut, he would have to relinquish the seat, and his replacement would be chosen by Connecticut's GOP governor, who would name a Republican. So there would be no tie for Lieberman to break in favor of his Party.

Let Senator Joe Lieberman know that you, and millions of other American nonbelievers, support the separation of Church and state -- and you vote!

AANews, 5 September 2000. Joseph Lieberman told a church audience that it was time for Americans to "reaffirm our faith and renew the dedication of our nation and ourselves to God and God's purpose." He also suggested, "the constitution guarantees freedom of religion, not freedom from religion."

"Contact Joe," Remind Lieberman and other pols that we have separation, the right to freedom from religion

American Atheists, 6 September 2000. Campaign to protect religious freedom from Sen. Joseph Lieberman.

Lieberman Pulls Back on Religion

By David S. Broder, Washington Post, 10 September 2000. Lieberman admits that big business is concerned about his injection of religion into the campaign and so back off.

Donors Old and New Inspired by Lieberman

By Lori Montgomery and Ceci Connolly, Washington Post, 16 September 2000. The Jewish community has always been a reliable source of cash, but the prospect the first Jewish vice president is a significant fundraising boon to the party, and the first Jewish vice presidential nominee has turned out to be a fundraising dynamo.

Bennett Hits Lieberman on Hollywood

By Michael Powell, The Washington Post, 21 September 2000. Democratic vice presidential nominee Joseph I. Lieberman soft-pedals cultural criticism in pursuit of Hollywood dollars.

Bennet blasts Lieberman over censorship waffling, religious joke at fund raiser

AANews, 21 September 2000. Possible Democratic party efforts to rein-in Sen. Joseph Lieberman's Old Testament-style blasts at the entertainment industry draws the wrath of his friend William J. Bennett, former secretary of education. Bennett accuses Mr. Lieberman of retreating from the crusade against excessive violence, sexuality and irreverence in popular media.

For Lieberman, Guns Are No Easy Target

By Dan Morgan, Washington Post, 22 September 2000. Vice presidential candidate Joseph I. Lieberman has a long record of support for gun control, but when it comes to defending the interests of the firearms companies Connecticut's "gun valley," Lieberman has sometimes acted like just another home-state senator defending his region's economic interests.

A Brief Visit Home To Run for Senate

By Edward Walsh, Washington Post, 26 September 2000. Under Connecticut law, if the Gore-Lieberman ticket wins in November and Lieberman is also reelected to the Senate, he would have to resign his Senate seat before taking office as vice president. Lieberman's replacement would be named by Republican Gov. John G. Rowland.

Who is Joe Lieberman?

By Dr. Manning Marable, in Along the Color Line, September 2000. Lieberman has shifted to the right and holds positions hostile to the interests of African Americans. Bush, Cheney, Gore and Lieberman, in the end, only reflect variations of the same bankrupt political philosophy.

Gore-Vey!: Joe Lieberman, Jewish Mobility, and the Politics of Race in America

By Tim Wise, September 2000. Given Lieberman's voting record, which places him in the Benjamin Netanyahu school of political Jews, author finds it difficult to be ebullient at the sight of such a person on any political ticket.

Dear Senator Lieberman

An open letter from Stanley Heller and Mazin Qumsiyeh, 11 October 2000. Senator Joe, you're reputed to be a man of conscience. Please speak out against Israeli apartheid and murder of civilians. Please demand that Congress suspend aid to Israel until it complies with basic human rights and international law.

What Is Joe Lieberman Trying To Tell Us?

By Michael Moore, 20 October 2000. Lieberman continues to run for vice president AND the U.S. Senate. Connecticut. If Gore and Lieberman win, the crucial Senate seat from Connecticut will go to a Republican and deprive the Democrats possible control of the Senate. To him, a personal victory is more imporant than a Gore victory.

Lieberman again claims "no freedom from religion" in Notre Dame address; cites Judeo_Christian roots of America

In American Atheists, 24 October 2000. Joseph Lieberman called for a greater role for religious groups in the public square, and again declared that "the Constitution promises freedom of religion, not freedom from religion. We are after all not just another nation, but 'one nation under God.'"

Joe Lieberman again tells Americans we don't have freedom from religion

In American Atheists, 26 October 2000. American Atheists President Ellen Johnson told the Los Angeles Times that Lieberman has his facts wrong -- the Constitutional separation of church and state does guarantee us freedom FROM religion, and that religion has been an oppressive and divisive force throughout history.