Former US Sen. Joe Lieberman Passes at 82

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Facts

  • Former US Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who was Al Gore's running mate on the Democratic ticket in the 2000 presidential election, died Wednesday in New York City from complications from a fall at 82.1
  • Prior to his win over Republican Lowell P. Weicker for his US Senate seat in 1988, Lieberman served as state Senate majority leader and Connecticut Attorney General. He stepped down from the Senate in 2013.2
  • Lieberman was the first Jewish American to be nominated on a major party's presidential ticket. He and Gore came up short after a prolonged legal battle over Florida's 25 electoral votes was won by former Texas Gov. George W. Bush and Dick Cheney.3
  • Lieberman won his last Senate reelection bid in 2006 as an independent after he lost the Democratic primary. More recently, he was a founding chairperson of the group No Labels, which has tried to cross the divide of partisan politics and is attempting to put centrist candidates on the 2024 presidential ballot.4
  • Throughout his career, Lieberman leaned left on some issues, including on the environment, but he was known as a hawk on matters of foreign affairs, including his support for the Iraq War.3

Sources: 1Associated Press, 2CTInsider.com, 3Politico.com and 4FOX News.

Narratives

  • Left narrative, as provided by Huffington Post. Lieberman leaves behind a long and accomplished but mixed legacy. Early-career accomplishments as a champion of progressive causes were completely wiped away by his late-life lurch to the right. He was steadfast in his support of the disastrous invasion and occupation of Iraq, and he nearly killed the Affordable Care Act. While he continued to caucus with Democrats as an independent, he too often aligned himself with Republicans on key issues to be remembered as any type of hero to the left.
  • Right narrative, as provided by Breitbart. Lieberman was a New Deal Democrat who was concerned with liberal social policies and civil rights, but he was willing to take unpopular stands in his party. Despite Democrats' intolerance of his support for the Iraq War, he held firm to his beliefs, knowing how crucial it was for the US to fight terrorism abroad. He endorsed Republican John McCain in the 2008 presidential race and even had nice things to say about former Pres. Donald Trump — proving there can be a middle ground in US politics. He has an important political legacy.