Last week, in the tradition of Thanksgiving, Joe Lieberman returned to his home state of Connecticut, holding his first press conference on home turf since the campaign ended. Responding to reporters with his wife, Haddasa, from his office in Hartford, Lieberman spoke mainly of the economy and the president-elect. "I think some of the points of contention, major contention, are ending," he said, in reference to the Iraq War, which caused him to lose favor with Connecticut democrats in the first place. On the economy, he remarked that it “is not waiting for Inauguration Day.” When it came time to speak of Obama, Lieberman showered him with praise, lauding the choice of economic advisors as well as nearly everything else having to do with the transition. "Everything that President-elect Obama has done since election night has been just about perfect,” Lieberman said.
Though his tone toward the democratic victor has eased dramatically, Lieberman has not been so quickly forgiven by those who feel he betrayed them by supporting McCain. Many supporters are angry that Lieberman was allowed to keep his chairmanship of the Homeland Security Committee. The Connecticut Democratic Central Committee is now considering censuring him from the state party. They are said to announce their decision before Christmas after a series of talks.
Though some supporters say they are willing to forgive Lieberman, others haven’t moved on so quickly. Approximately 53% of people polled in CT expressed dissatisfaction with the senator, while 76% of state Democrats reported animosity.
Nonetheless, Lieberman seems to be moving forth in the holiday spirit. On Tuesday, he visited a CT food bank and kindly accepted pies from still-supportive constituents. He later insinuated that he would run again for Senate in 2012, though additional details were not provided. For now, Lieberman seems to be sticking to his mantra of, “We’ve got to unite,” though many remain skeptical.
One thing is for sure. J-Lieb’s future is unsure.
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2 comments:
J-Leib is praising Obama more than a few months late. I guess its better late than never for the Connecticut Senator. I would eye keeping his seat for now if I were him and worry about 2012 later. Maybe the Repbulican Party can throw out a Pali-Leiberman ticket then. How is that for a team of Mavericks? They would not even win a state in the contiental US.
I wonder what role Lieberman will have in the new, more Democratic senate. Also, will Lieberman be content to pursue the needs of his constituency in the Senate or will he be drawn to the national stage again as a presidential of vice-presidential candidate? Also, despite J-Lieb's unorthodox voting record, I would caution ThaCEO that McCain remains the "maverick"iest of them all.
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