Some politicians are universally loved and others universally despised. Not many are both loved and despised. Lowell Weicker and Hillary Clinton come to mind as two politicians in our recent history who fall into that special category — politicians who inspire strong feelings both ways. In the last three years, through luck and hard work on his part, Sen. Joseph Lieberman has managed to move from the universally loved category to the Weicker/Clinton class.
Reviewing the span of his career, you have got to hand it to him for building a record that students of politics will analyze, admire and take lessons from for years.
It’s always dangerous to try to put a politician into historical perspective while he is still active and at the center of emotional debate. But let’s put all the emotion aside and consider where this man has been. His journey is as rich in the “anything is possible in America” storyline as it is rich in irony.
If it’s true that all political careers end badly, then Lieberman is either on his way to proving the point, or on his way to becoming a legend. It depends on what he does about re-election in 2012 and how he fares. If he runs and wins, he is legend.
Resume Reflection
I’d like to admit right here that this column is not an analysis; it doesn’t attempt to uncover any hidden truth. It’s just an effort to take a moment to consider the resume of a man, who under normal circumstances, would be described as nothing less than accomplished. Someone you would want your kids to emulate. It seems like reflection is in order.
An earnest demeanor and restless ambition have propelled Lieberman from campaign to campaign since his graduation from law school in 1967. Less than three years out of Yale Law School, he won his first election to serve in the state Senate where he stayed for 10 years, including six as majority leader. In 1980, he worked in the private sector, but returned in 1982 to win a statewide race for attorney general.
His next ambitious gamble came in 1988 when he overcame underdog status to defeat Sen. Weicker in a campaign that accused Weicker of losing touch with the state. This is where the irony comes in.
It is difficult to have a low approval rating when serving in the U. S. Senate. You deal mainly with national issues; you are far from home, out of the public eye and only come back every six years to ask to be re-elected. It’s hard to have people turn against you under such circumstances, but Weicker, and now Lieberman, both have managed that.
Falling Out
Lieberman’s fall is recent, however. He was seen as a national leader in his party less than 10 years ago when he served as chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council, nominee for vice president in 2000 and a candidate for president in 2004.
In what appears to be the final act of his career, Lieberman stands now as an independent Democrat, shunned by the left wing of his party at home, but embraced in Washington, D.C. as another reliable vote.
The next few months will be critical for him if he has any interest in mending fences with Connecticut voters. His approval numbers are as low as they have ever been. He would almost certainly have to run as an independent in 2012. His decision will only change the last chapter of what is already one of the most intriguing books in Connecticut political history.
Dean Pagani is a former gubernatorial advisor. He is V.P. of Public Affairs for Cashman and Katz Integrated Communications in Glastonbury.
