Joe Lieberman and Zell Miller: Cousins?

Remember Zell Miller? He was a Democratic Senator from Georgia who almost always sided with Republicans in recent years, until he retired last year. Months before retiring, he appeared at the Republican National Convention to praise Bush and condemn John Kerry, the candidate of his own party. Despite repeated overtures from the GOP, he repeatedly turned down the opportunity to defect and increase the GOP majority in the Senate.

Now, Senator Joseph Lieberman, Democrat of Connecticut, faces a similar situation. The difference is that while Miller came from a state that increasingly turned Red, Connecticut is a true-blue New England state, and his constituents are starting to notice.

I have long admired Lieberman, and supported him in his brief run for president in 2004. An Orthodox Jew, his strong faith and belief in his convictions has always set him apart from generic double-talking politicians. He was elected to the Senate in 1988 in an upset victory, and has faced little competition since. His 2004 opponent, a man named Philip Giordano, is currently in prison for molesting children. Lieberman was elected Vice President in 2004, until Bush & Cheney’s lawyers prevented him from ever assuming the office. Despite getting some guff for simultaneously running for reelection and for Vice President in 2000, he has been very popular in his state.

Long a "moderate Democrat,’ he has veered dangerously close to becoming a conservative. His early attacks on Hollywood "indecency" bordered on government censorship, and made him a rare Democrat not in Hollywood’s favor. He was one of Bush’s original supporters of the Iraqi invasion, which I forgave because Bush convinced a lot of people that it was necessary. He voted with the GOP in confirming Alberto Gonzales as Attorney General, and has not ruled out supporting Bush’s absurd Social Security ideas. There was some talk of his being asked to join Bush’s cabinet overhaul, but he quickly ruled that out.

A February poll showed him with an outstanding 69% job approval rating, but there are certainly rumblings. Web sites have popped up such as www.timetogojoe.com and
www.dumpjoe.com. The last straw for many, it appears, was when Lieberman embraced Mr. Bush on February 3rd, following the State of the Union address. He literally, physically hugged the man. In Connecticut, which went overwhelmingly for Kerry in 2004 and Gore in 2000 (with Lieberman on the ticket), that is tantamount to treason.

In the midst of his third term in the Senate, Lieberman needs to assess where he stands. His "moderate" positions got him nowhere in his presidential campaign. He runs for reelection next year, and could be beaten, possibly even by another Democrat. He needs to ask himself if he is truly a Democrat, or Zell Miller’s northern cousin.