Lieberman appeals beyond ethnicity
By BILL BERLOW
Tallahassee Democrat
It isn't only because Joe Lieberman is Jewish that I find his selection as Al Gore's running mate exciting. That in itself is a big deal, an acknowledgment that being Jewish doesn't mean that certain doors -- particularly those that lead to the Oval Office -- will always remain closed.
But it's the fact that Lieberman embodies traditional Jewish values -- including love of God, love of life, tolerance of and respect for those who are different than you --that's most meaningful. In that sense, he also exemplifies America at its best -- a place where one's faith or the color of someone's skin is an inseparable part of his or her identity, but it's not the whole puzzle.
I'm not an Al Gore fan, in large part because he seems to be the poster boy for why average citizens have come to distrust politicians so much. What won't he do to get elected?
Neither am I high on George W., who seems to depend on scripts and teleprompters the way diabetics rely on insulin. Without them, Bush seems as if he might go into shock. I'm less worried about his character than I am his depth.
Lieberman, by all accounts, is a mensh -- an honorable, decent fellow. Of course, he's distinguished himself for his upright character. By now, just about everyone knows the Connecticut senator was the first Democrat to unequivocally lambaste President Clinton, his longtime friend, over the Lewinsky affair. Gore said his boss was likely to "be regarded in the history books as one of our greatest presidents" months after Lieberman called Clinton's behavior "immoral" and "harmful" because of the message it sends to children and families.
But he's also known and respected in Washington for his political independence. As a centrist, he often finds himself at odds with many in his own party, including Gore, whose views are more liberal.
On school choice, for example, Lieberman is completely out of step with an important Democratic ally, the teachers' unions, who have the same degree of affection for vouchers as for cancer. Like him, I regard school choice -- a movement that vouchers are just one part of -- as an important but limited experiment in educational reform.
Lieberman also is not a knee-jerk supporter of affirmative action, as many Democrats seem to be.
But while he parts ways with Gore in those respects, his views on such issues as abortion (pro-choice but supports parental notification, which Gore doesn't), human rights, including those of homosexuals (supports), and "common sense" gun laws (favors) are mostly the same.
He's pro-business but also seeks environmental protections. The two don't have to conflict, as Leon County's Economic and Environmental Consensus Committee has proved.
His support for campaign finance reform, unlike Gore's, rings true.
A candidate's politics and policies should top every voter's litmus test. Lieberman's views mostly reflect mine (liberals call me conservative; conservatives label me liberal). That makes it easy for me to get turned on about his selection, just when my hopefulness about the direction of national politics had sunk to an all-time low.
Beyond that, I'm attracted to Lieberman's ability to transcend partisanship and bring what "The Almanac of American Politics" called "civility of spirit" to political dialogue. His eagerness to build on the values that bind us, rather than vilify those whose beliefs he doesn't share, is apparently real, not just rhetoric.
Republicans respect him for his willingness to cross party lines. He joined hands with former Education Secretary William Bennett in an effort to pressure Hollywood into being more responsible. Conservatives, particularly religious ones, respect his life of observance even if they don't always share his beliefs.
It's hard not to. I'm a Jew, but only recently in my life, and after considerable confusion, have I begun to seriously consider what it means to be Jewish -- beyond gastronomy. High on my list is a tradition of tolerance: understanding that, while one may be passionate about one's beliefs, it doesn't mean that those with differing views are necessarily wrong or, worse, evil or hopelessly lost.
Moreover, I admire Lieberman's uncompromising faith. "Without God," he said, "I wouldn't be here. That's where it all begins."
His strong reliance on God is straightforward and honest, yet not dogmatic -- a balance I wish all of us could emulate.
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Bill Berlow is an associate editor of the Tallahassee Democrat. As a member of the newspaper's editorial board, he helps determine editorial positions and writes editorials. Berlow came to the Democrat in 1981 as higher education reporter and spent 17 years in thenewsroom as a reporter and editor before joining the paper's editorial department. |
