JOE LIEBERMAN OF CONNECTICUT
August 16, 2000

A panel examines Senator Joe Lieberman's career in Connecticut and his stance on issues.

Online NewsHour Special Reports: 2000 Democratic Convention Election 2000 Aug. 15, 2000: Who are the Democrats of 2000? Aug. 15, 2000: Hollywood and Senator Joe Lieberman faceoff. Aug. 15, 2000: Former Vice President Walter Mondale talks about the race. Aug. 14, 2000: Former President Jimmy Carter discusses Gore and the Democrats. Aug. 14, 2000: Former presidential candidate Bill Bradley on the campaign. Aug. 14, 2000: Delegates from Arkansas look at Clinton's legacy. Aug. 11, 2000: Sen. Joe Lieberman discusses his nomination, religion and the campaign. Aug. 11, 2000: Examining Gore's economic plan. Aug. 8, 2000: An historic choice. Browse the NewsHour's coverage of Politics and Campaigns and Election 2000.     Joseph Lieberman Democratic Convention Official Web Site	GWEN IFILL: Connecticut Yankee Joseph Lieberman is still a mystery to much of America. We learn a bit more about the man who will accept the Democrats' vice presidential nomination tonight by turning to three people who have followed his Connecticut career: Richard Blumenthal, the state's attorney general; Bob Chase, president of the National Education Association, the nation's largest teachers union; and David Lightman, Washington bureau chief of the "Hartford Courant." David, what will America learn about Joe Lieberman tonight? DAVID LIGHTMAN: It will learn that he grew up really a son of the American dream -- father a liquor store owner, grew up in Stamford in a fairly modest house, which still isn't air conditioned -- we were there a few weeks ago - which tortures reporters. It will learn that he worked his way up, worked his way through Yale, Yale Law School, attorney general of the state. It will also learn, politically, that while he talks moderate and thinks moderate, in fact he often votes the Democratic Party line. This is not a man who goes off on his own very often. GWEN IFILL: So he's not the great centrist, whatever that means, Attorney General Blumenthal? RICHARD BLUMENTHAL: Whatever it means to be a centrist these day. And I think Joe Lieberman if nothing else has resisted in his record any of those traditional labels. He is a very pragmatic, thoughtful, eclectic thinker. And tonight will be in a way a test of television as well as Joe Lieberman, to see whether or not it really fully conveys the core of what he is, because he is a very deep, very thoughtful and really very insightful person. I think that will come across tonight. GWEN IFILL: But when you say test of television, you mean he might not necessarily communicate that well? RICHARD BLUMENTHAL: Well, I think in the setting that, the vast convention hall with thousands of people, it may be difficult for him to convey that part of his personality. And so the test of television will be tonight and over the next few weeks and months whether or not it gives him the chance and the opportunity in those settings where he can define himself in that way. As he said, it's the beginning of his self definition tonight, his introducing himself to the American people. And I think what will come across also is that he's a fighter. When he was attorney general, he fought the insurance companies, he was really, for me, as his successor, a model of standing up to the special interests, well before it became rhetorically and politically fashionable.
	Stance on school vouchers
	GWEN IFILL: We'll talk about that successor a bit in a minute because I think there may be another succession you have in mind. Bob Chase from the National Education Association, one of the things that have, questions that have been raised about Joe Lieberman in this past week have been his stands on a number of issues, including school vouchers, whether he actually thinks it's a good idea or not. Does that trouble you? BOB CHASE: Well, we were a little bit concerned about it and certainly spoken about it. And I think there are a couple things you have to keep in mind. In the last month Vice President Gore has said on three separate occasions, the latest being just yesterday, that a Gore-Lieberman administration would not be supportive of private school vouchers. And Senator Lieberman has also said that he would of course follow the lead of the Vice President when the new administration came into place. Senator Lieberman's record on education, other than that one area that does cause us some concern, has been excellent. We've rated him around 90 percent since he's been in the Senate and have been very pleased with the support that he's given to public education in a whole host of ways, not only to public education, but also to young people and students, and children, the type of things that we know we need and the things we look for in a new administration. GWEN IFILL: David, Joe Lieberman seems to come across as a pretty self effacing fellow, but he must have a certain measure of ambitions to have gotten this far. What will America learn about Joe Lieberman as they start to pay attention over the next few weeks? DAVID LIGHTMAN: Well, they'll learn a couple of things; that, in fact, he's been building to this moment virtually all his life. There's nothing wrong with that, but, in fact, this is a man who has had tremendous ambition. When he first came to the Senate in 1989, one of the first things he did was invite Republican members of the Connecticut congressional delegation to have lunch with him in the Senate dining room. Nobody had ever done this before in Connecticut. One of the members was so awed that Lieberman's chief of staff said at the time, you know, she'll never run against him, he's been so nice to her now; she never has in twelve years. This aide also said we've learned that being a nice guy is also good politics. He's gone too far occasionally. In 1993 during the big budget battle he actually went to a Republican reception in Washington, and the joke at the time was he won't be satisfied until he gets 100 percent of the vote. And, in fact, John Rowland, the current governor of Connecticut, suggested at the time well maybe Republicans should put Lieberman on their line as well. Senator Phil Gramm quickly squelched that and said wait a minute, look at this guy's voting record, and that's what you have to do. You know, last year he had a 95 rating from Americans for Democratic Action, on every major - GWEN IFILL: The liberal group. DAVID LIGHTMAN: -- the liberal group. He has a lifetime rating of 77, which is only within a few points below Senator Chris Dodd, who's seen as one of the Senate's great liberals. And the other thing to watch about Lieberman, and again there's nothing wrong with this necessarily, is that he'll talk and talk, but he usually goes the party line on Clarence Thomas, the budget battle, impeachment, right down the line. Campaign finance scandal, made sure he said that Al Gore had been slurred unfairly - ripped everybody else but he left Al Gore alone. GWEN IFILL: What will - Mr. Blumenthal - what will surprise Americans the most? We've read a lot about Joe Lieberman over the past week or so, mostly about his religion. But, as we are continually reintroduced to him over the next few months, what will surprise them the most about him?
	An independent strain of thinking
	RICHARD BLUMENTHAL: I think what will surprise the American people the most about Joe Lieberman is that he has an independent strain of thinking, that he has a sense of humor, that in some ways is very self deprecating but very original. GWEN IFILL: But David just said that independent thinking always ends up in him voting the party line in the end? RICHARD BLUMENTHAL: Well, to vote the party line, to have 90 percent ratings from groups, to have a certain kind of image is not necessarily a measure or even a reflection of what a person thinks. We're all categorized and sort of shelved these days in terms of labels. But having talked to Joe over the years about these issues, if he's given an opportunity, as he will be in the spotlight, to explain his beliefs, I think he will give a very original kind of explanation for how he got to where he is on those issues. After all, this is a person who has written a number of books. I've known him for 30 years. He's never explained to me his stand on an issue without using a very original and reflective approach. GWEN IFILL: I'm all for original. Fault lines in this party have developed during the last few days over Joe Lieberman - fault lines with the Black Caucus with some other liberal interests in the party. Do you think Joe Lieberman in the end will be a healer of those fault lines, or might his presence continue to aggravate them? BOB CHASE: I think there's been a bit of an exaggeration about the degree of depth of these fault lines. If we look at what happened yesterday with the Congressional Black Caucus and the fact that both got together and talked over the issues and came out of it working together, healing, supporting each other and so on. I think there's just a need for people to sit down, to talk about issues that are very sensitive and very important, and, as has been said by other panelists here, once those opportunities are there, people feel comfortable and people feel ready to move ahead. GWEN IFILL: What can he do in his speech tonight to accomplish that? BOB CHASE: I think… be Joe Lieberman. Joe Lieberman has the ability to come across extraordinarily well, because what he is saying is usually something that's very sincere and very heartfelt. And if Senator Lieberman is himself tonight, I think that a great deal of the concern and misconception that may be out there on the part of a whole lot of folks will somewhat melt away. GWEN IFILL: Well, we'll all be watching - three gentlemen of Connecticut. Thank you all very much.