Lieberman’s legacy Former senator made Connecticut — and the world — better
It was the summer of 2000. U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman’s name was being mentioned on the short list of candidates Vice President Al Gore was considering as his running mate. Senator Lieberman asked me if I would go to Los Angeles to help organize his role at the Democratic Convention if he is chosen. I said “Yes”, I would be happy to go. But, I was not completely candid in my response because I, like other Jewish members of his inner circle, did not believe a Jew would ever be selected to be the nominee for the second highest position in our government. I did not have the confidence or optimism Senator Lieberman possessed. I was glad to be proven wrong.
That fall, Senator Lieberman and his wife, Hadassah, traversed our great country and experienced only good will from their fellow Americans. The Liebermans encountered many who had never met a Jew before, let alone an Orthodox one who observed the Sabbath; but those people appreciated he was a man of faith, even if that faith was different from theirs. Those times seem so distant from the world we live in today.
In the days since his passing I have spent a great deal of time thinking about Senator Lieberman and his numerous accomplishments. He was an extraordinary senator. During the formative years of my political involvement, Connecticut was blessed with two remarkable senators: Joe Lieberman and Chis Dodd — both leaders of the Senate in their own way. While the Senate is a revered legislative body, I often think of it as 100 small businesses, some better run than others. And those who work on Capitol Hill know the good from the bad. Senator Lieberman hired exceptionally talented people who possessed deep knowledge of their respective areas of expertise. Very early in his Senate career, his office was known as one of the important ones. On crucial issues such as the environment and gay rights, he was years ahead of the times. As his career evolved, he became chairman of the Homeland Security Committee working tirelessly to defend and protect America and its citizens. America is safer because of his efforts.
My relationship with the senator and Hadassah Lieberman began in November 1988. I had left law school during the fall semester to go work the last few weeks of his first Senate campaign. After returning to Austin, Texas, I was sitting on my couch studying for fall semester final exams when the phone rang. Senator-elect Joe Lieberman was on the line asking if I would come to Washington over my extended winter break to help coordinate his transition team and get his Senate office up and running. I was excited and optimistic to help get his office off the ground. His first temporary Senate office was a former Capitol Police locker room where we literally removed Playboy centerfolds pictures from the old lockers to try to make it usable as temporary office space. It was the beginning of a relationship spanning more than 35 years.
Over those years I was asked to serve in a variety of roles, largely as Senator Lieberman’s legal adviser, as organizer and chairman of his independent party and
as a member of his campaign team. It was an honor and a privilege. He was incredibly bright and thoughtful. We had a very informal relationship as he, Hadassah and I just clicked. I include Hadassah because they were an incredible team. They were so clearly in love with each other, and that love radiated out to those around them creating a level of warmth and positive energy that flowed to others.
Women played an incredibly important role in Senator Lieberman’s life. From his mother, his wife, his daughters and his staff, he surrounded himself with an incredibly talented team of women who were his key advisers throughout his life. That group included his DC and Connecticut chiefs of staff, Clarine Nardi Riddle and Sherry Brown, respectively. It’s not an accident that he had 25-plus year relationships with many key staffers and advisers. He treated them with respect, showed that he valued their work and input, and entrusted them with decision-making authority.
Before I left to go to Los Angeles for the 2000 Democratic Convention, Senator Lieberman asked me to evaluate whether under Connecticut law he could run for both vice president and the U.S. Senate at the same time. Lyndon Johnson had done that in 1960. We worked round the clock to determine that he could run for both offices at the same time, and then had to find a secure fax machine to receive our research results in Nashville where he was headed to be announced as Al Gore’s running mate. A partner of mine and I watched Joe and Hadassah take the stage in Nashville to join Al and Tipper Gore as the Democratic ticket.
As we watched this historic and inspiring moment, I looked over at my partner. He was quiet. Tears were running down his face. For my partner was the child of Holocaust survivors, and his parents had been emotionally and physically scarred by their experiences. He could not believe that in his lifetime, just 50 or so years after the Holocaust, he was watching a proud Orthodox Jew celebrated as the Democratic candidate for vice president of the United States.
I was lucky to have been with Senator Lieberman in both good times and bad, on days elections were won as well as lost or, as in 2000, the outcome was far from clear. For those who have been around prominent elected officials, you are often asked “what’s he (or she) really like?” With Senator Lieberman the answer to that question was remarkably easy. His outside was the same as his inside. There was only one Joe Lieberman; there was no difference between the public and private persona.
One time, when we were reminiscing about our many adventures over the years, he turned to me and said, “Hey you’re my Luca Brasi,” a reference to a character in the movie “The Godfather” which was one of his favorites. Just a minute later he said “Wait, you can’t be Luca Brasi, Luca gets killed; you’re my Tom Hagen,” Don Corleone’s consigliere, and we both roared with laughter. He was such a nice person he corrected himself immediately because he did not want to associate me with anyone who “sleeps with the fishes.” Quintessential Joe Lieberman. Joe Lieberman made the world and his home of Connecticut better because of his efforts and because he was such a decent and kind person.
May his memory be a blessing.