Editorial: Lieberman a boon for Democrats

Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2000 | 9:33 a.m.

Democratic presidential nominee Al Gore's selection of Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman as his running mate defied conventional wisdom -- yet it couldn't have been better. Contrary to the view expressed by many political pundits who believed a liberal was needed to energize the party's base, Lieberman is a political moderate. And Lieberman's speaking style is understated on a good day, so it's difficult to conceive of him in the traditional role of vice presidential nominees, who have served as attack dogs to tear apart the other party's ticket. What truly distinguishes Lieberman, though, are his intelligence and his integrity.

The deeply held values of Lieberman, who is an Orthodox Jew, and his willingness to take positions at odds with those held by the Democratic Party's liberal base, would serve a president well. Gore has shown that he is willing to select someone who won't blanch when he disagrees with a president, who will provide straight talk to the occupant of the Oval Office. After all, Lieberman was the first Senate Democrat to publicly criticize President Clinton over the Monica Lewinsky affair. Gore tapped a thinker, not a yes man.

Closer to home, on the federal issue most important to Nevadans, both Gore and Lieberman sided with this state when Republicans in Congress this year tried to circumvent tough radiation standards for a proposed nuclear waste repository in Yucca Mountain. Gore supported the president's veto of the legislation, and Lieberman was one of just 35 senators who voted to sustain the veto. Republican presidential nominee George W. Bush is cozy with the nuclear power industry, and the Republican National Convention's platform condemned Clinton for vetoing the nuclear waste storage legislation.

Meanwhile, other party standard bearers wouldn't have tapped someone who is Jewish, in light of the religious bigotry that could cost votes. Not Gore. Lieberman becomes the first Jewish vice presidential candidate in this nation's history. Lieberman's selection is reminiscent of John F. Kennedy's breakthrough election in 1960, which made him the first Catholic to win the presidency. While remnants of religious intolerance still exist today, the choice of Lieberman suggests that these barriers in politics are being torn down.

It's often said that a presidential nominee's choice of a running mate is one of the most important decisions he'll ever make. It also shows what kind of character he has -- will he focus purely on political ramifications or will he do what's in the best interest of the nation? Lieberman's selection shows that Gore not only has what it takes to move out of Clinton's shadow, but it also offers a window into how Gore would govern if elected president.