Lieberman’s Selection As VP Candidate Surprises Local Democrats

By Steve Bigham

First Selectman Herb Rosenthal and other local Democrats this week expressed surprise over Al Gore’s selection of Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman as his vice presidential running mate.

“I really thought he would have picked someone with more national recognition, someone who was stronger,” Mr Rosenthal said Monday.

The Connecticut Senator was chosen from a list of six candidates to fill the ticket – a ticket Presidential hopeful Al Gore believes has been made stronger with the new addition. Mr Rosenthal, a Democrat, thinks otherwise. He believes a better choice might have been someone from a bigger state. Capturing tiny Connecticut won’t be enough to beat Texas Gov George Bush, according to the first selectman.

Mr Rosenthal thinks Mr Gore is hoping some Republicans will be attracted to Sen Lieberman’s moderately conservative views.

The first selectman admitted he thought Secretary of the Treasury Bob Rubin might have been an ideal choice. Mr Rubin is one of those Washington men now being credited for the country’s strong economy, along with Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan. Even Sen Christopher Dodd would have been a better choice, according to Mr Rosenthal, pointing out that at least Sen Dodd is a dynamic speaker.

Nevertheless, Mr Gore was looking for a vice presidential candidate that he could work with and, according to Mr Rosenthal, both men think a lot alike.

The first selectman criticized Mr Lieberman’s decision to publicly admonish President Clinton for his affair with Monica Lewinsky.

Joe Lieberman is the first Jewish vice presidential candidate for a major party in US history.

Newtown’s Democratic Town Committee Chairman Earl J. Smith also admitted to being surprised by the Lieberman selection, but believes the Connecticut senator was a good choice.

“The political analysts – both Republican and Democrat – seem to praise the choice of choosing a man of great integrity. He seems to be a very popular choice. Immediately the polls have dropped for the Republicans, so he has already helped narrow the gap significantly,” Mr Smith said Tuesday.

Sen Lieberman, who is up for re-election to the US Senate this year, is known as the conscience of the Congress and has become a very influential leader within the Beltway.

“I don’t think we in Connecticut appreciate how much influence he has in Congress,” Mr Smith said.

And the fact that Sen Lieberman is an Orthodox Jew should have little effect on the race. In the year 2000, Mr Smith said, those who would be influenced by the fact that he is Jewish wouldn’t have voted for Gore anyway.

Sen Lieberman was first elected to the US Senate in 1988.