Learning from Joe Lieberman to repair the American breach
This March 17 will be the "yahrzeit" of Sen. Joe Lieberman's unexpected death in 2024, a time in Jewish tradition when family members recite the mourners' kaddish prayer and light candles in memory of their loved one.
Those of us who knew Joe Lieberman continue to mourn his passing and miss his smile and decency. When we have gathered at memorial services and early screenings of "Centered," a new documentary which chronicles his life, we always express the wish that there were more leaders like him in today's harsh political environment. ("Centered" will be in Regal Cinemas nationwide on March 18 and 19.)
That yearning for comity was accentuated by the partisan atmosphere in the House of Representatives for President Donald Trump's recent address to a joint session of Congress. We could debate which party or its leaders are more guilty of polluting the public square these days, but that would defeat the purpose of arguing for better behavior from both sides. The political divide (a worrisome "gulf of America") leaves us inches away from stalemate, and mere feet from chaos.
While Joe Lieberman can no longer speak up on behalf of civility in politics, he left us plenty of examples:
When he gave the Democratic response to President Ronald Reagan's last radio address in 1989, Lieberman did not abuse the opportunity to settle political scores. "Your love of this country and your fervent devotion to freedom inspired us all," the new Democratic senator said of the Republican president.
In 1991, rather than join most Democrats to oppose the use of force after Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait, Lieberman became the lead Democratic co-sponsor of the resolution authorizing the first (and successful) Gulf War.
Working across the aisle with senators like John McCain, Lieberman advocated for the 9/11 Commission to investigate the terrorist attack of Sept. 11, 2001, and Arlen Specter for creation of the Department of Homeland Security.
He often joined with Republican Sen. Bob Dole in urging both Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton to take a more active role in defending Bosnia from Serbian aggression.
And Lieberman collaborated with leaders in both parties to speak out against the plight of inappropriate content in video games, music and television programs, which helped lead to the creation of ratings systems that give parents more power to discern what is best for their children.
Throughout his life, Lieberman's advocacy of harmony and good will found expression in his fervent support for civil and human rights, from traveling to Mississippi as a student advocating voting rights to his leadership in ending the discriminatory "don't ask, don't tell" policy in the military and to his commitment to a cleaner environment (the latter two efforts also involved cross-party cooperation).
The senator's many public expressions of cordiality towards people of either or no political party were matched by his behavior in private. As staffers who worked with him beginning more than 45 years ago, through many crises and controversies (rarely of his own making), we can testify to his humor, equanimity and good will. We never heard him raise his voice, even in the most tense and tumultuous of circumstances.
Joe Lieberman's calm demeanor should not be mistaken for a milquetoast career, however. In the course of the work cited above, and many more, he was friendly, but forthright; decent, but determined.
Thanks in good measure to his faith in God and fervent religious beliefs, he had a strong moral compass that almost always pointed him in the right direction for the betterment of society. If he fell short on rare occasions, it was never from base motives or weak principles. He was, in the words of the prophet Isaiah, a "repairer of the breach," not a source of division.
As nearly lifelong believers in the leadership of Joe Lieberman, we cannot help but feel that America and the world would have been better off if he and Al Gore had succeeded in the 2000 election. But even in the wake of that enormous – and enormously disappointing – setback in his life, Lieberman showed the same kind of grace and optimism that characterized his whole life:
"America is a great country," he said on the floor of the Senate the day after Vice President Gore conceded the election to George W. Bush. "I do think that every one of us should be grateful this morning that here in America we work out our differences not with civil wars, but with spirited elections."
"It is time now for all of us to come together in support of these United States and the shared values that have long sustained us," he continued. "Psalm 30 assures us that weeping may linger for the night, but in the morning, there are shouts of joy."
Our sorrow over the loss of Joe Lieberman has lingered through the long night of his absence from our lives and politics – never more than at this yahrzeit of his passing – but we are encouraged by his stirring words and sterling example to find hope for shouts of joy once again..
Jim Kennedy is a former spokesman for Joe Lieberman, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, the Clinton Foundation, Sony Pictures, Sony Corporation of America and News Corp. He publishes occasional columns on Substack.
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Miami Herald
26 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore's outreach to young men draws praise
BALTIMORE - Young men drifted away from the Democratic Party in the 2024 election, but some party leaders see Maryland Gov. Wes Moore as a model for how to bring them back. Moore, 46, an Army veteran and first-term governor, has asked his administration to find ways to better support young men and boys - groups he says are falling behind in education, economic mobility and mental health. "For him, it's not a show," said Young Democrats of America President Quentin Wathum-Ocama. He's "articulating a vision that shows young men … here's an opportunity for you to be a strong man, to be somebody who cares about their family, but also cares about community." Moore said Democrats need to stop treating young men as a voting bloc to recapture, and start treating them as people who need help. He cites his administration's focus on reducing incarceration and economic insecurity as part of that focus. "Once you're losing people in elections, that's not because you just started losing them," Moore said in an interview with The Baltimore Sun. "It's because you lost them a long time ago." Nationally, Democrats have begun exploring similar outreach. California Gov. Gavin Newsom launched a podcast, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox created a task force focused on the well-being of boys and men, and New York Democrats appear to have nominated 33-year-old Zohran Mamdani for New York City mayor, who ran a heavily social-media-based campaign. Multiple political analysts and Democratic leaders told The Sun that Moore's approach comes across as authentic, with policy ideas to back him up. But Republicans in Maryland question whether Moore's rhetoric has translated into measurable results. Democrats losing ground with young men Support for Democrats among young men fell sharply in 2024. Just 42% of men aged 18 to 29 voted Democratic, down from 56% in 2020, according to a Tufts University CIRCLE analysis. Political researcher John Della Volpe, who co-founded the "Speaking with American Men Project," says many young men see Democrats as weak and out of touch. He attributes Donald Trump's gains among this group more to personality than policy. Young men largely feel betrayed by institutions, Della Volpe said. That feeling started during the pandemic and has been coupled with economic anxiety. "It is deeply frustrating that so many young men still feel the same thing to this day," Moore said. A new model? In his February State of the State address, Moore highlighted rising incarceration and suicide rates among young men, along with declining college enrollment and workforce participation. He asked state agencies to propose targeted solutions - such as promoting entrepreneurship, homeownership and job reintegration after prison. These efforts build on earlier initiatives like mentorship programs, funding for county summer programs, a paid service year for high school graduates and mass pardons for low-level cannabis offenses. "It's not an election strategy for us," Moore said. "It's something we believe in." Sen. Cory McCray, a Baltimore Democrat, praised Moore's job training efforts as a way to give young men "exposure and access" to role models and tools for success. But Republicans remain skeptical. "A lot of things … with this administration, sounded real good," said Senate Minority Whip Justin Ready. But he said he hasn't seen "a lot of action" or concrete results. Ready said many of the policies Moore touts don't specifically target young men. Senate Minority Leader Steve Hershey added that Moore's "priorities seem to shift with political headlines," and said Marylanders deserve consistent, comprehensive leadership. Moore also faced pushback from Democrats who have not been universally supportive of some of the governor's recent actions, including policies they say could impact young men in the state. The governor recently vetoed a bill that would have created a commission to study reparations for descendants of enslaved people. Moore said he wanted policies that deliver results - not "another study." Is it working? Moore has positioned himself as a results-oriented leader, often distancing himself from what he calls "needless debate," which has helped people see him as a doer and addresses a common desire among younger people to change the status quo, Washington College associate professor Flavio Hickel said. In a speech in South Carolina this year, Moore called on his party to stop being the party of "no and slow." About 53% of 18- to 34-year-olds and 53% of men in Maryland approve of the job he's doing, according to a March Gonzales Poll, the most recent one available. Moore's life story - which he describes as growing up in an over-policed neighborhood, serving in the military, leading an anti-poverty organization and becoming Maryland's first Black governor - has also become part of his messaging pitch to young men. "We hold him up as an icon of what can be done, showing these young men that there is a place in our coalition for them," said Ilyse Hogue, co-founder of the American Men Project. A party leader in a traditional early primary state agrees. "He worked very hard for everything that he got," said New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Raymond Buckley. "I think that connects with a lot of young folks that are going through some pretty anxious times." 2028 and beyond Although Moore told The Sun he is not running for president in 2028, he's held meetings with former Biden and Obama campaign advisers in South Carolina - a key primary state - and his name has appeared in early polls of potential Democratic contenders. Nationally, Democrats are testing new approaches to reach young men online. The party recently launched a podcast and has eased its social media tone. But Wathum-Ocama, the Young Democrats of America president, said Democrats need more than a "magic bullet." He described a party that needs authenticity. Ruben Amaya, president of the Young Democrats of Maryland and the third vice chair of the state party, said including young people in party messaging is critical. At age 21, Moore nominated him for state party leadership. Amaya, who's now 24, took the nomination as a symbol that Moore values young voices. "Our jobs are not to be pundits," Moore said about fellow politicians. "Your job is to actually care about the work, your job is to actually care about the people that you're hoping to serve." Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
29 minutes ago
'This Week' Transcript 6-29-25: Sen. Lindsey Graham & Rep. Hakeem Jeffries
A rush transcript of "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" airing on Sunday, June 29, 2025 on ABC News is below. This copy may not be in its final form, may be updated and may contain minor transcription errors. For previous show transcripts, visit the "This Week" transcript archive. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ZOHRAN MAMDANI, DEMOCRATIC MAYORAL CANDIDATE FOR NEW YORK: Together, New York, we have renewed our democracy. We have given our cities permission to believe again. In our New York, the power belongs to the people. (END VIDEO CLIP) JONATHAN KARL, ABC "THIS WEEK" CO- ANCHOR: That was 33-year-old Democratic socialist Zohan Mamdani, who shocked the political world with his victory in the New York Democratic primary for mayor. I'm joined now by House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York. Let -- let's start with the big news, Leader Jeffries, out of your home town. Mamdani won a big victory. Have you endorsed him yet? REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES - HOUSE MINORITY LEADER, (D) NEW YORK: I have not. We had a conversation on Wednesday morning where I congratulated him on the campaign that he ran, a campaign that clearly was relentlessly focused on the high cost of living in New York City and the economy. He out worked, he out communicated and he out organized the opposition. And that's clearly why he was successful. KARL: So, what's holding you back from endorsing him right now? JEFFRIES: Well, we don't really know each other well. Our districts don't overlap. I have never had a substantive conversation with him. And so, that's the next step in terms of this process, to be able to sit down, which we agreed to do, in central Brooklyn, discuss his vision for moving the city forward and addressing the issues that are important to the communities that I represent. A very diverse district that I represent in Brooklyn, including many African Americans, many Jewish Americans, many Caribbean Americans who are dealing with a lot of challenges in the city and want to make sure that the next mayor of the city of New York, whoever that may be, is prepared to tackle them. KARL: Mamdani calls himself a Democratic socialist. He proposed, obviously, big tax increases, free mass transit, free bus fares, government run grocery stores. Is this the kind of progressive socialism it is -- we're going to see as the future of the Democratic Party or is this unique to New York City? JEFFRIES: I think that one of the things we've been clear about from the very beginning as House Democrats is that we need to relentlessly focus on addressing the high cost of living in the United States of America. This country is far to expensive for working class Americans, for middle class Americans, for all those who aspire to be part of the middle class. Imagine a country where every single, hard-working American taxpayer can afford to live the good life, work hard, play by the rules, have a good paying job, good health care, be able to afford a home, educate your children, go on vacation every now and then, and one day retire with grace and dignity. The good life. The American dream. That is not accessible to everyone. And so I think it will continue to be important for all of us on the Democratic side to address relentlessly the issue of the lack of affordability in this country. Donald Trump promised to lower costs on day one. Costs haven't gone down. They're going up. In fact, the guy is crashing the economy in real time and posing these reckless Trump tariffs that are going to increase costs by thousands of dollars a year. And he may even drive us toward a recession. KARL: You mentioned the diversity of your district, including a lot of Jewish constituents. Mamdani has made comments that some have said veer towards anti-Semitism. His initial statement after October 7th, he criticized the Israeli government but didn't criticize Hamas. He defended the use of the word globalize -- or the phrase 'globalize intifada.' And he even said that the Israeli prime minister, Netanyahu, should be arrested -- or he would if he were mayor, he would arrest Netanyahu if he visited New York City. Do these things concern you? JEFFRIES: Globalizing the intifada by way of example is not an acceptable phrasing. He's going to have to clarify his position on that as he moves forward. With respect to the Jewish communities that I represent, I think our nominee is going to have to convince folks that he is prepared to aggressively address the rise in anti-Semitism in the city of New York, which has been an unacceptable development. And any mayor, whether you're a Democratic mayor, a Republican mayor, an independent mayor, has got to commit to the safety and well-being of all of the people of the city of New York. And when there are moments of crisis and a rise in anti-Jewish hate, that's a threshold, of course, that needs to be crossed. With respect to the African American and Caribbean American communities that I represent, it's going to be important for our nominee to articulate the case for dramatically and decisively addressing the rise in gentrification and the housing displacement that threatens to continue to wipe out low and moderate income, black and Latino communities in New York City. It's an unacceptable phenomenon. And the next mayor of the city of New York has to be able to articulate a clear plan and commitment to address these concerns for the people that I represent and folks all across the great city of New York. KARL: All right, let's turn to developments here in Washington. The Supreme Court (INAUDIBLE) decision empowering Donald Trump by limiting the power of judges to stop his executive orders or to freeze his executive orders. How big a deal is this? This was really the one way -- the one restraint on his actions that's been effective so far. JEFFRIES: Well, it was an unfortunate decision from a procedural standpoint as it relates to what should have been a very clear case. If there is any instance where nationwide injunctions are appropriate, it would be in a -- in a manner like what we've just experienced in terms of birthright citizenship, which is clearly a part of the Constitution. If you are born as a child in the United States of American, you are a citizen. So, it was a procedural setback that was quite unfortunate, and it was a reckless decision, in my view. However, in terms of the fight judicially to protect birthright citizenship, that remains alive and well. And we're just going to have to intensify our efforts now in district court after district court or to get a class action certified on behalf of people who may be adversely impacted by this reckless Trump executive order. KARL: And -- and you were at the briefing, the classified briefing, Friday on Iran and on the U.S. air strikes. Did you get satisfactory answers and do you have a sense now, was the program really -- I mean the president says obliterated, but -- but what did you learn? JEFFRIES: Well, let's be clear, Iran is a sworn enemy of the United States of America, as well as our allies in the Middle East, like Israel and Jordan. And we can never allow Iran to be a nuclear capable power. That said, there are a lot of questions that remain unanswered, in my view, as it relates to the actions that the Trump administration took relative to Iran. Why did they not seek the congressional authorization required by the Constitution for this type of preemptive strike? I still haven't seen facts presented to us as a Congress to justify that step, and I certainly haven't seen facts to justify the statement that Donald Trump made that Iran's nuclear program has been completely and totally obliterated. We also need the case to be made by the administration to the American people as to how to best accomplish the objective of preventing Iran from becoming nuclear capable. Why did they abandon the aggressive diplomacy that was successful under the Obama administration, and what is their plan to stop us from getting into another failed Middle Eastern war. A lot of questions that need to be answered. And those answers haven't been compelling to date. KARL: All right, a lot of questions for sure. Leader Jeffries, thank you for joining us. JEFFRIES: Thank you. KARL: Up next, the roundtable's take on what the New York mayor's race could mean for Democrats nationwide and how the Justice Department forced out the president of the University of Virginia over DEI policies. We're back in a moment.
Time Magazine
30 minutes ago
- Time Magazine
Musk Reignites Feud, Labels Trump Bill 'Insane, Destructive'
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The legislation, as currently written, would pay someone like Elon Musk $1000 per child, and we know how prolific he is . . . No offense, Elon, but is that a wise use of our $$?' Responding to Sen. Paul's vote, Trump said: 'Did Rand Paul vote 'NO' again tonight? What's wrong with this guy?'On the other end of the opposition, some hard-right Republicans held off on their votes until the last minute, angling for further spending cuts into the bill in exchange for their support. Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, who had earlier in the day urged fellow Republicans not to rush through the bill before knowing exactly what it contained, dramatically changed his vote to a yes in the closing moments. Speaking out after his last-minute change of heart, Sen. Johnson said: 'Biden and the Democrats left behind enormous messes that we are trying to clean up—an open border, wars, and massive deficits. 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'I look forward to working with them to grow our economy, reduce wasteful spending, secure our border, fight for our military/veterans, ensure that our Medicaid system helps those who truly need it, protect our Second Amendment, and so much more.'
